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"Another time," Mrs. Coe adds, "happening in her ward at a call of duty, I saw her seize Mrs. O'Brien -- an apparently dying woman -- who was lying upon a hard settee, confined with a tight jacket about her, which Lizzy said was necessary to keep the clothes over her! But to all appearance she had not strength enough to put them off.

The food and froth were running from her mouth and a deadly look was upon her features. She took hold of one of her arms and dragged her with violence from the settee upon the floor and dragged her across the hall to the bath-room, where with the help of her assistant, she held her face under the streaming faucet by jerking her neck back by the hair of her head!

In answer to my inquiry: "What are you doing, Lizzy, with that dying woman?" she replied:

"I am washing her neck and face!"

"Wouldn't it be better to take off her clothes and put her into a bath-tub and give her a nice, warm bath, and then put her into a nice, clean bed?"

"You had better be attending to your own business in the kitchen, getting us something fit to eat, and not be here dictating to me -- if you don't stop this business, I'll report you to Mrs. McFarland."

"Mrs. McFarland has no right to prevent my coming here at the call of duty."

Mrs. O'Brien died a few days after.

She said also, "I know of another case where she dislocated the arm of a patient by her treatment and she died a few days after."

She said Dr. McFarland told her not to let it be known at all abroad that she had dislocated the arm, and this was all the reproof he gave her.

Miss Bonner has made her boast that Dr. McFarland once caught her abusing a patient, and he just gave her a smile of approbation and then left her to torture her poor helpless victim to the full extent her angry passions prompted her to do.

Oh! if there is any place on earth where the afflicted have no comforter, it is in our insane asylums. "Verily on the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no com-forter," -- no protection.

For there is no link to connect the inmates of insane asylums with the laws of the country.

So long therefore as this link is wanting, so long is every inmate of our insane asylums liable and exposed to receive the treatment inflicted upon Miss Hodson.

Often have I heard the threat expressed:

"I shall prosecute you for this."

And as often heard the retort:

"Insane people have no rights that the law respects. You prosecute! What is your testimony worth as a witness, in law? Nothing! You can't scare us by your threats -- no law reaches you -- you are wholly at the mercy of your keepers! We are amenable to no law except the will of the autocrat who reigns supreme within these prison walls! "

CHAPTER XLIII.
Interview with Mr. Wells, of Chicago -- A Victim of Homesickness.

At one of our dancing parties, I had the satisfaction of meeting Mr. Wells, of Chicago, whom I found upon acquaint-ance, to be a man of pleasing address, of fine talents, and possessing a great share of learning and intelligence. While others were engaged in dancing, we would oftentimes be con-versing on subjects of common interest respecting the man-agement of the asylum.

There seemed to be a perfect coincidence in our views in relation to this subject, and we secretly agreed upon a plan of exposing it when we got out.

But he became a victim of homesickness to the highest degree which caused his death.

This long pent up indignation would sometimes vent itself in vehement language. For example, one night at our dance, I inquired if he had heard from his friends. He replied in a most vehement and impressive manner:

"Friends! I have no friends! I will never have a friend again! They have been the curse of my life! Curse on all the friends I ever had!"

I can respond to this sentiment, as can almost all others who have been put in here by their friends. It is indeed now true, that "A man's foes are they of his own household." And if any doubt it, I think if they were at once put in here by their friends they would then be compelled to believe it. Miss Hall, a very smart young lady who had been here for a few weeks, said:

'If my friends can put me into such a place as this, they can not care anything for me; I am knocked about as if I were nothing but a dog. I am Miss Smith's mere slave or brute. It is enough to drive one's senses and intellect all away from us to be treated as we are. Those who have established such Institutions must be criminals! What can they mean, to let that saucy, mean girl drive us about so? And there is no escape, no appeal from her impudence!'

And Mr. Wells, have you not ascertained that this is one of the most prominent features of the 'treatment' we are sent here to receive? They must make us feel that we are utterly deserted, with no sort of appeal, to inspire in us a reverence for the despotic will which rules supreme here."

"Despotic will! There never lived a greater despot, than now lives in that man," pointing to Dr. McFarland, who was now approaching us. "But we must separate -- the Doctor must not see us together."