Library Collections: Document: Full Text


Modern Persecution, or Insane Asylums Unveiled

From: Modern Persecution
Creator: Elizabeth P. W. Packard (author)
Date: 1873
Source: Available at selected libraries
Figures From This Artifact: Figure 1  Figure 2  Figure 3  Figure 4  Figure 5  Figure 6  Figure 7  Figure 8  Figure 9  Figure 10  Figure 11  Figure 12  Figure 13  Figure 14  Figure 15  Figure 16

Previous Page   Next Page   All Pages 


2554  

And Mr. David Field, of Granville, Illinois, wrote in reply to this information, and very respectfully inquired what evi-dence I had given in my own actions of being a "dangerous patient."

2555  

When he insolently replied, "I do not deem it my duty to answer impertinent questions!"

2556  

He knew that it would be "dangerous" to have me in any private family long, for then they would find out what he had discovered, that I was an uncompromising defender of truth and justice, and such weapons he feared, and might well call them "dangerous" to his interests in the hands of a free woman!

2557  

He knew too well, that no bribes, no threats, no punish-ments could throw me from the track upon which I had chosen to pass my earth life. And since I had baffled his skill and gigantic powers in this attempt, he was sure the only safe place for such a woman, was behind the dead-locks of an insane asylum!

2558  

Mrs. Chapman told me one night at the dance, that she had inquired of Mrs. McFarland why they did treat me so abusively, so unreasonably, so persistently evil.

2559  

To which she replied, "It is because she slanders the house."

2560  

I replied, "there is nothing so cutting as the truth; they have become convinced that I am a fearless truth teller; therefore they fear me. She is at liberty to prove my representations slanderous and false, if she can, but she is not at liberty to defame my character to disprove them."

2561  

She then added, "I have also consulted Dr. Tenny about your case. I said to him, how can you treat Mrs. Packard as you do? it would drive me distracted and dethrone my reason entirely, to be put through such a process; and then to per-sist so long, in so abusing an innocent and injured woman, is beyond all precedent; how can you do so? "

2562  

"I am only a subordinate -- I cannot help it," was his reply.

2563  

I then told her, "Mrs. McFarland has been an angel of consolation to me; when I was so exceedingly sorrowful, before Miss Smith's discharge, she actually shed tears of pity for me, and did try to raise my dying hopes, by assuring me I might hope her husband would send me home before long."

2564  

"Yes, she can talk sympathy, but why don't she do some-thing for you? Talking sympathy is not what you want; you want to be treated as your character deserves to be treated."

2565  

"Mrs. McFarland did say she could not help my being placed among the maniacs, to be subject to their injurious treatment, but she said she would send me something occa-sionally from their own table. And she has done so. Once she brought me under her apron or in her pocket a tumbler of jelly and a teaspoon to eat it with. And another time I had a quantity of loaf-sugar and lemons and a pitcher of ice-water sent into my room from their kitchen. She also consented to Mrs. Coe's bringing me good things from their kitchen, or anything else she chose to bring, for my comfort. And Mrs. Coe has availed herself of this right, and brought me apples in abundance, raisins, oranges, and prunes, some of which she bought with her own money. She brings me strawberries and sugar, cherries and melons, which Mr. Jones, the Super-intendent of the asylum farm sends me, by permission from Mrs. McFarland, so that through her influence, I have my sorrows lessened perhaps as much as it is possible for her to do, under the circumstances. Indeed, since Mrs. Coe has been our cook, and this license given her, I have hardly been a day without some extra luxury, such as fruits, cakes, and confectioneries. Now I think this is "doing something."

2566  

"Yes, it is a comfort to be thus cared for in your now for-lorn condition, but that is not restoring you to your family and society, as you ought to be."

2567  

"No, it is not, but the hope of being so, is next to the frui-tion, and Mrs. McFarland has held this hope before me as a solace by saying:

2568  

'I can assure you the Doctor will never consent to take you into this institution again; you may settle your mind upon that point, and I think the Doctor did very wrong to listen to Mr. Packard so much; and he ought to have sent you home long ago!' and such like rays of hope."

2569  

"But I sometimes think, Mrs. Chapman, that I have felt more impatient since she inspired this hope than before. I have been like the soldier so long trying to keep down an inordinate desire to see my children once more, a free woman, that the least probability of the closing of the campaign almost fills me with ecstacy, and each blighting of a hope of this kind seems harder and harder. Another thing I have found, Mrs. Chapman, to be indispensable to my support, is to keep myself constantly employed, that my mind does not prey upon itself. My heart is so keenly alive to emotions and impressions, that a track is necessary for me to move upon, or it might become morbidly sensitive if left to itself. I therefore conscientiously employ each hour according to a set plan for systematic employment. And in this too, I am aided by Mrs. McFarland, for she lets me buy cotton knitting yarn by the pound, and as much muslin as I want to .em-broider bands and trimmings of any style I choose. And I am accumulating an immense amount of embroidery for my own and my daughter's under-clothes, expecting, as you see, to live in the world a long time yet to need it!"

Previous Page   Next Page

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60  61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70  71  72  73  74  75  76  77  78  79  80  81  82  83  84  85  86  87  88  89  90  91  92  93  94  95  96  97  98  99  100  101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114  115  116  117  118  119  120  121  122  123  124  125  126  127  128  129  130  131    All Pages