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But I am sorry to add, this great luxury, like the institution itself, has degenerated into the greatest torment to the patient. The bath-room is regarded by the prisoners there as the "calaboose" used to be by the slaves at the South.

The Doctor visited this ward almost every day, but never to ameliorate my condition, or that of any other prisoner, so far as I could see. He would see the great drops of sweat rolling off from my face, from the excessive exercise this scrubbing and mopping afforded me, but I do not recollect that he ever advised me to desist. But Miss Tenny has told me that he had said to her:

"You must not let Mrs. Packard work too hard, for I am afraid her husband won't like it."

I do not think the Doctor cared for this ameliorated condition of his prisoners; but he dared not oppose it directly, since the filthiness of the Eighth ward had become so proverbial, it became a source of apprehension lest these mephitic exhalations might breed a pestilence in the Hospital.

The typhoid fever had raged there during the summer months preceding this expurgating process. During this sickness, the Doctor had assigned to my care some of these typhoid patients, whom I nursed and tended night and day.

I made the shroud for Mrs. Hart, from Chicago, who died of this epidemic here. Mrs. Hart had been a most unwilling prisoner for seven long years, and from all I can learn, sincerely believe she has been a victim of marital cruelty, and never was insane. Her husband put her in without trial, and the Doctor took her on his testimony, and kept her to please him, all the while knowing, as I believe, that she was not insane.

This is only one of many of those innocent victims who have been falsely imprisoned for life, under that most barbarous law of Illinois, which suspends the personal liberty of married women, entirely upon the capricious will of her husband.

I saw Mr. Hart, her husband, who came simply for appearance, as it seemed to me, to see her during her last sickness, but who became so very impatient for her death, that he could not stay to see her die, although it was almost certain she could not live two days longer, when he left.

Thus, his wife, whom his will alone had deprived of her children, home, and liberty for seven years, could not have her dying request granted, that he stay by her to close her eyes, but left, and cooly ordered her body to be sent home to Chicago, by express, in a decent coffin when she did die. I helped to dress the corpse of the unfortunate victim. I saw her passed into the hands of four stranger men in the dead of night, and carried mournerless, and alone, to the depot, to be sent to her children and husband, at Chicago.

Oh! what reckless sundering of human ties are caused by this Insane Asylum system!

These children are taught to regard their mother as a worthless being, because she had the cruel brand of insanity placed upon her by her husband, signed and sealed by a corrupt public servant, whom a blinded public were regarding as an almost infallible man. Thus have the holiest ties of nature been most ruthlessly sundered by the perfidy of this perverted Institution.

As I witnessed the sum of all our social evils culminating in this most corrupt Institution, I resolved that henceforth, and for ever, my occupation should be, to eradicate, expose, and destroy this sum of all human abominations -- the Insane Asylum system, on its present basis.

CHAPTER XV.
Evidences of My Insanity.

When a person is once accused of being insane, the reflective mind naturally inquires, how is their insanity manifested?

This question was often put to Mr. Packard, and knowing all would not be satisfied by his simple assertion, he was obliged. to manufacture his proof or evidence to satisfy this class.

One evidence on which he placed great reliance was, "that his wife invited Universalist ministers to his house for entertainment during a convention."

Yes, I do plead guilty to this charge. I did offer the hospitalities of our house to ministers of this class under these circumstances.

It was at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, that this convention met and dedicated a new church, located a few rods from our house. To my great surprise Mr. Packard proposed to attend this dedication, which he did, and I accompanied him, and listened to a sermon of high literary merit, and to me, a morally sound and logical argument was for the first time presented to my mind, that God's infinite love and wisdom were sure guarantees of the world's redemption. The position was this: "Where there is both will and power to cure, no evil can endure."

The church was crowded to overflowing, and the convention being larger in numbers than their own people could conveniently accommodate, the chairman of the committee of arrangements presented this fact to the congregation, and very kindly solicited their neighbors and friends, who could do so, to take them into their families, and all such were asked to leave their names at the stand as they passed out.