This Week's Story
click here to play audioElizabeth Packard is betrayed by her husband and the superintendent of the mental asylum.
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
I shall put you into the asylum! part five
As Elizabeth’s husband stepped outside the Jacksonville Insane Asylum, his face glowed with joy. “I’ve succeeded! My unfit wife is a patient of the asylum.”
Elizabeth returned to the Seventh Ward. Patients gathered around her. They understood how powerless she must feel. Some shared their stories. Some had been wounded physically; some had invisible bruises. Many had discovered that the word of husbands was accepted over the testimony of wives.
Unknown to Elizabeth, her husband Theophilus was in trouble. Half the money for a new church building had been given by Cyrus H. McCormick to the church Theophilus pastored.
There was a string to the gift. To receive the money, the church must not support the abolition of slavery.
Elizabeth was unaware that McCormick, one of the wealthiest men in the United States was doing all he could to keep the United States
from splitting. Her husband had been publicly against slavery. Now he was determined to keep his wife silent on the subject, especially as she had spoken publicly against slavery.
Theophilus was seriously in debt, and did not want to lose his job. Elizabeth did not know his dilemma.
The deacons signed a petition to commit her to a mental asylum. Two days later they pleaded with her to rejoin their church. She refused and her husband took steps to label her insane and have her committed.
Now Elizabeth was in Jacksonville State Asylum and finding peace with understanding women and visits from Superintendent McFarland. He seemed interested in subjects she raised for discussion. Rules were relaxed for her. She was given ward keys and allowed outside on the grounds without an attendant.
One day she was visited by friends, the Blessings, from her home town and a doctor friend of theirs. The doctor commented after talking with Elizabeth, “She is the sanest person I ever saw.”
After noticing the freedom Elizabeth was being given, the Blessings asked Elizabeth, “Do you want to return home?”
“Yes, I long to be with my children.”
The Blessings replied, “We are going to raise support for you from the townspeople. If that does not bring you freedom, we will apply for a writ of habeas corpus.
“You would be brought before a court to determine if your commitment in the asylum was legal.”
The Blessings wrote Superintendent McFarland. He said nothing to Elizabeth about their letters. She did receive a trunk.
“Oh..none of my good clothes are here. These are tangled and stained with rotten fruit. Oh-h and…nd here is a…a note from my Libby.”
“We are glad to hear you are getting better; hope you will soon
get well.”
Elizabeth wondered sadly, “How can I be cured when I am sane?”
Superintendent McFarland told her, “You are free to go home. To do so, you must submit to your husband.”
This is Todd Warren, Nathan Thomas, and Barbara Steiner. Return for a story of legal twists and a woman with hope. The website is: thisweeksstory.com.
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