Since going to press with this history an account of the affair has
appeared in _THE DAY_, and which we have inserted here with the desire to
place before the public whatever may be favorable to Mr. Herriges in the
matter of his brother's confinement. We deem this a matter of mere
justice.
The reporter having called on Mr. Herriges the following occurred during
the interview.
We found Joseph Herriges a sensible, gentlemanly and educated person;
having nothing to conceal, he at once entered into conversation concerning
his brother; he informed us that John is his only brother, and for whom he
has always entertained a brotherly affection; in his youthful days he was
sent to school and educated at Joseph's expense; as a schoolboy he was, in
literary attainments, about on an average with those attending school at
that time. It was the elder brother's intention to fit him for the high
school, and with that intention he not only sent him to the public
schools, but also sent him to a night school, that he might more rapidly
advance in his studies. As evidence of the fact, Mr. Herriges brought
forth an old time receipt-book and showed us the following receipt:
Received January 12, 1838, of Mr. Joseph Herriges, five dollars in full
for one quarter's tuition of brother John B. Herriges, at evening school,
including light and stationary.
$5. R. O. R. LOUETT.
Reporter--When did the insanity of John begin to develop itself?
Mr. Herriges--It first began to show itself when he was twenty years of
age. At that time he had only temporary fits of abstraction, which grew
worse from time to time, until, at the age of twenty-six, he became wholly
insane, and, what is unusual in insanity, he would never eat anything
unless fed like an infant. Hunger could not tempt him to eat, nor thirst
to drink, any more than it could tempt the infant of three months to eat
or drink without assistance.
Reporter--Why did you not attempt a cure in accordance with the usual
method?
Mr. Herriges--I did. I became acquainted with Dr. R. K. Smith, who
informed that a cure might be effected, and in accordance with his
suggestions, I sent him to the insane department of the almshouse as the
following will testify.
Mr. Herriges here produced a paper on which the following was written:
"PHILADELPHIA ALMSHOUSE.
June 23, 1870.
"This is to certify that John B. Herriges was admitted to the insane
department of this institution on the 21st day of December 1855, aged
twenty-seven years, born in Philadelphia, single, and by occupation a
tobacconist, and taken out on liberty and did not return.
"From the register in agent's office.
"Attest,
ALFRED D. W. CALDWELL,
House Agent.
"Witness present--J. C. FRENO."
Reporter--How long did he remain under treatment there?
Mr. H.--About one month.
Reporter--Why so short a length of time?
Mr H.--During the time he was there he became so emaciated, either from
improper care in feeding him or from a bad attack of dysentery, that he
had scarcely any life in him, and his mother insisted on bringing him home
to nurse him. To save his life and to satisfy mother, I procured a
carriage and brought him home, where by careful treatment he was restored
to his usual good health.
Reporter--Why did you permit your brother to remain so dirty?
Mr. H.--It was an impossibility on our part to prevent it.
Reporter--Is it true you kept him confined in the small room overhead as
it is stated in the papers.
Mr. H.--It is not true; my brother had the range of the house and yard at
all times, but no more; I could not let him go in the street, for he had
no appreciation whatever of danger, and he was therefore liable at any
moment to be run over.
At this point the mother put in an appearance. Introducing ourselves to
her, she remarked. "I hope you will give a truthful statement of what we
tell you." Informing her our motto was "Truth without Fear," she appeared
much better satisfied. We asked her if her son had been much care upon
her. She informed us he was a constant care; that from the time he was
about twenty-five years of age there had never a mouthful of food passed
his lips except what was fed to him as we would feed a helpless infant.
Reporter--What do you assign, madam, as the primary cause of his insanity?
Mrs. H.--At the age of nineteen my son began attending lectures given by
anti-meat eaters, spiritualists etc., and impressed with their nonsensical
doctrines, he, about that time, quit eating meat and took to a vegetable
diet, and I think those lectures, together with this diet, had much to do
with it.
Reporter--I do not understand how a vegetable diet could cause insanity,
when it is well known that Horace Greeley is a vegetintarian?
Mrs. H.--Well, isn't he insane sometimes?
Reporter--Mr. Bennett, of the _Herald_, and Dana, of the _Sun_, say he is;
but they think so because Mr. Greeley venerates a dilapidated white hat,
wears shocking bad shoes, and is a member of the free love order.
Mrs. H.--Well, those lectures certainly had much to do with his insanity,
for his disease began to develop soon after his attendance upon them.
Reporter--Some of the papers stated he was confined because of a desire on
the part of his family to get $40,000, alleged to have been left him and
to accomplish which, they further intimated that your husband did not die
a natural death.
