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Sometime in the summer, when the Trustees made their visit to inspect the Hospital, I appealed to Reuel Williams, as one of the Trustees, to discharge me from the Institution. I revealed to him, at that time, the particulars of the abuse I had received from Dr. Ray, to all of which he replied -- "You can't make me believe that you have been abused here, Hunt." To this I replied -- "Whether you will believe it or not it is nevertheless true." Thus he closed his ear and heart to my plaintive story -- my appeals for release. On the first official visit of Dr. Hubbard, as Trustee of the Institution, Dr. Bates told him, in my presence, what I had said about the atrocious manner in which Dr. Ray had abused me with the deleterious drugs, which had the effect to destroy my physical and mental faculties. To all of which he turned a deaf ear, wheeling upon his heel, he started off with all the inflated pomposity of a King of the Cannibal Islands. Dr. Bates always professed friendship and sincerity to me, and it pains me to say that his assertions in regard to my ultimate recovery from the malpractice of Dr. Ray, were in toto, basely false representations to me, in my then bewildered state of mind. About this period, say in the month of August, I was permitted to go to the library of the Institution and select such reading matter as I chose. I selected romances, as I could not for an entire year from this time read anything else, except the newspapers of the day. During this entire year I was kept in a perfect state of excitement and alarm by a variety of aggressions. Persons were in the habit of visiting the Institution daily, and I frequently would hear them inquire for some one, and I would often on such occasions see myself pointed out as the person inquired for. This was a very serious annoyance to me -- added to others it kept me tossing and beating about on the sea of a stormy mind, like a dismantled ship driven to and fro by each adverse wave or the blast of the hurricane. Thus the year passed heavily along -- being imprisoned with such objects of humanity, whose very looks, and every act or motion, would be enough to drive a sane man mad.

I should here mention that about the period I began to read from the library, my brother from the State of Massachusetts visited me. -- He came expressly to take me home with him to my relatives in the old Bay State, my native land. Dr. Bates said to my brother -- "Sir, it is impossible for you to see him; I can't permit it. He is not in a fit state to see any of his acquaintances." Says my brother -- "Dr. Bates, I have come a long distance, expressly to see my brother, and I cannot return without the interview." Thereupon Dr. Bates told him I did not wish to see any of my friends or relatives. My brother then desired Dr. Bates to inform me of his presence, and then if I did not wish to see him, he would return without the interview he so much sought for. Mr. Hall, the Supervisor, came to me and asked me if I wished to see my brother? I then asked him if it was possible that my brother was yet alive? having in my delusive moments supposed him to be murdered. He replied -- "There is a man here who says he is your brother, and you can see the person if you so desire to do." Thereupon he took me to the presence of my brother. I walked out with him about the grounds, but I did not dare to tell him the horrid treatment I had received at the hands of those hideous monsters, thinking that my brother might also fall a victim to their cruel atrocities before he left the State of Maine! The reasons for Dr. Bates refusing me an interview with my brother, was a fear that I should unfold the atrocious operations and horrid sufferings I had endured within the walls of this most iniquitous modern Bastile, or Algerine prison.

One Sabbath morning, sometime in the month of July, after twenty-one or two months of my incarceration, my customary portion of Morphine was not given me, which, whenever omitted always created a violent state of agitation. That day, at dinner, my appetite was out of order, hence I did not eat my customary portion of food, and this fact induced me to apply, as usual, to be let out on the grounds to walk. Hereupon one of the patients told the attendant that I was a very crazy man, and they had better watch me. I started on my walk, and on returning from the river observed two men standing in the garden. One started off to meeting, and with the other I quietly walked to the house, and he let me in. I then learned that these two men had been watching my movements, lest I should make way with myself. That evening, Dr. Bates said to me that whenever I went out again I must go with the other patients, under keepers, alledging that if I was permitted to go out alone that he should expect to find me hung upon one of his apple trees, or drowned in the river! I replied: "Sir, you can do as you please, as I am in your power, but your trees will never bear such fruit, nor the river produce such a fish!" But if I went out only with the menagerie or caravan of wild animals, as I called it when the patients went out to walk, I should never have gone out again alive, for I was determined that I would not again be driven about like a wild beast. After this little incident I became a close prisoner, and only went out as the Supervisor and attendant took me out with them. This experiment continued for two or three months. After this I was again permitted, on my parole, to walk around the grounds as I had formerly done.