The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-06-25

t.Hf
charter thereby repealed. Preciseiy'
what effect in law this Legislation VIII
have we cannot undertake to say Y
is obvious gross injustice has been done
this CITY; and we shall be glad to see
the bill now before the House become a
law. in order that the city may try to
find remedy for her wrongs.
-S---------
REPORT OF JOINT COMMITTEE
Appointed TO Investigate the Affairs
Of me West yrginia Hospital for
the Insane.
The Committee appointed under
Joint Resolution No. 5, of the last ses-
sion, and under Joint Resolution No.
%, of the same session, authorized TO
sit during the recess of the Legislature,
TO investigate the affairs OF the West
Virginia Hospital for the Insane, re-
specially submit the following report (:
Pursuant to notice duly published in
all the leading papers of the State, the
Committee met at the Hospital for the
Insane, on Wednesday, the 9th day OF
menced the work of investigation.
Mr.. p. NJ. Hale, the author of the
"Hale Pamphlet" was present with his
attorney to assist the Committee, while
DIR. r. Hills, Medical Superintendent,
and the Board of Directors. consisting
of j. @. McGrew. d. D. z: Farnsworth,
ID. NJ. Bailey, Nathan God, Jacob Horn
brook and DR.. Shaw were also present
and demanded that charges against
them be filed that they might be In
formed as to what they should DO called
upon TO answer. an.
Mr.. Hale refused 10 make charges
against the Medical Superintendent or
the Board, but In lieu thereof filed the
following interrogatories, together with
the names of the witnesses by which
he expected to prove the charges by
inuendo contained in them; these were
| in substance MS follows: -, "a.
1st. That DR.. Hills had been absent
from the hospital frequently for sever
al days at time, upon business not
connected with the asylum, and lelt me
patients, without proper medical at
tendance. That the stencil and filth,
caused by negligence of attendants, in
| the patients rooms was intolerable. lf.
I'd. Patients treated with cruelty; fed
with putrid, rotten meats, covered with
ganErenes; that fights among them
were frequent; that they had been mer-
cilessly beaten and cruelty treated by
attendants; escapes from the hospital
had been frequent; that one patient
afflicted with gravel had been found
dead upon the floor. by reason of the
neglect from attendants; that one OF the
patients had his collar-b bone broken by
reason of the cruelty and violence OF
| officers, under control of the SRperin-
tendent; that they had been knocked
down, stamped in the face and other-
| wise beaten and bruised; that they have
1 cruelty and causelessly suffered in
winter from cold, by neglect of the Su-
perintendent; that they were compelled
10 60 without shoes and stockings in
i La IA nj NEyTO that fhnU
| did not receive wholesome and regular
food; that male attendants have been
/ allowed improper access to the female
patients; that they accompanied
them TO the woods after chestnutE
+ and berries; that Laura ChiIders, a fe'
male patient, became pregnant while
in the Asylum, and that when DR.
Hills learned her condition, without
authority of law, sent said patient from
the hospital, and that afterwards she
was delivered of a bastard child: that
. DIR. Hills retained Perry Fetty in his
employ after IL was known to him that
Perry Fetty was the father of the child;
that, with references to said affairs, Dr.
Hills was to Blanc and dishonesty
tried to conceal and cover it uPi that
patients regularly committed to the
} hospital, through the negligence of DR.,
Hills, are now at large with no enorl
made for their capture; that barrel Of
I moIasses had been emptled upon the
J floor by Il, dog fight, and the molasset
/ afterwards taken up and fed to tho pa
tents without straining, and thai
amer n dog and persons had walked
] through Il; that offensive and rancid
butter and other grease were melted uI
and used by the patients for food; thai
, the insane who died in the hospital
were burIeClin a place In the Asylum
grounds which is nuisance to neigh
bors, destroying their springs ofwateri
and Will have to be removed under the
laws regulating nuisances; that luna
tics were buried in the open field
without any marks to designate their
graves; that they were SO shallow as TO
become offensive; that hogs rooted
| at will; that DIR. Hills employed DR..
Barnes 10 attend patients in his alb
/ sence, and aTterward paid him out of the
| ASYLUM funds; that DIR. Hills was in
the habit of getting parties to sign re-
ceipts in blank. and then filling them
up himself; that he permitted meat
purchased to spoil; that a1arge sum OF
money was diverted by him from the
construction fund TO other purposes,
contrary to law; that patients have
been improperly refused admittance to
the Asylum; that the death of Mrs.
| Flanagan, n lunatic. was hastened by
such refusal; lumber of superior
4
wasted in building barn, COW pens,
chicken. coops, fences, &c.; that DIR!
Hills used up lumber, erected build
ings in places unsuitable and without
authority of the Board of Directors;
that he also used large quantities of
stone, cut and prepared for the hospi-
tai, in the erection of the barn; that
the saw-mill was placed exclusively,
under the control of DIR. Hills, and that
afterwards he failed and refused to fur
nish sufficient lumber to keep the hands
employed on the Hospital at work. that
he also failed to furnish water as he
had agreed; that the Superintendent,
DIR. Hills, refused TO cooperate with p.
NJ. Hale, one OF the Board, and thus
retarded the work; that DR.. Hills repre-
scented that the heating apparatus
would cost only $4,000. when after
wards it actually cost Sn GOO; that the
er," purchased by DR., Hills, at an exs
Pense OF 81 500, did prove TO be entirely
worthless. iass- lsta1 }Fi4tI
These are the substance of the inter
rogatories, besides which the Commit
tee proceeded to inquire into every MAJ
terial charge or allegation ofthe HALE
Pamphlep so called, together with
divers charges contained in news
papers, that DIR. Hills was furnishing
supplies and material belonging to the
Hospital to the Methodist Parsonage in
Weston. -issgt - -.lFi3 -l5E
The Committee examined first, by
personal inspection, the grounds, the
buildings, the work done, and the ma
terial furnished and used. They also
visited the ward rooms, and other
apartments OF the Hospital. ma lGsl
They then summoned and examined
| dGty.eight witnesses, whose testimony
i Vyaa reduced to writing and cnynTa