Mrs. H.--My son John never had any money in his own right; he has been
kept, maintained and clothed by his brother Joseph ever since his
affliction, and indeed long previous to it. As for intimations concerning
my husband, the whole thing must have originated in the brain of a woman
of fervid imagination, claiming to have some connection with the _Sunday
Dispatch_. That lady called to see me, and with acts of kindness, such as
throwing her arms around me, and informing me she would send a carriage to
have me taken away for fear the crowd around the house would do me bodily
injury, and with a promise to give a true account, she got a full and true
statement of the case; but to my surprise and indignation, published
nothing but a tissue of falsehoods. How a young woman professing to be a
lady could so act towards me, an old woman of eighty, I cannot comprehend.
Mrs. Herriges then went on to tell us her poor afflicted boy had been the
one care of her life; that she took him away from the insane asylum
because she knew they did not know how to feed him, and that he would soon
die there if allowed to remain; that she had ever watched over him with
all the affection of a mother, never wearying in her attendance upon him.
When we asked, "What of your husband?" we were informed that many years
ago he went to Oregon, took up a section of ground in Villamette valley,
previous to which he had built himself a house in Oregon City. He died
about twenty years ago, and the first knowledge we had of it was from a
Caspar Rudolph, living in Oregon, and who was formerly from this city. A
power of attorney was sent to Rudolph to enable him to settle the estate.
Upon his taking the necessary legal steps he learned that Mr. Herriges had
appointed William Glass and Dr. Theophilus Degan as his executors. He
further learned these gentlemen had disposed of all his property, a short
time after which they left Oregon.
After leaving the family we next directed our steps to the insane asylum
of the almshouse. Arriving there we made ourselves acquainted with Dr.
Richardson, who has charge of the insane. We found the doctor one of the
most obliging public officials we have ever met. He appeared to esteem it
a pleasure to give us all the information he could in regard to the
insane. The doctor has had charge of the insane since December 1866.
Previous to that time he was connected with the poor department for many
years. Informing the doctor our visit was for the purpose of conversing
with him in relation to John Herriges, he at once informed us the Herriges
family had received a great and uncalled for injury from the press of this
city. As for John he was hopelessly insane, and was doubtless so from the
first. He told us insanity incurable was stamped upon every lineament of
his countenance, and as for the filthy condition in which he was found
that signified nothing. His filthy habits appear to come to him
periodically: that is, every other night he will pass his excrement, after
which he will smear the walls, floor and his own face and body with it,
presenting one of the most disgusting sights the doctor ever witnessed.
The doctor informed us that some forms of insanity ran that way, and
instanced one particular case of a lady of education and refinement who
came under his notice. She acted precisely similar to John Herriges during
the time she was under his care. The lady was cured however and has
resumed her place in the fashionable world.
Dr. Richardson also informed us that insanity frequently ran to the
opposite of dirty habits, one patient, now in the asylum, is continually,
if allowed, engaged in washing himself; fifty times a day or more would he
go through his ablutions. And it is more frequently in the other
direction; we were informed that Herriges cell had to be white-washed and
cleaned every other day; that he cannot feed himself at all; when John
first entered the asylum the only meal he seemed to enjoy was his dinner;
now he eats his breakfast and supper with a relish; in fact he was just
in the act of taking supper when we paid a visit to John Herriges; we
found a man of five feet eight inches, weighing about 140 pounds, with a
skin as white as any lady's in the city; all traces of the dirt the
_Sunday Dispatch_ had ground into his flesh so deep, as never to be washed
out, was completely gone, and John presented a better, more gentlemanly
appearance than any other man in the asylum. Dr. Richardson made the
remark that John had been fed with food of a diversified character; that
there was no speck of scrofula appearing upon his body. * * * * * * * He
requires to be wheeled on a chair to his meals and back again. His food
has to be put in his mouth, or he would never eat, and, altogether, he is
one of the most deplorable cases of insanity we have ever seen; and that
the sober, second thought of the public will award his family due credit
for what they did for him, there can be no doubt; if not before, at least
after the trial of Joseph, before a judge and jury shall have taken place.
* * * * *
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: "_A 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 facts which we obtained at the Almshouse can be thoroughly relied upon
as being correct as we got them directly from Detective John O'Grady who
had been detailed specially by Mayor Fox in conjunction with Detective
Benjamin Franklin to work up the facts in the case. Officer O'Grady went
to the Herriges house and searched it thoroughly the day that the trunk
and bags were taken away from the premises. There were the wildest rumors
in regard to this circumstance which were entirely unjust as the trunk and
bags contained nothing only valuable papers which Herriges, fearing the
house would be mored down by the mob, wished to save by thus removing
them.
Officers O'Grady and Franklin merit special commendation for the manner in
which they worked up their part of the case.
[Illustration: Likeness of the Brother and Mother of the Victim.