rs all awake, which
induced them for a time to confine him to the solitary during these
hours, and keep him in his cell by day. But his howls so disturbed the
prison family, that they next resorted to keeping him in the shop by
night, lying upon his back, his feet chained together, with a post
between them.

Thus, they continued for a season, but finally, the governor sent him to
the insane asylum. Shortly after, I was speaking to one of Henry, in
hearing of the warden, as being insane, to which he replied, "No, he is
not insane. He is ugly, of which I could have cured him, had his time
not been so near out." I thought, "You _would_ have cured him by death,
and were very near it."

As he was taken to the asylum, the warden said to me, "Chaplain, I wish
it understood that he is taken out to be tried for attempting to kill
his overseer," thereby expressing the desire, as I understood it, for me
to give that version of the matter to the prisoners. "What an idea!" I
answered in my mind, "the chaplain going about lying for the warden!"

Fisher was naturally of a low order of mind, but still possessed
knowledge enough to work well at many things under the direction of
another, was to come out the early part of March, but whom I missed from
his cell a while previous, and, from his long absence, began to suppose
they had sent him off unbeknown to me. But the day previous to the
expiration of his sentence, I found him again in his cell, completely
demented. I was told by more than one, that his overseer, attempting to
direct him in a certain way about his work and not succeeding, seized
him by the collar, plunged him head foremost to the floor, and then
jerked him about, he probably now uttering some disrespectful words;
then the deputy was called and took him to the solitary, I was also
informed, and plunged him against the outer prison door, on the way,
with such force as to push it open.

When first finding him in his cell, as stated, I asked where his father
lived, and he answered, "Enfield," as I understood it. But after that, I
could not obtain even a sound from his lips. He kept almost constantly
spitting, would frequently laugh to himself, but I could learn nothing
about his legal residence. I was expected to care for him, and would not
turn him loose to suffer and perhaps perish; but I found that I should
be liable for damage, should I send him to another town. True, the
State, by her prison management, had reduced