4 disturbing scenes from Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story

3. The Lecherous Doctor

At first, it appears as if Josiah may be Nellie’s ally in this terrible place but it quickly becomes apparent that he is growing fond of her in an inappropriate way. Perhaps Nellie returns his attractions, at least at some point. But Josiah pushes things too far when he lies to her real significant other, Bartholomew, when he arrives at the asylum in search of her.

Josiah pretends he has never heard of a Nellie Brown (Brown is part of the alias Nellie gave herself upon arrival) in order to keep her sequestered and in his care. By doing so, he puts his own libido over the wellbeing of this woman he claims to care for and is truly no better than Matron Grady especially as his pursuit of her grows increasingly blatant. Turns out, the good doctor has a record of getting too friendly with the vulnerable women in his care and is something of a predator.