Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1857-07-30
Public 36.1

An act supplementary to an act to organize an
Institution for the Insane of the Army and
Navy, and of the District of Columbia, in
the said District, approved March third,
eighteen hundred and ffty-fve
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representative of the nited States of Amer
lea in Congress assembled, That no insane per-
son not charged with any breach of the peace
shall ever hereafter be confined in the nited
States Jail, or in the nited States penitentary,
in this District.
Sec e. And be it further enacted, That the
Secretary of the Interior shall have power to
grant his order for the admission into the gov
ernment hospital for the insane, any insane per-
son unable to support himself or herself and
family, Cor himself, or herse if be OF. she have
no famHy,) under the Wis tAiioh Of insanity,
who resided Ia the District At The time ha or
slle became lpsane, AID VIC Is not charges
with any brooch Of The peace, upon the certi6-
cate of any Judge Of the circuit or criminal
court, or any justice of the peace of the Dis
trict, stating that two respectable physicians
appeared before said judge or justice and certi-
fed under oath, and under their hands, thai:
they knew the party alleged to be insane, and
that they believed him or her to be fit sub
iect for treatment in such hospital; also stating
that two respectable householderS, residents of
the District appeared before him and certified
under oath, and under their hands, that they
knew the party alleged to be insane and in
digent, 4l4at he or she was resident of the
District at the time he or she was seized with
the mental disorder under which he or she
then labored, and that he or she was unable to
pay his or her board and other expenses there
in; and the certificate of such physician, and
the certificate of such h0useholders shall ac-
company the certificate of such Judge or JUS
tce. The application of [tol the Secretary of
the Interior for his order for the admission of
said INDECENT insane person into the said hos
pital must be made within FIVE days after the
examination Of the witnesses before the said
Judge or justice of the peace, before such pro-
ceedings shall be had before such Judge or JUS
tice.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the
! order of the Secretary of the Interior, granted
under the authority of the second section of
! this act, shall authorize any police officer or
constable to assist in carrying such indigentin-
sane person to the hospital, whenever such as
siStance is represented to be necessary by the
| person holding the order; but all the expenses
of witnesses before said Judge or justice of the
peace, and of carrying such patient to the hos
| pital, shall be borne by his or her friends, OIL
by the local authorities of the District.
! Sec 4. And be it further enacted, Thatany
! INDECENT insane person who did not reside In
the District at the time he or she became in
sane, may in like manner as provided in the
second section of this act, be admitted into the
said hospital upon the application Of the cor
porate authorities of the city of Washington
or of Georgetown, and at the expense of either
of the said cities during the continuance ofsaid
insane person therein, it being hereby design.
/ cd TO give the superintendent thereof author
! ity TO take charge of such insane person unit
! tbe authorities aforesaid can discover who hi.
or her friends are or whence he or she came
with view to the return of such person L
such friends, or to the place of his or her resi-
debce. and thus relieve said corporate author
tiles of the expense and charge of said indigen
insane nonresident
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That
any person, charged with crime, be found, il
the court before which ne or she is SO charged
to he an insane person, such court shall certifl
the same to the Secretary of the Interior, VIII,
may order such person to be confined in saiC
hospital, and if he or she be not iudigent, h
or she and his or her estate shall be charged
with expenses of his or hersupport in said hos
pital.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That an,
person becoming insane during the continuanc
of his or her sentence in the United State
penitentiary, shall have the same privilege c
treatment in the hospital during the contin
uance of his or her mental disorder as is grant
ed in section five to persons who escape th
consequences of criminal acts by reason of in
sanity, unless it be the opinion. both of th
ph; sican to the peniteItiary and the superiu
tendent of the hospital, that such insane cor
vict is so depraved and furious in his or he
character as to render his or her custody in til
hospital insecure, and his or her example pei
! uieious.