Modern persecution, or Insane asylums unveiled, as demonstrated by the report of the Investigating committee of the legislature of Illinois

Front matter

TRANSFERRED TO YALE MEDICAL LIBRARY

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Dr. Andrew McFarland, Formerly Superintendent of Insane Asylum, Jacksonville, Illinois.

CHAPTER XI. My Transition 110

CHAPTER Xn.

My Removal from the Best Ward to the Worst 114

CHAPTER XHL

My Reproof to Dr. McFarland for his Abuse of his Patients 120

CHAPTER XIV.

My Occupation I38 viii CONTENTS-

CHAPTER XV. PA0I! -

Evidences ot My Insanity

CHAPTER XVI.

The Attendant who Abused Me ! la2

CHAPTER XVTI.

" Let Dr. McFarland Bear his own Sins I" 156

CHAPTER XVIH.

Attempted Reconciliation with Mr. Packard 158

CHAPTER XLX.

Letter to My Children sent to the Wash-tub 164

CHAPTER XX.

How I Obtained my first Writing Paper 168

CHAPTER XXI.

The Modern Mode of Subjugating Married Women 171

CHAPTER XXII.

My Life Imperilled 176

CHAPTER XXIII.

Self-Defense — Clandestine Letters 181

CHAPTER XXIV.

" You should Return to your Husband" 191

CHAPTER XXV.

Miss Mary Tomlin — A Model Attendant 195

CHAPTER XXVI.

Mrs. McFarland— The Matron 200

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Sane kept for the Doctor's Benefit 204

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Record of a Day 209

CHAPTER XXIX.

How I Bought and Retained some Paper 213

CHAPTER XXX.

How Mr. Packard gave me Paper, and how Dr. McFarland Stole it 219

CHAPTER XXXI.

My Family Relatives 222

CONTENTS. ix

CHAPTER XXXII. Pasb.

Old Mrs. Timmons Deserted by Her Children 227

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Mrs. Cheneworth's Suicide — Medical Abuse 231

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Changes and how brought about 240

CHAPTER XXXV.

My Battle with Despotism — No Surrender 244

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Reading Books and Papers 250

CHAPTER XXXVn.

Abusing Mrs. Stanley 254

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Subduing a New Prisoner 258

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Treatment of the Sick 263

CHAPTER XL.

Mrs. Leonard's Visit to her Mother 260

CHAPTER XLI.

Mrs. Emeline Bridgman — or Nature's Laws Broken 271

CHAPTER XLII.

Sick Patients Driven off from their Beds 279

CHAPTER XLIII.

Interview with Mr. Wells, of Chicago— A Victim of Homesickness 284

CHAPTER XLIV.

An Asylum Sabbath 291

CHAPTER XLV.

An Attendant put under My Charge 293

CHAPTER XLVL

A Scene in the Fifth Ward 296

CHAPTER XLVH.

Mrs. Olsen's Fifth Ward Experiences 300

CHAPTER XLVHI.

Mrs. Olsen's Eighth Ward Experience 317

X CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XLIX. *"»•

"Wives and Husbands There Must Part" 327

CHAPTER L.

How to make Incurables 330

CHAPTER LI.

I was Punished for Telling the Truth 338

CHAPTER Ln.

The Prisoner who called Himself " Jesus Christ !" 344

CHAPTER LHI.

My First Opportunity for Self-Defense 349

CHAPTER LIV.

My Exposure of Calvinism and Defense of Christianity 357

CHAPTER LV.

The Dawning of a New Dispensation 364

CHAPTER LVI.

The Moral Barometer Indicates a Storm — A Hurricane 306

CHAPTER LVII.

The Clouds Disperse 377

CHAPTER LVIII.

My Oldest Son Obtains My Discharge 383

CHAPTER LIX.

The Trustees Force me into the Hands of Mr. Packard 386

CHAPTER LX.

An Appeal to the Government to Protect the Inmates of Insane Asylums by Law 397

Preface

Providence hinges mighty events on pivots exceedingly small. What men call accidents, are God's appointed incidents. We are traitors to any truth when we suppress the utterance of it, and allow the opposite error to go unrebuked.

