A little before 1 o'clock, yesterday morning, her husband thought he
heard her knock at the door, and consequently went to her room, but
found every thing quiet. It is probable that the noise Mr. Anderson
heard proceeded from some one of the insane patients who are more or
less noisy all the time. After satisfying himself that every thing was
right he returned to his room and went to sleep. On rising about 6
o'clock, he was descending to his wife's room, when he was horrified
to see his wife suspended by the neck from the balusters on the third
story. He immediately gave the alarm, and with assistance, cut down
the body and laid it out in her room. Mrs. Anderson was a very fleshy
woman, weighing over two hundred pounds, and the supposition is that
she left her room between 1 and 6 o'clock, taking one of the sheets
from her bed, and proceeding to the hallway on the third story, tied
one end of it to her neck and the other to the balusters and then
dropped over the rail. Owing to her great weight it is probable that
she died almost immediately. Coroner Brennan was notified and took
charge of the remains, and he will hold an inquest.
Mrs. Anderson will be buried to-morrow. She was a hard working,
industrious woman, and by studied economy had saved considerable money
and bought three or four houses up-town. Her husband was very devoted
to her and feels his loss keenly. He cannot give any cause for her
suicide, as she had never threatened any thing of the kind nor given
any reason to suspect such an intention. It is but justice to say
that the persons in charge of the infirmary are entirely blameless in
the matter, as Mrs. Anderson was capable of attending to her duties
as usual. We make this remark, as the public are often apt to blame
the authorities of a hospital when any such occurrence takes place.
Dr. Lomax, who is at present confined to his room, stated to a _Whig_
reporter that the affair was an entire mystery to him. Mrs. Anderson
was one of the most faithful, honest and industrious nurses ever
employed in any hospital and had never shown any signs of insanity.
Her sickness, however, may have caused her mind to be depressed, and
perhaps during the night she may have been taken with some acute pains,
and jumping out of bed, deliberately committed the act.
The above local news is an extract from the _Troy Daily Whig_, Monday
morning, March 17, 1873.
I knew that Isabel Anderson was turnkey in the incurable house of the
Marshall asylum more than nine years.
I know that Isabel Anderson was not honest. My wife brought me two
flannel shirts, they were marked M. Swan, on the bosom, I wore them
a few times and they were gone, and they were worn by Isabel and Haly
that winter, and I had to go without all winter.
So much for the _Troy Daily Whig_.
M. Swan at home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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