The Seal Man

R.T. Carr, Editor

PART II: INTRODUCTION

Editor's Notes and Comments

And so I assumed the story was over, and indeed it was for almost a year. I did find a few references in San Francisco history concerning the Seal Man. I was able to determine where a mental patient captured under such circumstances would be placed by the authorities in that era. I wondered what had happened to him. More importantly was there any more to the story, beyond those few pages lost to us due to time and deterioration? I was genuinely moved by this man's grief, if not his self-imposed exile to Seal Rock. The account of his capture wherever I find it seems to be similar, the encounter pretty much as written by the papers, except for one wag who described a teary eyed Lady Seal pining away since her 'husband' had been hauled away to a 'looney bin' as he indelicately put it. This was humor, I suppose, since our friend made it clear that all the Seals at this point were males, and he had no such desires if they weren't, even with 'Sparkle'.

My archival research led me to a bit of information: There was a public Insane Asylum nearby what is today Lone Mountain College, which at the time was the site of several Cemeteries, and must have been a peaceful place indeed. Though treatment seems to be draconian at best in such places, there was some mention of enlightened treatment on the part of a Dr. Hunt. I found an Albert H. Hunt, who in his later years served as a part of the Faculty of Stanford University Medical School in San Francisco, prior to its move to the Campus.

I found his memoirs and papers in the aforementioned institutions' archives. His dates matched, and he had served the city as a temporary director of the facility about the time our fellow would have been confined there. It was a lucky but not unexpected find, since often distinguished members of the faculty leave their papers to this august school.

I did find a new purpose in my life, and sharpened my skills as an editor on this one. Frankly Dr. Hunt was prolific. He really needed an editor. I read all that was available, some of it 'sealed', no pun intended. There was a contact number attached to the file of sealed documents, which brought me to one of the 'old firms' of San Francisco Law. Their Archivist, who prefers to remain as anonymous as the firm, since one would be able to tell which family just by their association with the firm, had read and enjoyed 'Dusty Books, Frontier Librarian' so much, and was impressed with the respect I gave to Dusty, that many doors were open to me. This is a trust I do not intend to betray. Since Dusty had done a great deal of the talking for me, I was allowed to read everything in the sealed file, and was given permission to use parts of it, providing identities were concealed. I gave them first refusal on any material I generated from the files. I did so gladly, just to have the opportunity. All patient names as it turned out were filed by a numbering system, so identities were already protected in any case. I faced a three-month job just to simply read, read and then read some more of Hunt's files.

In the collection there were a few oblique references to significant cases he had observed. The section on his rather youthful Directorship proved fruitful. But I had the obstacle of plowing through things written at a venerable age. He was very disjointed in his narrative, and changed subjects frequently. In his writing I found no specific references. He was being discreet. In the actual case files, more than 140 years later, I was allowed the great and sensitive privilege of delving into cases that were fascinating at minimum. It was at this point that I found the case folder and the wonderful man in the Old Law Firm. After signing the contract I was finally allowed to view the file on the SEAL MAN!

In this cross referenced, numbered file I found the Doctor's notes and 14 pieces of parchment written in a very familiar hand, with about as tight a spacing, though a little larger, since he didn't have his glasses at the time, I assume. I will not report any of the Doctor's findings, due to privacy, as well as not display any of the patient information, by agreement with the Law Firm. I will say that this patient writing seems to be a part of the therapy at the time, which Dr. Hunt used on his more literate patients. What you see here is the set of papers quoted exactly, edited and redacted with approval any information that might give away identities present or past. I want to take this opportunity to thank the representatives of the estate for this great honor and privilege and will in no way betray the trust afforded me in this access. My goal was to clear up a few loose ends and I was focused on trying to be objective and kind at the same time.

Dr. Hunt in his Emeritus Address at the conclusion of his tenure as faculty said it best:

"The human mind is a fragile entity, and the diseased one even more so. But there is light, which is what we seek, and peace in understanding."

R.T.Carr III