On June 18, 1860, Mrs. Elizabeth Packard was abducted on her husband’s orders (women needed only their husband's insistance to be committed) and taken to the insane asylum in Illinois, where she spent the next three years. He judged her insane largely because she disagreed with him and was trying to leave his church. After she was released, she wrote profusely. In one volume, "Modern Persecution" or "Insane Asylums Unveiled", she detailed her experiences during that time.

On June 18, 1860, Mrs. Elizabeth Packard was abducted on her husband’s orders (women needed only their husband's insistance to be committed) and taken to the insane asylum in Illinois, where she spent the next three years. He judged her insane largely because she disagreed with him and was trying to leave his church. After she was released, she wrote profusely. In one volume, "Modern Persecution" or "Insane Asylums Unveiled", she detailed her experiences during that time.