High principles must be advanced as real laws. A desire to elevate all mankind to the nobleness for which they are designed, should manifest the depth and purity of our moral convictions. We should meet evil with mildness, yet with unfaltering firmness. We should aim to bring out a noble spirit into daily intercourse, believing that a holy life is a more precious offering to truth, than retired speculations and writings ; for he who leaves a holy life behind him, bequeaths to the world a richer legacy than any book. The want of moral courage to carry out great principles, and to act upon them at all risks, is fatal to originality, because the faculties slumber within, being weighed down by the chains of custom.

This habit of reliance upon principle should give us a buoyant consciousness of superiority to every outward influence. A far higher anticipation of great results from worthy deeds, should make us strenuous in action, and fill us with a cheerful trust. We must be palsied by no fear to offend, no desire to please, no dependence upon the judgment of others. The consciousness of self-subsistence, of disinterested conformity to high principles, will command an open freedom to our utterances, and will summon into our service a spiritual force that will resist and overcome all obstacles.

xii PREFACE.

Under the inspiration of such sentiments have I penned the following narrative of my experiences, beneath a dark cloud of adverse events, whose silver lining is yet to be discovered to my physical vision.

As the dyer uses mordants to set his colors, so my Heavenly Father has employed the mordant of adversity to individualize my sentiments of morality and virtuous action. And, by my experiences, it would seem that my Father intended to so capacitate me that I should be daunted and discouraged by nothing, that true loyalty might be burned into my heart. This loyalty demands that individual reason and conscience, enlightened by revealed truth, be the guide of human actions. It allows no oligarchy of creeds, sects, or customs to be a standard, which ignores the individual as a sovereign over himself. The God within is the monarch of this realm of human freedom.

Chicago, Ills., January, 1873.

(1496 Prairie Avenue. )

Introduction

As an introduction to the dramatic tale contained in this volume, I shall give my readers a full delineation of my most radical opinions in the language in which I gave them to the Bible-class in Manteno, Kankakee county, Illinois, since upon these opinions, there expressed, rests the foundation of the whole subsequent drama.

These opinions were given to the class in writing so as to prevent misrepresentation. At the time I was kidnapped these Bible-class papers were stolen from me, and were persistently retained by my husband, Mr. Packard, until sometime after my liberation, when I got possession of them in the following manner:

Mr. Packard had for some time been trying to induce me to sign a deed, so that he could sell some real estate, and I had objected, unless he should give me some equivalent for what he had already unjustly taken from me. This he would not do. He therefore went to Esquire La Brie, and took an oath that his wife was insane, so that he could sell the property without my signature.

Finding my refusal was not going to save my right of dower, or prevent his selling the property, I proposed to him that I would sign the deed on condition that he would restore to me my papers. He accordingly called in Esquire La Brie to witness my signature, and in his presence he gave me my papers, as I had proposed. This signature was acknowledged as valid, although two days before Mr. Packard had taken an oath on the Bible, that I was insane, and thereby incompetent to sign a deed ! By means of this perjury, on his part, my papers were restored to me.

x iv INTRODUCTION.

FREE DISCUSSION OP RELIGIOUS BELIEF.

Free discussion implies that both sides of a subject can be investigated, and allows full liberty to each individual to express his honestly cherished opinions, and also give his reasons in support of them. My classmates, we have nothing to fear in applying the scales of free discussion to our religious belief, for truth will sustain itself; the scales of free discussion, intelligently used, always preponderate on the side of the truth — that is, the weightiest reasons always bear upon that side, and indicate a balance in its favor.

For instance, should we wish to test the existence of a God in the scales of free discussion, what have we to fear in the use of the scales on this point ? If we are not prepared to support His existence by such arguments as will make the scales preponderate right, is it not best for us to bestow study on that point sufficient to defend it with intelligent reason, since this is confidently assumed to be a truth in our creed ? Then we shall be prepared to defend as well as assert our belief. It is not respectful for us to say to our opponents on this or any other point, " I know your side is the wrong one, and you ought to take our positive assertion as authority sufficient to condemn you as a heretic, simply because you believe contrary to my honestly cherished opinions."

