isn. 



TtHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



601 



I have enjoyed with her no mortal ever knew. Now the little 

 form is laid away, with the roses and ferns that she loved so well 

 twined ahout her; and over us all hangs the awful sorrow that she 

 died tiy her own mother's hand. 



Most of the friends of the Review know that for nearly two 

 years Mrs. Hutfbinson has heen ailing mentally, all of last winter 

 lieing past in the asylum. She was so much improved, but so 

 home sick last spring, that the superintendent and myself believed 

 that she would improve faster at home, and she was allowed to 

 rome home, to remain so long as her condition would warrant it. 

 All summer we have been workmg to build up her general health, 

 liy nourishing food, baths, outdoor exercise, and the like, she 

 often taking long drives with Ivy and Fern. She sometimes had 

 periods of depression, but on the whole she seemed on the up- 

 grade, and we hoped the worst was over. She had never exhib- 

 ited tile least tendency towards suicide or homicide, and nothing 

 was feared in this direction. 



When I went away to the Buffalo convention she was not feel- 

 ing very well, and I hesitated long and seriously as to whether I 

 better go, but I finally decided to go, she assuring me that she was 

 no worse than at many times previous When 1 reacht home Fri- 

 day evening I experienced a feeling of great relief to find all the 

 loved ones alive and apparently well. All were asleep except my 

 wife, and we sat and talkt until quite late, she trying to convince 

 me that there was great danger that the whole family would 

 eventually become insane, and 1 trying to allay any such delusion. 

 Apparently I succeeded, but little sleep name to me as I tost on 

 my pillow and tried to think what course to pursue. It would not 

 answer to go away to the fairs and leave her alone. I must either 

 give up going to the fairs, or take her back to the asylum while I 

 was away, or else take her with me. I decided upon the latter 

 course, thinking that the trip might do her gnod. 



In the morning she felt much better, and I told her of my de' 

 oision, and she agreed to go. something she had before declined to 

 do. Then she said that she believed she would go out driving, as 

 she had not been out in several days and it might do her good. I 

 went down town to get a woman to come and stay with the girls 

 while we were away at the fairs, and while there I saw my wife 

 and little Fern driving along. I went out and spoke to them and 

 askt if there was anything that they wanted, and Fern sat there 

 looking so sweet and happy in a little new dress, and she said, •■ I 

 am going to have some candy. " I said. "That's nice." And she 

 smiled, and I thought what a siveet. .vhw(, happy little body she is. 

 It was the last time I ever saw her alive. 



Her mother went to a drug-store and bought a bottle of chloro- 

 form, drove outside of the city limits, saturated a handkerchief 

 with the deadly fluid and applied it to the child's face, holding it 

 there until life was extinct. Then she laid her under some bushes 

 and drove back for Ivy. 



Of course we inquired for Fern, but she said that she had left 

 her at a neighbor's where she often went to play with another little 

 girl. She drove away with Ivy to the outskirts jf the city, where 

 she attempted to destroy her life with a revolver, firing three 

 shots, one passing through the right breast, one striking her in the 

 small of the back, and one in the side of the face, knocking out 

 two teeth, passing through the tongue and striking the back of the 

 throat. Ivy's screams and the pistol shots attracted a man, who 

 came on the run and took the revolver away. 



The unfortunate mother was taken to the .iail, and Ivy brought 

 home and her wounds drest. At present she is doing nicely, 

 and there is every hope that she may recover. Searching parties 

 started out and soon returned with the dead body of poor, dear, 

 little Fern. 



The sight of my poor wife is the most heart-rending of any- 

 thing that can be imagined. In one sense she is rational, that is. 

 she realizes fully what she has done, and her grief is something be- 

 yond des(-ription. That alone is enough to destroy her reason, and 

 in her weakened mental and nervous condition I see no hope for 

 her recovery. In all probability she will pass the remamder of 

 her days behind asylum doors, and the fewer those days the better 

 for all. 



She tells me that it was the fear that we were all in danger of 

 being sent to the asylum that impelled her to the awful deed. She 

 intended to kill us all and then destroy herself. She says there 

 was an impulse to do this, that she was pown'fr.w to resist; she 

 struggled with all her strength, but something forced her on and 

 nil, and rmiijjiUril her to do the awful deed Then she will burst out 

 crying, ■' My poor little girl, my poor Itttle Fern, how could I. 

 how<-uH?i/I! Oh. if I only had her sweet little face back here be- 

 side me.'' But we all know that the poor woman was not respon- 

 sible for her act. She passes hours on her knees in prayer, then 

 she will toss on Ijer couch in a frenzy of grief, and then she may 

 pass hours in a dazed condition, in which she practically feels and 

 realizes nothing. 



