San Francisco C/E, June 25, 1897.

MENTAL DISORDER FOLLOWS HIS INJURY

Plight of Abner Doble.
The Sad Sequel of a Railroad Accident.
To Add to His Misfortune the Iron Founder is in Financial Difficulties.

Abner Doble, the well-known merchant and iron founder, has become the victim of an unfortunate complication of financial difficulties, and to add to his distress he is now suffering from a mental disorder which is directly attributable to the railroad accident in which he figured a few months ago. Within the past few days Doble has been made the defendant in several suits brought in the Superior Court, in which the amounts sued for aggregate nearly $35,000. The latest suits were two that commenced on Monday of this week, one to forclose a lien on 599 shares of stock of the Pacific Saw Manufacturing Company, pledged as security for a note of $22,000, executed on November 4, 1896, and the other a suit to foreclose a lien for $1602.95 on bonds of the California and Nevada Railroad Company. The plaintiff in both suits is William Ede. These actions, following rapidly in the succession of several others filed within the past few months, have aroused the greatest concern among the friends of the well-known pioneer iron manufacturer, and on top of all this now comes the intelligence that Doble is suffering from a mental disorder.

As will be remembered, Doble figured in a railroad accident a few months ago, and it is believed by his friends that his present mental trouble is the result of the injuries he sustained at that time. The accident happened on the morning of March 15th. Doble, who resides with the family of his son-in-law, Francis Ferrier, at the corner of Fulton street and Durant avenue, in the town of Berkeley, was at Dwight-way station on his way to his business in this city. He was standing on the west side of the track and, as the train approached, he remembered that the gates recently placed on the cars made it necessary for him to board the train on the east side. He started across the track at the last moment and the engine struck him. He was quite seriously injured and for some time his life was despaired of. For days he was unconscious, but he finally recovered from his physical injuries and some weeks ago resumed the attention of his business. Now it transpires that he never entirely recovered the use of his mental faculties. His family and friends have noticed for some time that he acted queerly, while at times he lost entire control of his mental powers and relapsed into a state of semi-unconsciousness.

In spite of his condition, Mr. Doble insists upon crossing the bay every day to attend to his business. He is apparently quite rational at times and is able to take care of himself, but as an extra precaution his wife is now his constant companion. For a time a companion was hired to follow and care for Doble, but when the hardy pioneer found it out he objected strenuously. Mrs. Doble then undertook to fill the place of a keeper. It is suggested that Doble's financial troubles have operated upon his mind with detrimental effect, but his relatives do not share this opinion. They incline to the belief that he will eventually recover from the malady which now affects him. He seems on occasions to be oblivious to all surroundings and become helpless with regard to everything which requires the exercise of his mental faculties. His condition is all the more surprising because of the fact that he is otherwise in perfect health and is only periodically subject to his mental disorder. The members of his family believe that he is slowly recovering and declare with confidence that time will straighten out the warp in his mind. Doble is now 67 years of age.

Mrs. Doble, when seen in her home in Berkeley last evening, said: "It is true Mr. Doble is sometimes unconscious of his surroundings, but at other times he is lucid and able to reason and converse intelligently. He is, I believe, suffering from the effects of the accident at Dwight way. It is my opinion that he is slowly recovering, but there are things we can never be certain about."