Hansford: Mental Defectives in County Indiana 91 
7. Lily Bennett 
Lily Bennett, the wife of Vernon Bennett, is feeble-mind- 
ed. She is the daughter of George Hahn, a recipient of poor 
relief for many years. Lily first married John Turner, by 
whom she had 2 children: Myrtle, age 14 years; and Effie, 
age 10 years. John was sent to prison in 1909 for forging 
checks, and Lily procured a divorce. She then married Ver- 
non Bennett, by whom she has had 10 children: Bessie and 
Jessie, 7 years; Helen, 5 years; Clyde, 3; a boy and girl dead; 
twin boys dead; Esther and Hester, age 5 weeks. The first 
4 are feeble-minded, and Effie is epileptic. Both children and 
mother are poorly nourished and a number of times have been 
found by the neighbors in a starving condition. They are 
like hungry cats and dogs. They go about the town snatch- 
ing food from other children and out of houses other 
than their own. They are almost naked and most of the time 
are in need of medical attention. The father is now for the 
first time in his life earning $2.50 per day. In the past he 
has made $1 per day when he worked. A great part of the 
time he does not work at all. He spends most of his time 
trying to get aid from the township trustees and other charita- 
ble agencies. They do not pay rent but move at least once 
each month. 
The case seems hopeless. Lily has given birth to 12 chil- 
dren in 14 years — the last 10 in 7 years — and is now only 28 
years old. It seems impossible to make the family self-sup- 
porting and clean. The children are taking up the time of the 
teacher in school and are making very little progress to show 
for the effort made in their behalf. It would certainly have 
been economy on the part of the state to have segregated Lily 
to prevent reproduction. Shall her children be allowed to 
carry on the family traits? 
8. A Family of Institutional Cases 
In the days when the first railway was being built thru 
County H., many of the Irish who came in as laborers settled 
permanently, some of them bringing in their families and 
others marrying into families already established. Many of 
them made good and are today substantial citizens. Others 
depended too much on their whiskey and quick wit and today 
do not rank very high in the community. Among these latter 
