The Herriges Horror in Philadelphia: A Full History of the Whole Affair. A Man Kept in a Dark Cage Like a Wild Beast for Twenty Years, As Alleged, in His Own Mother's and Brother's House — John Shaqi
The Herriges Horror in Philadelphia: A Full History of the Whole Affair. A Man Kept in a Dark Cage Like a Wild Beast for Twenty Years, As Alleged, in His Own Mother's and Brother's HouseAnonymous
History
The Herriges Horror in Philadelphia: A Full History of the Whole Affair. A Man Kept in a Dark Cage Like a Wild Beast for Twenty Years, As Alleged, in His Own Mother's and Brother's House
Anonymous
Herriges, John; Mentally ill -- Care; Mentally ill -- Commitment and detention; Mentally ill -- Family relationships
"Alderman Kerr stated that he had known the defendant for twenty years,
and knew him as a man of property and owner of real estate. * * * never
knew he had a brother living; he was abundantly able to furnish him with
better accomodation."
The friends of Herriges have asserted that the matter of his brother's
being kept locked up in the little room was made public by the Gibsons for
malicious purposes or to obtain money from him; because the neighbors all
around knew for at least seventeen years past that this insane man had
been kept in the house and that none of them had ever complained about it.
So far from this being true, the Gibsons utterly refused all offers of
reward made by the Sister to induce them to leave the city and drop the
case of Herriges. Moreover they not only did not owe any rent but as will
be seen from the receipt already given paid their month's rent in advance
fully and honestly. Still further after Herriges refused to give them back
what rent would be coming to them, if they removed, they secured another
house down town, and moved away from the one they rented of Herriges,
though they did not give up the key till the full month had expired. Mrs.
Gibson and her son told us they did this because of Herriges refusal to
refund them the rent that would be due them.
And Mrs. Gibson who is a lady of nervous temperament, assured us that her
constant dread was that at some time this maniac or idiot would break out
of his little cagelike room and get into her house and kill herself and
her children. And it requires no fervid imagination to believe this, when
it is remembered that her window and that of the crazy man were not more
than twelve feet apart with a shed between them extending seven or eight
feet. Then in the day time she would see him handling the wooden bars at
his window and glaring out between the slats, while in the stillness of
the night she would hear him mumbling, cursing and making noises as she
thought like some one trying to get loose. If that would not terrify a
mother lying alone with her little children at night we hardly know what
would.
_The Above is a correct Narrative._
THOMAS J. GIBSON, Jr.
THE VICTIM RELEASED.
When the Policemen arrived for the purpose of releasing John Herriges,
they found that great efforts had been made to cleanse him as well as the
room in which he had been kept. They at once took the captive down stairs
and out in the street where the light seemed to stun him. Joseph Herriges
was now arrested and taken to the Central Station, where he was bound over
in the sum of five thousand dollars to answer the charge of thus inhumanly
treating his unfortunate brother. John was, on the evidence of Doctors
Mayers and Betts sent to the Insane Department at Blockley Almshouse.
THE HOUSE MOBBED.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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