The Devil and the Dentist, 1872

Often, in the histories of Middle-
borough and Lakeville, historical personages are noted in passing with a quick sentence or brief notice before being passed over for the next topic. One such person was Dr. Charles W. Leach, a resident of Lakeville who practiced dentistry in Middleborough during the mid-19th century. The cursory notice in Romaine's History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts never hints at the true tragedy of his life.

Leach first established his dental practice in Middleborough in 1853, coming from Boston, while in his twenties. At the time, the Namasket Gazette reported that "a recommendation from his former business place in Boston, ... represents him as skillful and ingenious in his profesion." In November, 1853, it was reported that Leach was "receiving calls from those in want of Dental operations, in such numbers that he feels encouraged in his determination to establish a permanent office here."

Leach ultimately took over the practice of Dr. J. T. Harris, a dentist and homeopathic physician, who kept an office over Levi P. Thatcher's jewelry store in Middleborough on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. By 1859, Leach was advertising a new office in the Doane and Shaw building on South Main Street, and he later removed next door, to the American Building, with offices above Miss Barrows' millinery store.

The establishment of a Middleborough practice allowed Leach to become a prominent professional man in the community. He took an active role in town organizations as a member of the Central Baptist Church and the Sons of Temperance. In 1859, he took part, alongside other local businesses, in the July 4th parade: "Then came the Dentist, Dr. C. W. Leach, on wheels, looking very attractive, and making one believe that it was nothing to have a tooth pulled. Did his patient think so?"

Regardless of what his patient thought, painless dentistry was a goal of Leach who pursued the latest developments in the field including the application of electricity in the extraction of teeth, and the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) which Leach advertised as "the best anaesthetic yet discovered....If you want to enjoy a half hour, visit Dr. C. W. Leach's Dentistry and have your Teeth Extracted under the influence of Nitrous Oxide."

On Christmas Day, 1860, Leach married Rebecca L. Jenney at Middleborough and by 1864, he was settled enough in his practice to purchase the large Job Peirce House on the corner of Main and Vaughan Streets in Lakeville where he made his home until 1872, and he was professionally successful enough to be able to hire an assistant, Edward S. Hathaway of Middleborough, during this same period. In late 1869 and early 1870, Leach was elected a Masonic officer as well as officer of the Assawampsett Division, No. 34, Sons of Temperance, and in February, 1870, extended his dental office "by an addition of two rooms and thus changes are continually surprising us."

Seemingly, Dr. Leach's future appeared bright, and he seems to have been both professionally and personally secure with a wife and four children: Charles W., Warren, John M. S. and Grace. This positive state of affairs continued until January, 1872, at which point the story is taken up by the Plymouth Old Colony Memorial under the headline, "Crazy Freaks of a Drunkard at Lakeville":

"Dr. Charles W. Leach, a well-known dentist residing at the Four Corners, Lakeville, a member of the Baptist church and of the Sons of Temperance, has been drinking very freely for a week, until on Friday he became perfectly crazed with alcohol. On that Friday afternoon Dr. Leach told his family to go away into a room by themselves and stay, for either the Lord or the Devil was coming to see him. He then took his eldest boy [Charles W. Leach, Jr.], a bright little fellow about ten years old, into the front room, where he had a double-barrelled shotgun and a stock of ammunition. The doctor then stationed himself by an open window, where he lay in wait for victims."

Leach ultimately shot and wounded Thomas Bump, who boarded in his house, and neighbors John Capeless, William Coombs and Daniel Swift. Eventually, Bump, Coombs, Swift and Andrew M. Shockley were able to overwhelm and capture Leach. "During all this time the doctor's little boy was forced to hand the powder and shot to his father, who threatened to kill him if he did not do it."

Leach was held overnight at Middleborough, where the following morning Judge of Probate William H. Wood ordered his committal to the Taunton Lunatic Asylum, Doctors William W. Comstock and Ebenezer W. Drake signing the certificate stating that Leach was insane through the use of alcohol.

Characteristically, naysayers appeared immediately following the incident to denounce the previously unassailable Leach. "Although a good dentist, he is said to be a man of considerable temper, mixed with not a little cruelty, and hard stories are told of his treatment of his family", sniped one local newspaper.

Committal to the Taunton Lunatic Asylum (as then not yet euphemistically known as the "State Hospital") must certainly have been a grim experience. Opened in April, 1854, with accommodations for 250 patients, by 1872, the asylum was noted for overcrowding and increasingly deplorable conditions. It was reported that upon entering the institution, Leach "settled into a dumb, stupid state, taking no notice of anything nor any person. Does not care to leave his room, read books or papers, go to bed or get up. Those who have doubted Dr. Godding's statements as to his mental condition should call at the asylum."

Meanwhile, legal proceedings were taken. William H. Wood was appointed guardian of Leach, and Leach's victims sought to settle their claims for damages, "but the friends of the assailant decline to compromise." Leach's one-time assistant, Edward S. Hathaway, by this time a full-fledged dentist in his own right, assumed Leach's practice.

