The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-04

the fire, as Inc services were neIu dlIer tAe
suppression OF the flames.
MISERIES OF A M4DHOUSE.
The Experience OF an Amateur Lunattc
at h BInghnmpton Asylum.
For several months the management oil The
| Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum has been under
| fire. The last attack being OF a novel Kind.
| Certain stories of abuse and cruelty told ny
discharged patients and attendants were
eagerly caught up ard paraded in the news
papers, to the great discredit OF the asylum.
Those concerned in Its government maintain
ed that lis history and affairs would bear The
! most searching Investigation, that all proper
precautions were taken 10 prevent the use OF
the asylum for any other than legitimate and
humane purposes, and that the reports 10 its
prejudice were prompted by delnsion or
by malice. Stimulated by the excitement OF
| these irresponsible revelations, the managers
of the New York Tribune sent their own de-
| tective 10 work up q case against The Bloom
iDgdlle Asylum.
The method was substantially that adopted
| by Mr.. Greenwood, of London. the "Amateur
| Casual 10 ascertain the condition OF The Eng
lIsh warehouses;. A reporter was directed by
| written instructions 10 leigh insanity, and, II
| possible, get himself committed 10 the asylum
ior treatment. The purpose was, drst, TO test
the medical aud scientific knowledge OF insan.
ity possessed by regular physicians and ex-
perts at the asylum; second, to test the nature
of The law OF commitment and the manner OF
It's execution, and then to make personal ex-
animation of the condition OF the asylum and
the method of treating patients. 10 accom-
plIsh these ends, elaborate Instructions were
given the amateur lunatic, which appear to
have been followed with remarkable fidelity.
Having learned his lesson aud perfected MS
arrangements he went TO the Central trand
Hotel or the evening Of the 18th instant, rsGIs-
he began showing symptoms OF
uneernegs and alteration OF mind. the nall
BOYS and. walters soon suspected tnat ne was
not right. A friend called upon him, py ar
rangement, whom he refused 70 recognize.
The servants intimated that. the man was
crazy. The friend, after aconsulta.ion at the
office, hunted upa physician, who. from O de-
scriptIon of the circumstances thought the
man must be drunk or drugged. He visited
him, and prescribed brandy and peppermint,
which the patient threw out OF the window.
He then took the patient to his ofdce Tor
greater security, and afterwards 10 MS mousse.
treating him with constant attention and KIND
ness, In spite of his lunatic freaks and DISCUSSES.
| Meantime the friend and an uncle, also In the
conspiracy, consulted another physician, who
| refused to consult with the frat on the ground
| that he was 81 irregular practitioner. The
Irregular was at ance discharged, and the
| patient brought TO Dr.. Locxrow's office. The
| doctor studied the case for an hour or
| more, the patient all the time playing his part
| with energy, aud came to the conclusion that
ft was some species of cranial disorder, and
| advised that lie be taken to- the La Pierre
House and put in charge Of q professional
male nurse for the night. II he became worse
the doctor said 1t would be advisable to place
him temporarily In B!oominSdale Asyi9m
The ~patle1t's uncae consented TO this, If after
consultation with o competent surgeon lt
should appear that he was really Insane. 1t
was four o'clock In the afternoon when the
patien, arrived at the hotel; q nurse was OBJ
tanned, who, with the physician. had charge OF
the man. during the night. Soon after the
physician left, the patient became violent, the
nurse was frightened, the guests OF tho
hotel were alarmed, aud until morning
his cOnduct was such that nobody III
the house doubted that the "poor young
sImann was mad. When morning came the
physician heard the nurses story, watched the
patient still further, called IN another consult
| ing physician. and at last Informed the friends
that his mind was unsettled anu tnas u
| would be better 10 q X HIM to Bloomlngdaie
| or elsewhere. The friends, with the " doc.
tors, went to the Jefferson Market POLICE
| court, where the ply siclans subscribed 10 an
/ affidavit that the man was insane, the pa
| TENTS uncle said he wished to have him COM
mitted to BloominSdale Asylum, and Police
Justice Cox, without making Inquiries oil these
parties, all of whom We're strangers to him,
rave his clerk directions TO make out the
| commitment, which he signed, without seeing
line patient at all. 1t ID one of the regulations
| of the asylum that no patient shall be Received
wItheut = permit from one OF The asylum COM
miltees. lG the morning OF the day. when
| Justice Cox issued his order OF commitment
the uncle of the patient called on a mem,
renuire satisfaction on two points: Hrst,
na1ment of board for thirteen weeks IN
| advance at twenty dollars q week, and
secondly in regard to the patients con-
| iiIIop. He did not care to see him, but
| would like to converse with his physician.
By skiliul management on the part OF Tue
patient aud his '.friends,n he contrlVed to get
admission Without compliance WIN the st5ict
rules of the asylum. And this Is the emu oi
the story, so far as it Is yet told by the re-
porter. The editors soy the reporter was con-
fined four days In the ward Tor violent
patients, when, showing signs OF Improve
ment, according 10 Instructions, he was re-
moved to another. Last SATURDAY application
for q habeas corpus In his behalf was made TO
one of the Judges of the Supreme Court by a
member OF the bar. The reporter had been
informed that this would be done, but had
been instructed to refuse a discharge. The
haoeas corpus was made relurnable Monday.
But the authorities of the asylum hearing OF
It tho reporter was examined by the superin-
tendent, whose experience enabled him to
detect quickly that the patient wss sane, and
on Monday, at the solicitation of the physician
and the legal adviser of the asylum, consent
was gwen that he should be released without
further legal proceedings.
The scheme was a conspiracy on the part OF
the reporter and his employers to impose
! non the management of the asylum In order
" cot ,,me information that could be nsea
ogainst them. The testimony Q. a witness
mnder snch circumstances needs TO De corroo'
grated to be admissible. Taking the report,
or;s story as iL stands, it shows that medlcal
men not specially practioed IN the treatment
If insanity are not entirely competent 10
swear away a mans wits, and certainly
thar New York police justices have a free ana
easv Way OF consigning people on insufficient
| evidencs to- the madhouse.