"A black man, who followed the trade of a butcher, had been confined there many years ago. He had been allowed the range of the house, with two or three others, whose derangement was attended with no violence. One night, the black butcher secreted a knife; he induced another man to enter his cell, prevailed on him to lie down, and then cut his throat; he calmly cut him in quarters, and distributed the joints around his cell, as he was in the habit of arranging his meat in his shop. He solicited the custom of his comrades, and to those who were chained, he carried such portions as they desired. The keeper was disturbed by the cannibal rejoicings; it was the first full meal they had had for many a long day. On examining the cells, he found one man missing. He asked the black butcher if he had seen him, and he replied that he had sold the last joint of him. Since that time,' said the keeper, ‘we look out better, otherwise they would eat one every day.'" Dr. Ray, superintendent of the Insane Hospital at Augusta, Maine, in his last report, dated December 31, 1841, page 27, "The first point that arrests our attention, is the comparatively small number of the insane that have been received into the Hospital. By the United States census of 1840, it appears that there are in this state 631 insane persons. A large portion, no doubt, are idiots and other incurables, who can hardly be considered as fit subjects of medical or moral treatment, and who are as well off, wherever they are kindly treated, as they would be with us. Still, after making all reasonable deductions of this kind, there are unquestionably more than 134, who would be either completely restored, or greatly im proved, mentally and bodily, by a residence in the Hospital." The trustees of the same institution, in the report of the previous year, say, "There are in this state many insane paupers. Several of the towns, acting under an enlightened and liberal policy, that is truly commendable, have provided for the insane poor in the Hospital. There are, however, many of the towns, which, under a mistaken policy of selfishness, a policy too often influencing those bodies which are said to have no souls,'-have adopted the practice of selling the keeping of their poor at auction. What kind of treatment insane paupers, thus sold to the lowest bidder, would be likely to receive, may be readily conjectured. If any constitutional measures for the protection of insane paupers could be adopted by the legislature, humanity would rejoice at the result." Dr. Stribling, of the Western Lunatic Asylum of Virginia, in his last report, dated January 1, 1842, says, "The fact, however, as developed by this table, in which we are most interested, is, that there are in Virginia one thousand and forty-eight white lunatics and idiots, a statement which, astounding as it may at first seem, is doubtless far below the truth. It is scarcely probable that, in any instance, an individual was registered as insane, who was not so; but it is absolutely certain that many were omitted, who should have been included under this head. A number of such cases are within my knowledge, which, if necessary, could be here cited; but it will suffice to establish at least the plausibility of ny remark, for me to state, that, in the county of Frederick, there is only one individual reported by the census as being insane, and at public expense, when there were certainly seven, if not eight, such in the jail of said county, at that date. But, even on the supposition that the number has been correctly reported, who is there that can refrain from inquiring, Where are these one thousand and more poor creatures, who have been deprived of the God-like attribute of reason? and what is their present condition? We know that but about two hundred and fifty of them are in the Asylums of the commonwealth, and are of course left to conjecture as to the location and circumstances of the remainder. Many are doubtless with their friends, receiving all the attention which affection can bestow, and surrounded by every comfort, which, in their unhappy state, they can appreciate; but their disease is doubtless becoming more firmly riveted by every day's duration, and many of them may be already doomed to continue its victims during life. Others are wretch'd wanderers, traversing the highways or by-paths of the commonwealth, unprotected and uncared for, suffering with cold and hunger, and exhibiting, wherever they go, an exterior but too well harmonizing with a mind in ruins.' Whilst a third and most hapless class are immured in the gloomy Prisons of the country, degraded to a level with the criminal who has violated the laws both of God and man; chained like wild beasts to the floors of their grated cells; but half fed, and altogether naked; often writhing, too, under the Lash of their cruel keeper; and in this state are cut off from intercourse with all other living creatures, save, indeed, the creeping vermin which feed upon the filth in which their bodi s are incased. Would that this picture was the result of fancy, or was even a reality somewhat exaggerated; but alas for the honor of Virginia!-it is too faithful a representation of what many of this class of unfortunates are now suffering within her borders; and whilst no one could be more unwilling than myself to do aught by which her fair fame might be tarnishe, it would surely seem, in this particular, a false delicacy to disguise the truth, if its disclosure could, by possibility, lead to the rescue of a single one of these unhappy sufferers. Not to dwell upon the cases of some four or five individuals, who, within a few weeks past, have been brought to this institution, (from the Jails in which they had been lying, some of them, for many years,) bound with chains, and marked with stripes, as evidencing the cruelty and in unanity which are so commonly practised, I feel it a duty to relate the circumstances of a visit, made in person, during the last summer, to one of these receptacles for the insane, not a hundred miles distant from this Asylum; and it is to be seriously apprehended that the scenes there exhibited afford too striking a criterion by which to judge the condition of most of those confined to the Jails throughout the state.. Being accidentally at the place just alluded to, and understanding that a number of ins ine persons were confined in the Jail, I was induced to visit it; but more especially to see one of these individuals, in whose fate my sympathies had become particularly enlisted, from hearing him represented as a genteel young foreigner, of industrious habits and fine moral character, who had within a very short period lost his reason. On arriving at the Prison, and informing the keeper of my object, he readily tendered his services to conduct me to the several apartments, in which were confined the unhappy beings for whom my visit was designed. It is probably due to the old man, whose head seemed frosted by at least threescore winters, that I should premise, that his appearance and conversation prepossessed me favorably as to his goodness of heart, and a disposition to do, in behalf of his prisoners, whatever his judgment could sanction as being proper; although, as will appear from the sequel, he must have indulged the antiquated and superstitious idea, that the insane are possessed with demons,' and hence that it was more important to confine and restrain them, than to minister to their comfort, or attempt an alleviation of their affliction. 