No, my classmates, the religion of authority has had its day ; a reasonable religion, such as will bear the infallible tests of truth, based on arguments drawn from God's word and works, is the religion for us.

Truth should be indorsed by us through our reasoning faculties alone, and therefore should not conflict with our common sense and enlightened reason. -And it is my opinion, that the religion God sent to man, is so peculiarly adapted to man's nature, as not to conflict with the common-

INTRODUCTION.

XV sense views of the common mass ot minds. And ere the bright millennial day dawns upon us, I believe that theologically sectarian views will give place to the common-sense views of mankind, and that this is to be the way there is to be "but one Lord, one faith, one baptism."

Now, what can be the harm, dear classmates, in our trying to hasten this day, by bringing our educated belief to this test, by kindly using the scales of free discussion ? For myself, I feel willing to have all my opinions tested by these scales, and I am willing to yield any point of belief to a weightier invincible argument in the opposite scale — that is, those views which seem best supported by sound argument and candid reasoning I willingly indorse, although they may conflict with some of my preconceived ideas, or my educated belief, or even with our sectarian creeds. For it is not impossible but that some simple moral truth may have become perverted by educational influences. And candor and honesty, it seems to me, compel us to admit that there is a mixture of truth and error in the creeds of all denominations of Christians, not even excepting the creed of the Presbyterian church ; and what can be the harm in thus testing these views, and thereby separating the precious from the vile, rather than by trying to defend our sectarian creeds by arguments and reasons which are not based in truth for their support, thus perpetuating falsehood or errors.

It is my desire, dear classmates, that this social Bible-class be employed as a means to fit us to become valiant defenders of our faith — that we here capacitate ourselves to defend all points of our belief by rational and intelligent reasons, that we may be able to meet the common enemy of our holy religion with arguments " such as he cannot gainsay or resist." The truth never suffers by agitation and free discussion. It is error alone that fears the light and shrinks before the scales. Let us dare to judge for ourselves what is right, and let us know what xv j INTRODUCTION.

right and truth are, by bringing our religious belief to this test of reason and common sense. Let us throw off the blinding influence of prejudice and sectarian zeal, and come up upon Hie nobler, higher platform of being simple, sincere, charitable, honest seekers after the real, simple, naked truth.

Having obtained permission from our teacher, Deacon Smith, to read the above article oefore the class, I commenced reading ; but finding it to be a defense ot what he had determined to stop — free discussion — he interrupted me, by forbidding my reading any farther. Ot course I quietly submitted to this mandate with unanswering obedience.

EIGHTS OP PRIVATE JUDGMENT.

I profess to be no theologian, or to have adopted the creed of any sect or denomination of Christians as infallible. But I do profess to take the works and word of God, or facts and revelation as our only infallible guide in' our search for truth, and a " thus saith the Lord," as a settling ol all controversy. But since I know it to be a fact that equally sincere and honest Christians put a very different construction upon the same event of Providence, and the same text of Scripture, I feel that we are compelled to assume the responsibility of private judgment. And in so doing, I believe we are obeying Christ's directions in the fifty-seventh verse of the twelfth chapter of Luke, viz. : " And why, even of yourselves, judge ye not what is right ? "

I regard this Bible-class as having reached that state of development where God holds us individually responsible for our belief. I therefore esteem it a great privilege to be in a Bible-class where our opinions are called for, rather than the opinions of commentators. Not that 1 wish to disregard the opinions of commentators or learned theologians in my search for Bible truth ; for I do think that their opinions are entitled

INTRODUCTION. xv ii

to great deference and respect. While I at the same time believe that a Bible is a book so peculiar in its nature, that learning and talent are not indispensable to a correct interpretation of it, any more than experience and education are indispensably necessary to our judging correctly of the wants of nature.

