The Officers closed round them to protect them, and when a car came, put
the whole party in it and so reached the Central Station House, where Mrs.
Hurtt denied in the most positive manner having ever said anything on the
subject to Mr. Gibson more, than offering him whatever rent was coming to
him, in fact she denied having made any other proposition about the matter
at all.
At the same time we must insert here also the following paragraph, which
is taken from _The Day_ newspaper of Thursday June 16th. The article is
headed: "_Poor Idiot Caged Up In a Filthy Room For Many Years_."
"The defendent * * * claimed that he had given his brother all the
necessary attention and that the condition of affairs at the house was
exaggerated by the witnesses. _That this is not the case, our reporter who
visited the premises in company with Chief Mulholland, Coroner Taylor, and
other officers can testify._"
"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.