The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-15
West Va. Lunatic Asylum
MORE REVELATIONS
ORcial Corruption and I'm.
... competency!
Shameful Treatment of Patients
The estate PandemoniuIn -


discussion in regard to the West Vir-
ginia Hospital for the Insane.
1t has been claimed that the grossest
immortality was prevalent within the
walls Of the institution; that the pa
tients have been neglected, starved, and
otherwise maltrested; that DR.. Hills, the
Medical Superintendent, has been more
actively engaged in his own personal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT than in promoting the
welfare of the unfortunates committed
To his care. and that the Board of Di-
rectOrs have, by Bullying and intrigue
aud corruption, been led TO support the
Doctor in all his doings and in all his
designs,
Now these are grave charges, involy
ing not only the expenditure of 4 large
amount of the public money, and the
personal character OF the parties impli-
Gated, but above and beyond all that,
the welfare of the insane.
Will you allow me, very briefly, to
tell the public what | know about the
matterf
First, in regard to the financial ad-
ministration of DIR. Hills:
A considerable sum of money is ap-
propriated annually by the Legislature
to meet the necessary current expenses
of the Institution. Over this money DR..
Hills has entire control, and venture
to say that not one single individual
connected with the public service, ex-
cepting the Doctor himself, knows how
| h., - axnantn1 III lr
| ask the Board of Directors ifDr. Hills ac-
counts were really audited, or, if any
means have ever been used To verify the
reported expenditures. The Board may
be composed Of honorable mon, but it is
no uncommon thing for honest men to
allow their names to be used as q shell
ter, behind which unprincipled scoun-
drels may rob the public with impu-
nifty.
/ DIR. Hills is remarkably pious indi-
vidual, 80 deeply interested in the
Church that when a new parsonage was
being erectedin the town of Weston, he
not only gave his own time and money
but also the property of the State to
aid in its erection. He kept the saw
mill attached 10 the Asylum building
busily at work, gratis, cutting up lum-
Der for the parsonage, wEile the car
penters employed to work on the Asy-
| lum were idle for the want of material.
In short, the State Treasury, as far as
it was under the control of DR.. Hill, was
freely drawn upon to provide labor aud
material for the new parsonage erected
last summer in the town of Weston. OF
course, the advancement of religion is a
lsudable object, and we'll worthy of all
honest support, but il might well be
questioned If DR.. Hills had any author
iity, in law or in morals, for donating the
property Of the State to any religious
dcnominatI,n.
/ Every one aIuuud Weston has heard
of the Great BoIaG- Shell Boiler, but for
the benefit of the public generally, al
low me to give brief sketch of ITS his
tory.
The Asylum is heated by means of
steam pipes communicating with large
boilers where the steam is generated.
When the section lately completed was
in course of construction, of course it
became necessary to provide mere ex-
tensive heating apparatus. Under
these circumstances DR.. Hills urged the
purchase of the Great Bomb-Shell Boil
er, declaring that he would be person
ally responsible for its pre-eminent eff
cheney The G.. B. 5. b. was according
ly purchased by DR.. Hills, at an expense
4 of over $1,000, aud when winter set in
and artificial heat became necessary,
the G. B. ). B. was found IL be entirely
useless, so much so, that the ordinary
heating stoves had TO be used to keep
the Datients from freezing
The furniture necessary for the new
addition is being made, under the Doc
ter's orders; the bedsteadI at an ex-
pense of sl2 piece, although several
responsible cabinet makers offered TO
surply precisely the same qdality of
material and workmanship for 81 q
piece. This upon the requisite number,
(abOnt 1907 makes difference of about
500.
A fine farm is attached to the Asylum
and is, of course, under the Doctors
management. Let us see how he has
distinguished himself as an agricul-
turlst.
Upon this farm he employs from four
to five men all the year round, and hires
ont the ploughing. Upon this fine pro-
ductiye farm, with such an amount OF
labor, there were raised. last season 100
bushels potatoes, 300 bushels corn, a
few heads of cabbage, and a little
sorghum. This last, (the sorshum) was
nearly all spoiled beforeit could be con-
verted into molasses. notwithstanding
the fact that four to five men were EN-
ployed as farm laborers.
In regard TO the internal management
of the Asylum allow me TO submit a
few facts out of the many at my dispO-
sal. There is no classification of the
patients whatever. They are huddled
together Unfortunately, the danger
Gus and the helpless, the morally re-
sponsible and the morally irresponsible.
Allow me here TO instance two cases out
of the many similar ones, in order 10
illustrate the miseries of this State pan
demopium / shall not give the names
of the parties as have no wish TO in
crease, by extended publicity. the uu-
happiness of those families who
have already suffered so deeply.
Some time sgo young woman, par
TALLY insane, was cosfided TO DR.. Hills
care. She was seduced by one of the
attendants. The Doctor, on being made
! aware of the circumstance, by some
means best known to himself, persuaded
her parents to take her home, private
: ", where she gave birth TO an illegiti-
mate child.
The next case is THAI Of 3 poor feeble
plale patient, who was put in the same
room with dangerous raying maniac.
Next morning the poor creature was
found to be so frightfully torn and
bruised and mangled that DR.. Hills sent
, him home to die, not wishing perhaps
10 put the State to the expense of bury
ing him.
There are some wards that the Doctor
does not visit twice in six weeks, where
the patients are crowded together il
filth and wretchedness unspeakablei
, where, to use the words of an eye wit
ness, "the stencil is enough to kill dog.
There are many of the patients una
ble to take care of themselves. They
are only proyidad with a chance OF