ORANGE COUNTY
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MOTHER OF NINE SMALL CHILDREN
BECOMES INSANE
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Mrs. Goodens of Los Alamitos Imagines
She Saw Two Men Murder a Boy in Front of Her House.
Bolz sentence
SANTA ANA, Nov. 12 — [Regular Correspondence.] Mrs. Elisha Gooden was brought from Los Alamitos today by Constables Devoe and Hickox, and after an examinatino by physicians as to her sanity, was committed to the Highland Insane Asylum by Judge Ballard. The woman has been mentally deranged ever since her son was killed by a train on the Los Alamitos branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad last July, but not violwently so until the past few days.
She got out of bed some time during last night, and, hitching up a horse and buggy, drove over the country in quest of officers to arrest two men who, she imagined, had killed a boy in front of home the evening before. Her husband missed her, followed on horseback, found her near the home of Constable Devoe this morning and persuaded her to return home. Mr. Gooden then went with the two constables to assist him in bringing her to Santa Ana, but his wife would not get into the carriage until the three men had promised to take her to Downey as she said someone was callingt to her over a wire to come there as quickly as possible.
When she arrived in Santa Ana and found that she had not been taken to Downey she refused to get out of the carriage or to even eat until they would start to Downey with her. She was finally persuaded to eat lunch and then to take a walk to the Courthouse to tell Sheriff Nichols her trouble. Mrs. Goodens and her husband came to Los Alamitos from Texas with their family of children two years ago, and renting land near the sugar factory, commence raising beets. Their crop this Spring was utter failure. Work became scarce and the husband found providing for his family almost an impossibility. About this time, his oldest son, who was his only assistance in obtaining a livelihood, was killed on the railroad track. The father did not have money to pay funeral expenses, but neighbors, soime of whom, werte in circumstances almost as destutute as his own, made up a purse and paid for a coffin. From the eveing the mangled remains of her son were brought home, Mrs. Gooden showed symptoms of insanity.
Two children under three years of age were brought to Santa Ana with her and she clung to them until they were separated from her by force.
Deputy Sheriff Lordell started for Highland with the patient this afternoon. The Board of Supervisors will be petitioned to assist in caring for her children.