One of
these, Lillie, now lives in Sacramento with her husband. Another,
Paulina, a widow, resides in San Rafael. Bertha and Augusta live with
the father at Brighton, Sacramento County. Both these children are
hopelessly idiotic. Bertha is twenty-six years of age, and has never
uttered an intelligible word. Augusta is fifteen years old, weighs two
hundred and five pounds, and possesses only slight traces of
intelligence. Teething spasms, occurring when they were about two years
old, is the cause of their idiocy. Both are subject to frequent and
violent spasms or epileptic fits. They need constant care and attention.
Should Bertha's hand fall into the fire, she has not sufficient
intelligence to withdraw it from the flames. Both are helpless as
children. The State provides for insane, but not for idiots. Keseberg
says a bill setting aside a ward in the State Asylum for his two
children, passed the Legislature, but received a pocket veto by the
Governor. Sacramento County gives them eighteen dollars a month. Their
helplessness and violence render it impossible to keep any nurse in
charge of them longer than a few days. Keseberg is very poor. He has
employment for perhaps three months during the year. While his wife
lived, she took care of these children; but now he has personally to
watch over them and provide for their necessities.
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