For instance, because an adult may choose strong drink to allay his thirst, and the child prefer cold water, I do not think we are justified in concluding that strong drink is the best adapted to meet the wants of nature, simply because a mature man chooses it ; for this adult may have perverted his natural appetite, so that his choice may not be so much in accordance with nature as the instincts of the child. As in our physical, so in our moral nature, there may be a liability that a simple moral truth may have been perverted by educational influences. Therefore, I do not think that because a talented and learned theologian advances an opinion, that he is certainly correct ; neither because an illiterate layman holds a different opinion, do I think he is certainly wrong. But in both cases we should judge of the opinion upon its own intrinsic merits, independent of the source or medium through which it comes to us.

Now, dear classmates, conscious that I am alone and personally responsible to God for my religious belief, I do not want to embrace an error. Therefore I will be very thankful to be shown wherein my opinions are unsound, or my reasoning inconclusive. Just consider my views, not as those of a theologian, but as one who is searching for truth on the same common plane with yourselves ; and I ask you to give my opinions no more credence than you think truth entitles them to as you view it. For it is the common sense of common men and common women that I so much covet as my tribunal of judgment, rather than learned commentators, or popular theologians, or venerable doctors of divinity.

XViii INTRODUCTION.

"TOTAL DEPRAVITY."

It is the authority of creeds, echoed by the theologians and ministers of the Presbyterian pulpit, not excepting our own pastor, that human nature is necessarily a sinful nature.

Now, I ask the privilege of presenting to our class this question " If human, nature is necessarily a sinful nature, how could Christ take upon himself human nature, and know no sin?" This question was referred to their pastor for an answer. Mr. Packard gave it as his opinion that a " Holy God might make a holy human nature for Christ, and a sinful nature for the rest of the human family." Upon this, one of the class inquired, " Can a holy God make sin ? "

These questions troubled both our teacher, Deacon Smith, and their pastor. They could not answer them satisfactorily to themselves or the class ; and it was to extricate themselves from this unpleasant dilemma that they at once agreed that this question was the result of a diseased brain, from whence it had emanated, and therefore it was unworthy of their consideration ! Thus their reputation for intelligence and ability was placed beyond question, and the infallibility of their creed remained inviolate ! And their "poor afflicted Christian sister" must be kindly cared for within the massive walls of a prison, lest her diseased brain communicate its contagion to other brains, and then what will become of our creed ! for we cannot afford to follow the example of this " Man of God," and sacrifice our wives and mothers to save our creed !

INTRODUCTION. xix

SPAKE THE CREED!

Though the mother's heart do bleed, Spare! O, spare our trembling creed!

Though her tender infants cry, Though they pine, and droop, and die, ' Though her daily care they need, Spare ! O, spare our trembling creed !

Force the mother from her home !

That once pure and peaceful dome ; Bind her fast with maniacs, where Hone will heed her yearning prayer; Let cold bars and bolts and keys Fetter mothers such as these !

Iron manacles we need To protect our darling creed.

What are homes or children's claims'?

What a doting mother's aims'!

What were life, love, liberty, If our creed imperilled be !

Nothing in this world we heed, Like our dear endangered creed.

Thus State power august hath wrought Fetters for too daring thought !

Souls thus bold Asylums need, To protect our precious creed.

— Mrs. S. N. B. O.

This was the pivot on which my reputation for sanity was suspended ; for I could not be made to confess that God made a bad or sinful article when He made human nature ; but on the contrary, I claimed that all which God made was " good " —that is, was just as He intended it to be ; and I furthermore argued, that to be natural was to be just as God had made • me to be — that to be unnatural, was to be wrong or sinful. I

XX

MODERN PERSECUTION.

claimed that God's work, as He made it, was perfect— it needed no regeneration to make it right— that regeneration was necessary only when we had become unnatural or different from what God had made us.

I willingly acknowledged that our natures in their present state were perverted or depraved, in many instances to a painful degree ; but that none are entirely lost to all traces of the divine image. For example, the drunkard is depraved in his appetite for drink, and the regeneration he needs is not a new appetite, but a restoration of it to its natural, original, unperverted state. Then he would have only a natural appetite for food and drink, which is in itself no sin ; but the sin consists in his abuse of a natural instinct, not in the natural use of it. So that the natural exercise of our faculties, as God has made them, is not wrong, but only the unnatural or abusive use of them is wrong or sinful.