6 "The first cell to which I was introduced was dark, and imperfectly ventilated, and contained, 'solitary and alone,' the young man in whom I had felt most interested. He sat in a remote corner of the apartment, on a dirty bag, partly filled with straw, having a strong chain riveted to his ankle, and binding him to the floor. His features were almost concealed by the long beard which had grown in unchecked luxuriance, and, together with his profuse and dishevelled locks, gave to him an appearance somewhat savage and repulsive. His body and limbs were uncovered, save that he wore on his shoulders part of an old, filthy, cloth coat, which badly concealed his nakedness. On my first approach, he hung his head, as if conscious of his apparent degradation; but, in a short time, seeming to be actuated by a desire for release, he elevated and fixed upon me an eye expressive only of anxiety and distress, and, without uttering a syllable, by a significant gesture directed my attention to the chain upon his ankle. Finding him any thing else than a maniac, I turned to the keeper with surprise, and inquired why it was he had him thus fettered; nor was this astonishment allayed by the reply, that it was in consequence of his tearing his clothes and destroying his furniture; for if he had been as poorly provided with either when free, as in his then condition, he could surely have indulged his destructive propensities to the utmost, without any serious damage resulting. After learning from the keeper that he was never dangerous or violent, I endeavored to prevail upon him to be satisfied with merely confining his hands, and proposed to direct him how to make a muff, which would effectually prevent his doing mischief, whilst he could be permitted to wear his clothes, and walk about his room; but the old man seemed wedded to his chain, and no persuasion could induce him to abandon it. I, of course, left the apartment deeply pained at the spectacle presented, and regretting most sincerely that the poor sufferer could not be admitted into this Asylum, where his comfort would have been secured, and the disease, which was fast becoming more firmly riveted than the chain which bound him, could almost certainly have been removed. "The next cell to which I was conducted, contained an object the most forbidding that it had been my lot to behold in human form. Like the poor German above described, his long and profuse hair and beard seemed not to have been cut or combed for a great while. He was covered with filthy rags, and the heavy chain which fastened him to the floor was only long enough to admit of his lying down on his comfortless bed of boards and blankets. The appearance of the poor creature, indicating that he had drunk a twofold portion of the cup of affliction, suffering the horrors of mental disease, aggravated by physical neglect and torture, and the effluvia which issued from his filthy abode, alike operated to prevent my tarrying long with him. On retiring, I was shocked still further to learn that he had been in this condition, chained to the floor, for more than three years. This individual has been since admitted into our Asylum; nor was I surprised to find, that, from his long confinement to a particular position, his lower extremities had become entirely paralyzed. He is now, from this cruel treatment, a helpless cripple, unable to walk or stand, and will, in all probability, so continue during life. "A third apartment, which opened into a narrow passage, was, if possible, still more revolting than either of the former, not because it appeared more uncomfortable or cheerless, - for such could not well have been the case, but because it was the abode of five insane females, three of whom were white, and two black. One of each color was chained in opposite corners of the room, whilst the remaining three were permitted during the day to exercise or labor in the adjoining passage. A further description of their appearance and circumstances, horrible as it might be, could not surely aggravate the deep loathing which must be produced in the mind of every humane and intelligent individual, by this simple statement as to their number, sex, color, and condition. There was one other male confined elsewhere in the establishment; but, having witnessed enough of the degradation and sufferings of my fellow-beings, I did not impose upon the goodness of the old man to conduct me farther. "This jailer received annually, from the public treasury, within a fraction of two thousand dollars, for the manner in which he thus treated these unfortunates, a sum which, had there been apartments here for their reception, would have supported comfortably and genteelly, for the same period, these eight and five others, making in all thirteen. As before remarked, is there not too much reason to fear, as this exhibition has occurred in one of the most wealthy, intelligent, and populous counties of the state, that it but represents the condition of many others, throughout our country? And does it not call, with a loud voice, upon the Christian, the philanthropist, and the statesman, to be up and doing, not only to alleviate the privations and sufferings of this illfated class of fellow-immortals, but to erase this humiliating stain from the escutcheon of our beloved Virginia. Surely the apathy which has existed in regard to this subject, thus far, must have resulted from the fact, that both legislators and their constituents have been ignorant of the hapless condition to which so many of this class of our unfortunate fellow-citizens are consigned; and hence it is all-important that these and similar facts (of which it is to be regretted there are such a number) should be made public. The press, that mighty engine of weal or woe to the destinies of our state and the welfare of her