In March, 1873, Leach came near to being released from the asylum, "but at the time for his leave-taking approached he became violent again" and his release was not approved. Ultimately, Leach was released in early January, 1875. "Dr. Charles W. Leach was discharged from Taunton Asylum last week by the board of trustees, and taken by his friends to Sunderland", Massachusetts. Little is known of the later history of Dr. Leach or his family, it having been obscured by the stigma which attached itself to the tragic incident at the time, itself a reflection of society's equally tragic misunderstanding of the causes and treatment of mental illness. At Sunderland Leach initially engaged in farming, residing with his wife and four children, though in time, he appears to have returned to dentistry. In June, 1900 (his wife having died in the meantime), he was residing with his sister and brother-in-law at Sunderland, and was listed as a dentist.

Illustrations:

"C. W. Leach, Dental Surgeon", advertisement, Namasket Gazette, May 15, 1858.

"Laughing Gas.", advertisement, Middleboro Gazette, May 28, 1864, page 4.

"Charles W. Leach, Dental Surgeon", advertisement, Middleboro Gazette,

Sources:

Middleboro Gazette, June 18, 1859; July 9, 1859; July 16, 1864; "What the Gazette Was Saying Fifty Years Ago", January 9, 1920; ibid., February 27, 1920; ibid., April 30, 1920; ibid., October 15, 1920; ibid., January 27, 1922, p. 5; ibid., February 17, 1922, p. 5; ibid., March 17, 1922, p. 6; ibid., March 31, 1922, p. 5; ibid., April 14, 1922, p. 6; ibid., April 28, 1922, p. 6; ibid., August 4, 1922, p. 6; ibid., January 16, 1925

Nemasket Gazette, May 27, 1853; "Dental Surgeon", November 3, 1853; November 18, 1853

Old Colony Memorial, "Crazy Freaks of a Drunkard in Lakeville", January 25, 1872, p. 2; "The County &c.", April 18, 1872, p. 2; "The County and Elsewhere", August 8, 1872, p. 4; ibid., March 13, 1873, p. 4

Plymouth County Probate, Docket No. 12419a (adult guardianship of Charles W. Leach)

United States Federal Census, 1880, Sunderland, Massachusetts, Enumeration District 261, page 17, and 1900, Sunderland, Massachusetts, Enumeration District No. 498, page 97.

Levi L. Peirce & 19th Century Mental Illness

Of any historical figure in Middleborough, more consideration has probably been given to Peter H. Peirce than any other save for Peter Oliver and Deborah Sampson. One aspect of Peirce’s history which is largely overlooked, however, is the sad story of his younger son, Levi L. Peirce (1825-54) who suffered from mental illness. Because little is known of Levi Peirce’s circumstances, even George Decas’ authoritative and compelling biography of Peter Peirce - Col. Peter H. Peirce (1788-1861): A Plymouth County Life - barely touches upon the tragedy of his son.

At the time of Levi L. Peirce’s birth, mental illness was much less well understood than at present. Those exhibiting signs of illness were most frequently considered to be in possession of the devil. Treatment consisted of confinement either at home or in public institutions such as almshouses and jails. Frequently, worse treatment was meted out. Not until the 1830s did Massachusetts state law prohibit the housing of the mentally ill with criminals in local jails, and it would take longer still for social convention to stop referring to the residents of mental health institutions as inmates rather than patents. Horace Mann, Dorothea Dix and Samuel Gridley Howe, all better known as advocates of other social causes, were champions during this period of a more humane approach to the caring and treatment of the mentally ill in Massachusetts, but their successes were frequently few and far between.

Virtually nothing is known of Levi Peirce’s illness, what prompted it or when signs of it first became visible. Named for his paternal uncle who was a benefactor of Middleborough's Central Baptist Church and the Peirce Academy, Levi L. Peirce was a student at the same academy from which he graduated in 1843 following which, as noted by Decas, “there is no indication of his occupation….” Apparently he did not attend Brown University as had his older brothers, and it may have been that signs of a serious illness had already manifested themselves. Numerous visits paid to the Peirce home during the mid-1840s by the Peirce family physician, Dr. William R. Wells are on record and some of these calls may have been made to attend Levi. Certainly at some point Wells and another local doctor were called in to assess Levi Peirce, and make the fateful certification regarding his sanity.

Not on record is Peter Peirce’s reaction to his son’s affliction, though undoubtedly it greatly aggrieved him. Also, unquestioned is the fact that Peirce presumably sought the best treatment for his son, though few options were then available. The closest specialized care was available only at the McLean Asylum in Somerville and the Worcester Insane Asylum in central Massachusetts. The Worcester Asylum, a state-operated institution, was notoriously overcrowded, in fact dangerously so, and had acquired a reputation for less than desirable conditions. Also, as a state institution it was enormously burdened and its consequent ability to provide the level of care sought by the Peirce family undoubtedly met with their skepticism. (The Taunton State Hospital for the Insane which was built to alleviate conditions at Worcester, did not open until 1853). Consequently, there was little choice and Peirce was brought to McLean Asylum in Somerville.