THE UNLIMITED ATONEMENT.

The professedly orthodox pulpit says, that " God intended all mankind for a life of purity, virtue and happiness." Now I wish to ask if God's intentions can be thwarted ? If they cannot be thwarted, and God intended all mankind for happiness, will not all men be saved ? If God intended it, and does not accomplish it, is He omnipotent ? I believe God is omnipotent — that He intends nothing but good — and He will carry out all his intentions. I believe the devil is not omnipotent — that he intends nothing but evil — and he will ultimately fail in all his intentions.

Therefore, God's intention in sending His Son into the world to redeem and save it, cannot be defeated ; and when He assures us in His word, that He " would that all men be saved," I believe that He is sincere, and thereby intends to bring all men ultimately to repentance and faith in Christ. And when

INTRODUCTION. xx j

He assures us that " death and hell shall be destroyed," I believe it. And therefore there must ultimately be a time when sin and punishment must cease to be ; and as sin and punishment had a beginning, they must have an end. But as God never had a beginning, so will He never have an end, but is destined, ultimately, to be the mighty conqueror and head over all.

god's immutability.

While Deacon Smith was our teacher, I once asked him this question, viz. : " Did God change His purpose towards Nineveh , when he said He would destroy Nineveh and afterward saved it, as Jonah seemed to think He did, and expostulated With him to this effect ? "

Deacon Smith replied, " He did not. God never changes His purposes." This I considered as a correct answer ; but his attempt to reconcile the two facts, viz. : His attribute of unchangeableness, and His change toward Nineveh, was not satisfactory. He simply remarked, " God was not obliged to explain His plans and operations of government to Jonah's satisfaction." This reason seemed to my mind to reflect a degree of dishonor upon the perfect character of our God. I believe we have a right to inquire, like Jonah, into a knowledge of his ways concerning us, and that we can, and ought, so to interpret His providences as not to reflect dishonor upon His character for justice and veracity, either in word or action ; and I believe He is willing thus to manifest Himself to us, and thereby convict us of our unreasonable complaints against His providences toward us. I say this suggestion from Deacon Smith did not satisly me, but the suggestion of Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Dixon did fully satisfy me.

They said, " The Ninevites repented, as a reason why God's actions toward them changed." Here was the key which unxxii INTRODUCTION.

locked all the mystery. It is we that change — not God. He has unchangeably decreed that sin and sinners shall be punished. And He has unchangeably decreed to extend pardon and forgiveness to the repentant sinner. These two eternal purposes are His unchangeable decrees thus to act in all future time. The Ninevites knew it was so, and therefore they resorted to the only possible way they could resort to and be saved. They repented — God's immutable purpose stood unchanged. They were forgiven, and thus saved.

WHAT IS IT TO BE A CHRISTIAN?

It is not to cease to be a sinner. " No man liveth and sinneth not." All come short of perfect obedience to God's laws. To be a Christian is to be like Christ — that is, to live in accordance with the laws of our being, both physical and moral and spiritual ; but as our knowledge of these laws is limited, we are liable to transgress ignorantly ; but the Christian is willing to put on Christ's righteousness, by repenting of his wrong doing, and thus living like him. By obeying God's laws, he becomes like Christ, and thus puts on his righteousness.

It is one part of my Christianity, as I view it, to obey the laws of health, and thus live a healthy, natural life, believing that is the best foundation on which to build up my spiritual nature. I cannot conceive of a symmetrical spiritual body without a healthy natural body to sustain it, any more than I can expect to build a cupola without a house to rest it upon. " First the natural, then the spiritual," seems to be the order God has established to develop human beings and make them like Christ. The human nature must be sublimated into the divine nature ; or in other words, the lower, animal propensities must become only the servants of the higher, spiritual faculties, instead of being their masters as they now are, in their present depraved or unnatural condition.

INTRODUCTION. xx jii

FREEDOM OP CONSCIENCE.