citizens, should be made to teem with the shrieks and groans of the ill-fated lunatics, until the comfort of every domestic fireside in the commonwealth is disturbed, and the now dormant sympathies of a whole people be aroused to a just appreciation of their sufferings and degradation. The humane and talented editor of the Charlestown (Va.) Free Press, has lately spoken with emphasis and power upon this subject; and we will doubtless be pardoned for quoting here his eloquent and touching remarks: It is our fate,' says he, to be located opposite the County Prison, in which are now confined four miserable creatures, bereft of the God-like attribute of reason, two of them females, and our feelings are daily excited by sounds of woe, that would harrow up the flintiest soul in creation. Oh! it is horrible, that, for the sake of a few thousand dollars, the wailings of the wretched should be suffered to issue from the gloomy walls of our Prisons without pity and without relief. Would that our law-makers were doomed to listen, but for a single hour each day, to the clanking chains and the piercing shrieks of these forlorn wretches! Relief would surely follow, and the character of our state be rescued from the foul blot which now dishonors it.' Let the press echo and re-echo the cries of the suffering lunatic, until the hearts of the hardest are melted; and let no public man be trusted who listens not to the demands of humanity." - - The Rev. G. Barrett, an agent of the Prison Discipline Society, in a letter, dated Wilmington, Delaware, April, 19, 1842, says, "The Poor-House in this place has received, last year, 35 insane persons, which, according to the census, is half the whole number in the state. There are now about 20 insane in the Poor-House. Their condition is not as it should be. Each is placed in a dark, illy-ventilated room, - their bed a bunk of straw, or straw on the floor, and an old blanket. A chain fastens each to a ring in the centre of the room. Among them was a good-looking girl of sixteen. The physician does not think there is much hope of restoring the patients to reason in such a place as this. I mean to tell the people something about their insane this evening." In the last report, page 6, of the Friends' Asylum near Frankford, Penn., signed by Dr. Evans and Dr. Earle, they say, "It is cause of regret, that, within our own as well as other yearly meetings, there are Friends, laboring under different forms of mental disease, who are not partakers of the benefits which our Asylum offers; and it is greatly to be desired that the relatives of such, or others interested in their welfare, would adopt measures for placing them within the benign influence of the institution." A committee of the legislature of Pennsylvania say, in their report to the legislature, dated March 11, 1839, (and no State Asylum has yet been built, and we shall see in the sequel that these things must remain as they were while this is the case,) "What, then, is the present condition of the insane and idiotic persons now dwelling in the Poor-Houses, Jails, and Penitentiaries of our commonwealth? "From one county we have the following statement: We have two places only for the reception of the insane poor — the common Poor-House, and the County Jail. In the latter place are generally males who are too violent and dangerous to be kept in a common Poor-House. For the public peace and protection of the community, they were charged with breaches of the peace, or petty misdemeanors, that were made the pretence for confinement, and, being unable to give bonds, were committed. Here their society is chiefly convicts, or, if kept in solitary confinement, so ill are the accommodations for this, that they suffer more than the rigor of Penitentiary discipline; and thus are they kept, from year to year, with the same treatment that is meted out to those convicted of high crimes.' "From another county we have the following information: -The accommodations for the insane in the County Poor-House consist of a single room, in which the furious and violent are confined, male and female in the same apartment, separated only by the length and restraint of their chains. Their hands being at liberty, they frequently strip themselves of all covering. The condition of these furious and violent maniacs, confined in the same room, destitute of all comforts, and with every thing around calculated to aggravate their madness, is degrading and deplorable in the extreme. Bad as is the condition of poor insane lunatics, dwelling in private hovels of poverty, yet the condition of the violent is better there, with more comfort and hope of alleviation and relief, than in the mad apartment of the public Poor-House, chained with others as mad as themselves. Though they may not have as regular an allowance of bread and meat in the humble cabin, yet there they may have eyes to pity, hands to afford relief, or voices to utter some comfort and consolation.' "Another report states as follows:-'We have no special accommodation for the insane, and such as we have is wretched. They are kept in an old, dilapidated building, scarcely tenantable. Five or six are chained in so many small, separate compartments on the same floor. In a word, the insane of this county, whether in or out of the Poor-House, are, we are sorry to say, scarcely considered proper objects of medical attention, and still less of moral discipline.' "In another county, a memorial was addressed to the board of directors of the poor, by the attending physicians, setting forth that they have, 'for a long time, regretted the defectiveness of the present arrangements for the treatment of insane patients. The only apartments now used,' they say, are in a damp, confined, ill-ventilated, and comfortless situation; calculated more to increase both the physical and mental derangement of such patients, than to cooperate with the sanative influence of medical treatment.' And again, "That we are not disposed to exaggerate the deficiencies and inconveniences of the present arrangement, it is only necessary to state that, since the erection of the present buildings, several LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST, from the imperfect construction of the cells for the insane, and where no possible blame could attach to the keepers.' This memorial was made part of the report of the grand jury to the court of quarter sessions, in August of 1838. At the November sessions following, the presiding judre called the particular attention of the grand jury to the hospital, and they were induced to visit the premises, accompanied by the attending physician. After a full and fair ex |