1 had a note-book full of notes taken at the convention, be- 

 sides numerous little items pickt up from the numerous friends 

 that were present, and I also intended to give my readers my ira- 

 pre.ssions of Niagara falls, in short, to make this issue a bright and 

 sparkling number, but you must excuse m© — my heart is too sad 



I may say that I am going to the fairs just the same, that is, if 

 Ivy continues to improve. It is my only hope — to keep myself 

 busy. Then there are others dependent upon me. and I shall not 

 begin now to do what I never did before— shirk my duty. I expect 

 to go right on printing the Review, but I must ask the friends to 

 be indulgent once more, while I am fitting ray back to this great 

 burden. 



Now while perhaps there is not much that many of us can do 

 to help our bereaved friend and brother faside from a deep feeling 



of sincerest sympathy tor him in his sacred sadness), there is one 

 thing that some of our readers can do, if they are also readers 

 of the Bee-Keepers' Review. They can send a year's subscription 

 to him nt „ni;\ and help a little financially, for in such times as 

 those through which he has been called to pass, money is very 

 needful. And particularly if any are in arrears for their subscrip- 

 tion to the Review, be sure to pay it all up ""«', and add an extra 

 dollar or two for advance subscription. We know Mr. Hutchin- 

 son would greatly appreciate this, tho he hasn't the slightest idea 

 of our making the suggestion. 



It you are not a subscriber to the Review, suppose you try it 

 for a year in addition to the American Bee Journal— it is well 

 worth the dollar askt for it. Just send direct to W. Z. Hutchin- 

 son, tJ13 Wood St., Flint, Mich. 



Tl?e Weekly Budget. 



Mr. C. p. Dadant. of Hancock, 111., wrote Sept. 10: "Hot, 

 hot, hot! and the bees are beginning to show the shortage up here 

 on the hills. 



Mr G. M. Doolittle. writing us under date of Sept. 13, saidt 



'■ Dear. Bro. York:— I have been on the sick list ever since I 

 returned Irom Buffalo. I caught a severe cold and it settled on 

 my lungs. I have not been entirely confined to the house, but 

 have only done any work by actually driving myself to it. I am 

 slowly recovering, and hope to be as well as ever soon." 



Mr. Thomas G. Newman, we learn through a friend, on account 

 of being too much of a tax on his health, felt compelled to decline 

 a reelection to the presidency of the California State Spiritualists' 

 Association, which held its annual meeting in San Francisco the 

 first week of this month. It will be remembered that Mr. Newman 

 is now editor and publisher of a weekly spiritualistic periodical— 

 the Philosophical Journal. 



Mr. C. Tueilmann. of Wabasha Co., Minn., writing us Sept, 

 11, said: 



Friend York;— I have just come home fi'om our State Fair, 

 where I judge! the honey exhibit, which was better than I had ex- 

 pected for such a poor season. There was considerable-last year's 

 honey in it, especially extracted. All the bee-keepers had the 

 same story to tell— none, or but little, white honey. All of them 

 have been getting some fall honey the past two weeks— probably 

 enough for their immediate home market. C. Theilmann. 



Mr. J. F. MclNTYRE, of Ventura Co., Calif., made us a very 

 pleasant call Thursday, Sept. 16, when on his way home from the 

 Buffalo convention and a visit among relatives and friends in On- 

 tario. Canada. Mr. Mclntyre is one of the substantial bee-keep- 

 ers of the Pacific Coast, has GIIO colonies in one apiary, and his 

 crop this year is about IS tons o£ extracted honey. He is one of 

 the independent bee-men— holds his crop until the year after it is 

 produced, and thereby gets a better price. Mr. Mclntyre has been 

 in California for ir. years, and thinks there's no other place to live 

 like his locality, outside of that State. His family consists of wife 

 and five daughters. 



Mr. Geo. Poinde.xtek, of Uewitt Co., 111., says bis local news- 

 paper—the Herald—" will exhibit at the State fair, what repre- 

 sents an old-time log-cabin home, made entirely from honey. In 

 size it is about one foot in height and perhaps a foot square. The 

 bouse has the old-fashioned roof, with the chimney tor the fire- 

 place running up the side. The one door swings ajar, allowing 

 one a view of the interior of the hut. He also has made of honey 

 proportionately in size to the log-cabin, an exact reproduction of 

 his home and apiary. From honey is made his house, and scat- 

 tered all around it, also made from pure honey, are the bee-hives. 

 Placed here and there, just thick enough to give the apiary yard a 

 pretty appearance, are artificial Howers. A fence made out of 

 comb foundation encircles the apiary and house, and the entire 

 thing is enclosed in a large glass frame separate from the log- 

 cabin, which is arranged in a frame alone.'' This will be quite an 

 attraction for the apiarian department of the Illinois State Fair 

 this month. 



