The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-08-04
THE PILOT

Letter to Samuel .4llnd7s, M d., one Of the
PhuSiciars at the Aims Housed 1atl
Elder in the Third Presbyterian hty
baltimore, &c.
SIR:-From the 10th of March to the 9th OF
June, of the present year, you have devoted to
me four most violent communications several of
them pretty long, in the political newspapers OF
our city. The last of these attacks, which my
silence in regard to the rest, has caused to be
the most virulent of all, you have used great eff
forts to get widely circulated. Besides printing
it here, and distributing it privately through the
country, you have endeavoured, and in part sue
ceeded, in having it re-published elsewhere; and
1t would not surprise me to the principal
Pelagian, Papal Abolition and Universaiist
newspapers in the country make lien of you,
and give you great and most cordial notoriety.
congratulate you on your new company and
prospects, and myself on the unerring instinct
which leads those who hate me for truths sake,
TO love one another.
Certainly you leave me no ground to under
value your diligent malignity; and the contrast
which it furnishes to your calm and measured
zeal in the service of him whom you profess to
have chosen as your Redeemer, is not little
edifying. 1t is, think, principle in the science,
which you tell US you have had such remarkable
opportunities of acquiring, that all morbid ex-
elements prone to lavish themselves, at last,
upon the weakest part of the system; in which
case, there is ground to hope that the existing
preternatural of commotioA of your vanity,
egotism, and maleyolence, may transfer itself to
far weaker Development, and your person
al piety be unexpectedly stimulated.
The injuries of your former articles may go
for what they are worth; have passed them till
now, without special notice-and will not recur
upon them, farther than may be necessary, in
explaining portions of your present attack If
my conduct in this particular should appear to
need explanation, be good as to read the fourth
and fifth verses of the twenty-sixth chapter of
the Book of Proverbs The precepts there seem
somewhat conflicting. have tried to keep them
both; without, however, applying to you, the
whole force of their naked terms
The attack which it is my present design to
notice, divides itself into two general portions;
the first, having reference to the Aims House;
the second being entirely personal.
As it regards the state of the Aims House, l
have little to say of general kind, beyond what
] have felt it my duty to publish especially in
the April No; and in the notes to my prosecution
for libel in the May and June Nos. OF the Balti-
more Literary and Religious Magazine Those
who have attended to the progress of this susi-
ness, know that have never meddled with the
department of the Aims House with which you
are connected, farther than for the purpose Of
showing that JMaguire and has deputies in re-
eeiei7sg sane man nlad-nld1,, and that not
only acithout, but directly against lao, thereby
justified suspicion as to the motive of their pro-
ceedings. And the only apparent object you
could have had in writing your reply to my arti-
Gle in the April number of our Masazine-was
to defend Mcguire and propitiate the Catholic
influence of Baltimore; unless we are forced
to conclude that yon were actuated by vanity
painting for notoricty on any terms-or a malig-
nifty which forbearance only stimulates
The whole drift of the first division OF your
present article, is masked defence of Mcguire
A man was let into the Aims House confessedly
against positive law, and so treated as to accom-
plish particular result; and you write and quote
authorities of rule and precedent apparently to
prove that it was well done, to take in Stazer as
a mad-man when he was sane; to lock him up
as such-and yet suppress his name from the
PHYSICIANS roll; to take him in as mad, and let
him out as sane, without authority of law, or
advice of physician, in either case. Now,
Sir shall not argue any of these questions with
you. If you learnt at the hospitals of Edinboro'
and London, of which you talk so Familiarity,
nothing better than that the pauper Hooper is
competent, either in law fact, to Judge of
Stazer's madness, am sorry to say, you lost
your time, your money and your advantages.
By the way, if you were really at GUYS and
st Thomss's Hospitals in London, you no
that neither of them hospitals for insane per-
sons; that in Guys Hospital applications for
admission Except where the applicant is suffer
ing from accidenD, are received only once a
week: and that admission to st. Thonass Tex
cent as above) is only on petition signed by one
of the governors: both hospitals being for esthe
sick poor and those MANNED by accident" So
that nothing whatever, in either, has any rela-
ton to the case of the niad-nto7, Stazer, or the
irregular and illegal treatment, of a Papist
wishing to turn Protestant,-so laboriously de-
Tended by you. great mary things, besides
true knowledge and love of truth and Justice
may be caught in hospital.
In every part OF your present publication there
is a method OF dealing with facts which is very
embarrassing to me. Take an example from the
portion now under consideration. You say,
ssStazer was seen and conversed with by the Sc
nior student at the time" Now hear al the
students under oath. ssDr Turner, a resident
student, has no distinct recollection of ever see
ing Stazer in the Aims House, Again: "Ds.
Reu,olds, also resident student, testified to the
same effect as DIR. Turner" Again: Mr.. Skin
with. resident student, was absent when Sta
ger was said to be there.o Mr.. Hall, the only
remaining student sworn, says not a word on
the subiect-(See pr. 251-3, of this Magazine:
or any report of the trial for libeD Now how
am | to treat this extraordinary disregard OF cs-
tablished truth?
Take another example on the same subject
You use the name of DIR. Thomas E. Bond in
such way as to induce those who have not ex-
amined the subject to suppose that he approves
what YOU approve, in regard to the facts and cir
cumstances of this part of our controversy; in
deed, in such way as to make him, in some
sort, responsible for the whole case. Now hear
Nor Bond, speaking on oath: ".No person IS per-
United to see niddidn toith0tn q medical man
IN the Aims House coSenti7sg, person IS conf
some one OF the medicoI attendants. No per
son permitted TO be discharged By the keeper
soithout an order Of the Board Of Trustees, nor
can they be Yeceieed By the keeper toittosn such
order, ercepf IN crtleine cnses."-( Page 261 OF
this Magazine, for june any report of the trial