Conscience is God's vicegerent in the soul. To heed the voice of conscience is to heed the voice of God. I never dare to do what I conscientiously believe to be wrong ; neither will I be deterred from doing what I conscientiously believe to be right, impossibilities of course excepted, for God never requires of us impossibilities.

I regard my conscience as a safe guide for myself, therefore I allow it so to others ; while at the same time I believe it is only safe when it is based upon truth ; and to me, the truth must be based upon God's revealed will, as I view it in God's word and works, and is thereby identified with the Bible. But I do not regard my views of truth as a standard for any other human being but myself; therefore I do not feel at liberty to judge any other's conscience than my own. I cheerfully assume the entire responsibility of my own actions, viewed from my own standpoint ; but I am not willing to take the responsibility of any other's actions, viewed from their standpoint. We must all stand or fall for ourselves in judgment. Therefore, I claim Freedom of Conscience for all the human family equally with myself.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

The following article was prepared for the class, but was refused a hearing lest it be found to favor Spiritualism :

I differ from Deacon Merrick in the opinion that those spiritual gifts mentioned in the 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians — viz. : " the gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecying, discerning of spirits, interpretation of tongues, the word of wisdom, and the word of knowledge," etc., were confined to the apostolic age. But it is my opinion that they are the legitimate fruits of pure Christianity, and attendant upon xxiv INTRODUCTION.

it to the end of time. Christ says, " these signs shall follow them that believe." Faith is evidently the stock on which these gifts are grafted, and I believe this is a kind of faith which it is our duty to cultivate and exercise to the same degree that the apostles did. And my reasons for this belief are supported by facts and revelation, as I view it!

First. — The Bible supports this opinion. Christ instructed us to exercise a kind of faith, which he compares in power to that of " removing mountains," and also, " if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say to this sycamore tree, be thou plucked up by the roots, and be thou cast into the sea, and it shall obey you." Now these illustrations evidently seem to teach that in the exercise of this faith we may expect effects to be produced beyond what our reason alone would justify us in expecting. Again, in James it is said " the prayer of faith shall save the sick." And again, " all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Now will it be uncharitable in me to suggest that the faith of the orthodox churches of the present day may be like unto the faith of the woman who was told she could have whatever she asked for, believing she should have it. Shortly after she wanted something very much, and so prayed for it to get it ; but it did not come. Chagrined at her failure, she remarked indignantly, "I knew it would not come when I asked for it !" Now, may not Christians ask like this woman, disbelieving, instead of believing they shall have them ?

Second. — The proof of facts that this faith was not confined to the apostles — first, the Bible fact. James directs the churches to call for the elders of the church " to come and anoint the sick man with oil, and to pray over him, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick." These elders who had this power were not the apostles. And Joel prophesies of the last day, " your sons and daughters shall prophesy." From this it seems there is to be a time in the future when pure, simple Christianity,

INTRODUCTION. xxv

like that which the apostles taught, is to prevail again upon the earth, and then these gifts are to follow as the fruits of this simple faith ; thus showing that this faith was not to be confined to the apostles, but was intended to be the natural heritage of the church whenever she became pure enough to produce this vigorous growth of faith required to ensure these manifestations. This faith was taught by Christ and exemplified by himself and the apostles.

Again, all the Christian fathers, certainly down to the end of the third century, affirm the continuation of these gifts ; and they maintain their assertion by well authenticated facts in church history. But in succeeding ages, when the mass of Christians had become corrupted by worldly materialism and carnal-mindedness, these gifts became more and more rarely manifested, and were mostly confined to the humble few who adhered more tenaciously to the primitive faith and practice.

Yet instances have occurred among some distinguished teachers of Christianity. So late as the year 1821 Rev. Prince Hohenlohe, of Wurtenberg, Germany, a distinguished divine, after preaching to immense crowds, commenced to perform miracles. To the astonishment of the populace, he made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the paralytics to be cured ; and in a short time no less than thirty-six persons were restored to health, from a state of hopeless infirmity. This he did by his prayers and a firm confidence in God's power.