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This was the first attempt at suicide I had seen at Jackson-ville. There were many others, some successful, in different parts of the house as I heard by attendants and others, but I am only describing scenes that fell under my own observa-tion.

Another unfortunate actually threw herself from a high unbarred window in the work-room, four stories from the ground, and was taken up dead from the pavement.

She had been there only a few days, and it appears had no knowledge of the place. I saw her when she arrived.

She was mild and gentle, conversed intelligently of her husband, and of the home she had left; expressed a strong desire to return to it again.

Every thing she saw seemed so very strange to her, and the severe restrictions so mysterious to her frightened sensibilities, she thought herself in a worse house than she indeed was, if such a thing is possible.

They wanted her to increase the number of gratuitous labor-ers in the work-room; took her there, and required her to go to work with the rest. She sat down and looked distressed, at last rose up suddenly, and exclaimed with a voice and look of terror:

"Oh, what kind of a place have they brought me to!"

Then rushed suddenly head foremost from the window, into eternity! Oh, Reign of terror! Reign of terror!

Scenes of tumult and terror now so frequently succeeded each other, that no one felt that life was safe. With nothing to afford hope -- no avenues to the world -- no amusements to re-lieve the ever thickening horrors of such a destiny, a look of fixed discontent now sat on every countenance.

At this time, one, bolder than the rest, by some means escaped, and attempted to run away. The alarm was given, and the "watch-dogs" were out. By these she was speedily overtaken, forced back to the Asylum, and condemned to soli-tary confinement as her punishment.

Two others ran away not long after this scene. One was a widow, a young and very beautiful lady of excellent talents and a very cheerful disposition. She was not insane as I could discover at the time, though much dejected by grief for the death of her brave and much loved husband who had died in the army.

Soon after hearing this afflictive intelligence, she became ill with a fever, and this was probably, as is often the case, accompanied with temporary delirium. He -sic- friends, not knowing how to treat either the fever or its consequent delirium, which they thought insanity, found a convenint -sic- way of get-ting rid of their responsibility, by handing her over to the care of "our accomplished Superintendent," to receive her three hundredth share of his attentions. (There are three hundred in the Asylum.)

Here it had been her destiny to remain for many months; and feeling very anxious for the welfare of her children at home, and moreover, being indefinitely put off by the most silly excuses, and reprehensible delays, she at last assumed the responsibility of asserting those rights which nature had given her of finding and taking care of her own babes.

She was accompanied by a kindred spirit, another widow, whose husband had also laid down his life upon our bleeding country's sacrificial altar. "Neither was this person insane that I could discover; I. believe she was several times the sub-ject of some harmless trances. But I think she did a very sane action in trying to free herself from bondage.

Their plan succeeded so well, that, after traveling six miles, they were overtaken by a kind hearted teamster, who by the request of the now much wearied travelers, took them into his conveyance, and listening sympathetically to their truthful tale of distress, carried them on their way until overtaken by their remorseless pursuers.

On their return, one of these was sentenced to one of the lower prison wards, and the other brought to our hall in the Eighth ward.

Hers was a most courageous spirit; she even smiled on en-tering our hall, determining to disappoint her victorious captors by showing herself unrevengeful, and in no wise bowed in spirit, or humiliated!

Therefore, instead of complaining that she was deprived of all her privileges in the privileged Seventh ward, and sentenced to the noisy tumults of the maniac's ward, she daily evinced the most pleasant and cheerful deportment.

Mrs. Davis was very beautiful and musical, and withal a decided wit; so benevolent too, so unaffectedly kind that she would often relate some amusing story, or use her most musical and enchanting voice by singing for the entertainment of the desponding, when her own heart, was full of unutterable sorrow for her own griefs. If this cheerful and most noble-hearted woman was "insane," I wish every woman in the land possessed such an "insanity!"

But with all her heroic attempts to throw off the benumbing influence of affliction, she did suffer most keenly in mind at her disappointment in not being permitted to see her darling children.

This feeling, together with the over-exhaustion of so long a walk, soon brought on a fever. I used every morning, and many times in the day to visit her, that I might assist her if possible, and also learn from her those beautiful lessons taught by her trusting faith and hopefulness.