On October 21, 1944, a disturbing scenario involving a chastity belt landed a Buffalo family and their roomer in the psychiatric ward of City Hospital.
Mrs. Gertrude Roof, her husband, and their roomer, William Alfrets, were taken in for observation following a shocking discovery by local authorities.
Mrs. Roof had been compelled to wear a chastity belt made from heavy canvas, which covered her torso and was sealed with adhesive tape, leaving no gaps.
According to police, she was also confined to her locked bedroom for three months, only allowed out to prepare meals for her family and Alfrets.
The situation escalated when Alfrets, a 57-year-old barber and self-proclaimed healer who had moved in with the Roofs under the guise of treating Mrs. Roof for serious diseases like cancer and tuberculosis, insisted on sealing the belt with adhesive tape.
Mrs. Roof’s husband, a 38-year-old machinist, sought advice from a local priest after objecting to Alfrets’ actions, prompting a call to the police.
In Alfrets’ room, police discovered about $185 worth of unorthodox curatives from a New Jersey medical supply house, along with a special salve he had prepared for Mrs. Roof’s alleged conditions.
This rather unsettling case led to an investigation, with all three adults being sent away for psychiatric evaluation.
Source: The Waterbury Democrat. (Waterbury, Conn.), 21 Oct. 1944.