It is not readily clear as to how long Peirce remained at McLean, but apparently long enough for Peter Peirce to become disillusioned with its treatment of his son. Ultimately, in 1853 or a few years earlier, Levi Peirce was moved from McLean and brought to the Brattleboro Retreat (originally known as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane) in that Vermont town. What specifically prompted the decision to relocate him to Brattleboro is not known. Certainly however, Colonel Peirce had become familiar with Brattleboro’s high reputation as an institution well regarded for the level of its treatment which differentiated it from other institutions, and with the family’s wealth, money would have proven no object in obtaining a place for their son there.

During the mid-19th century, the Brattleboro Retreat was noted for the humanity of its care and "moral treatment" of patients. Initially founded in 1834 for care of the “insane poor”, the Brattleboro Retreat was one the few institutions in New England catering to the mentally ill, and it was noted for the nature of its treatment, based upon the same Quaker precepts which had led to the establishment of the York Retreat in England in 1798 and the Connecticut Retreat in 1824. “This was a humanistic concept that the mentally ill could be cured by rebuilding self-esteem in a wholesome, regulated environment of parental-like kindness, protection, cultural and social activities, and meaningful work.”

Brattleboro stood diametrically opposed to the inhumane view of mental illness and its treatment then prevalent, and it drew upon the insights of European physicians and social thinkers to develop a dignified method of treatment. “It defined mental illness as physical disease which could be cured in a caring, structured environment which included useful employment, cultural and recreational pursuits, and wholesome nutrition in a simulated family setting, with the physician as ‘father.’”

By the time that Levi Peirce came to Brattleboro, the Retreat had fifteen years of practical operation behind it and had become one of the more popular institutions for treatment, serving both as the state facility for Vermont as well as accepting private patients, such as Peirce, on a fee paying basis. Certainly the Peirce family could well afford the cost associated with the treatment, and for its part, the institution would have welcomed Peirce as a fee-paying patient of some social standing. (Following 1857, the Retreat added a number of suites for patients of “superior social position” suffering from alcoholism, who would take their meals with the head of the institution).

Peirce would have been brought from Somerville to Brattleboro by train which had only reached the Vermont town in 1849 when the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad constructed its line through that place. Nonetheless, it still would have been a long and tiring journey. Upon arrival, Peirce would have been provided with a private room with bed, a fixed seat, chair, work table and mirror. The room would have been painted white and been provided with a window in contrast to the cell-like accommodations of other institutions. Depending upon the severity of his condition, he would have engaged in some form of occupational therapy perhaps in the garden or attending to duties on the adjacent dairy farm, and he would have been encouraged to attend the lectures, dances and theater sponsored by the Retreat, as well as to partake of daily walks in the open air, activities similar to those he would have enjoyed at Middleborough. By 1853, Peirce would have been one of about 360 patients at the Retreat.

Ultimately, however, Brattleboro could not cure Levi Peirce, though one hopes it eased his final years. He succumbed to his travail at the age of 29 on August 7, 1854, at which time the cause of death was noted somewhat obscurely as “Mania Tranquil”. Nor is it known how greatly a smallpox epidemic at the Retreat in 1853 or a subsequent dysentery outbreak the following year may have affected him and contributed to his decline and ultimate demise.

The impact of Peirce’s situation upon his family, particularly his brothers, may only be guessed, but their failure (with the exception of the oldest Charles and the youngest James) to marry, might be attributable to the circumstances of their unfortunate brother. Mid-19th century thinking greatly feared the hereditary nature of mental illness and Levi’s illness may only have served as a deterrent to matrimony for Peirce family members, some of whom were even at that time characterized as peculiar. Though whether the Peirces saw shades of their brother’s illness in themselves, will never be known.

Illustrations:
Peter H. Peirce House, North Main Street, Middleborough, MA, photograph by Michael J. Maddigan, August 9, 2006
It was here in the Peirce House that Levi L. Peirce spent the first two-thirds of his life and where, undoubtedly, his illness first manifested itself and was initially diagnosed.

McLean Asylum, Charlestown (now Somerville), MA, engraving, c. 1845
The engraving depicts the McLean Asylum in the mid-1840s, about the time that Levi L. Peirce was admitted as a patient there. The institution relocated to Belmont in 1895 where it operates as McLean Hospital.

Vermont Asylum for the Insane, Brattleboro, VT, engraving, 1854
The "Brattleboro Retreat" was situated in a serene natural setting. The main building, known as the "White House", was designed in a refined Greek Revival architectural style which may have reminded Levi Peirce of the store which his father operated at Middleborough.