Mary's Carriage Accident

[Linda Anderson]

Lincoln must have been at his wit's end at that point since he was also grieving Willie's death and may have wanted to impress upon Mary the seriousness of her situation.

This is the quote from Behind the Scenes.

"In one of her paroxysms of grief the President kindly bent over his wife, took her by the arm, and gently led her to the window. With a stately, solemn gesture, he pointed to the lunatic asylum.

"'Mother, do you see that large white building on the hill yonder? Try and control your grief or it will drive you mad, and we may have to send you there.'"

It sounds harsh but I don't know what other options Lincoln would have had other than keeping Mary confined in the White House.