The New York herald., 1872-09-16
THE WARDS ISLAND HORROR
The Alleged Murder Of q Patient
in the Insane Asylum.
WAS He KICKED TO DEATH BY A KEEPER? =?
One Man Said to Have Been Guilty
of Three Murders.
A Number Of LunaticS Give Their TeS-
timOny Against Him.
Is Their Evidence Worth
Anything?
TIE ACCUSED DENIES HIS GUILT.
An Inquest To BE Held
To-Day.
Their Evidence Worth
Anything?
BE ACCUSED DENIES Els GUILT.
An Inquest To BE Held
To-Day.

To-Day.
On Friday man, by the name Of John n Ornell,
patient In the Wards Island Insane Asylum,
died. His death was very painful one He COM
planned during the few days previous to his death
OF having received injuries from one OF the keepers.
DR.. Escheveria, who IL resident physician at the
Asylum, attended the patient two days before his
death to take his ante-mOrtem statement.
Ornel then said to the Doctor that few days pre-
vious one Of the male nurses, named Thomas
Farrell, who was stationed as o keeper In war d
M, where the dying man was confined.
had assaulted him without prOvocation.
He gave q cjrcumstantal account Of the
assault, saying that while he was sitting in the
hall Farrell approached him and told him to give up
his seat. Ornen refused, and Farrell, he alleged,
Immediately set upon him. beating him over the
head and knocking him down. lie states the keeper
then, while he was on the f00r kicked him
in the stomach, on the chest and ON the head until
he was made perfectly insensible When he came
to himself he was in bed, and suffered from pains
all over, particularly in the intestines. He could
neither eat nor drink without great pain, and he
told the Doctor that he felt his end was approach
ing and he wished to expose the man who killed
him.
DR.. Escheveria took down all these depositions Of
the dying man and cxerted al his skill to save him.
He recognized from the first that the patient Ornen
was suffering from internal injuries which were
mortal. He looked at his body and found marks of
blows and abrasons on the stomach, tho abdomen
and the chest Of the patient, which looked as II
they had been inflicted with blunt Instrument,
such as boot. Two days after the man died, and
DR.. Escheveria notified Farrell that he must con-
slider himself under arrest. On Saturday morning
the Doctor took Farrell before Justice McQuade at
Harlem. .'
PROCEEDINGS BEFORE JUSTICE M'QuADE.
DR.. Escheveria then and there made formal CON-
plant against Farrell, and accompanied the CON-
plaint with afldavit In this document he stated
that he truly believed Farrell to have been the mur-
derer Of Ornell. He stated what he claimed were
the facts Of the case as he had found them-the
assault, the injuries and the death. On the state
ment In the afidavit Justice McQuade committed
the prisoner to await the action OF the Coroner.
He was then locked up in the prison attached to
the Harlem Court House.
ANOTHER CASE.
When the Doctor got back to the asylum he found
another patient In ward M desiring his services.
This was Horatio Seymour, a colored lunatic. He
was In bed in Q very weak condition, and evidently
suffering TSii Severe pains Ths man also stated
that lie was victim Of Farrell's brutality. His
story was that Farrell had assaulted him without
cause or provocation, and had beaten and kicked
him all over the body. Just as soon as Seymour
had finished his story he began raving In an inco-
herent manner. The Doctor examined his body
and found marks OF brutality upon his abdomen,
the skin had been raised by blow, and his cheek
also showed mark as II from fist. The Doctor,
surprised at this second revelation, inquired among
the inmates OF the ward as to the circumstances Of
the case. Several OF the patients, men whose story
lsworthy of credit they sane save on all points
but some hobby which possesses them, bear out
the testimony OF Ornell and Seymour. They said
or 9df e @ ha e e po
In brutal manner. few days before they al
legged that Farrell had attacked Ornell, and had
baaten and kicked him In an outrageous manner.
The next day he had done the same with Seymour,
and In both cases without being attacked himself.
ing the patients and ordering them about In a
tyrannlca a. manner, SO much So that & al the people
themselves In danger OF his brutality.
WHAT THE KEErERs SAY.
In the ward two attendants were on duty be-
hand, wto has long borne good record in the
Asylum, and one Mclaughlin, new man, but con-
Ayun Both these were
by Or, Eschcvena, and they both united In saying
that they had never witnessed Farrell acting In
brutal manner towards the men who complained of
him or to any Others They said they were present
when the assault is said to have taken place upon
way. In fact they both unite In saying that Far
rell Is good man and was never guilty OF any
excupae r Farrell rel om any 6a%e it eaas to ts
supposition that they must either he accomplices
OF the alleged murderer or else nc must be free
from blame No such assault as is alleged could
possibly have taken place in the ward and they
present and not know OF 1t.
ORNELL AND SEYMOUR.
On the other hand, again, both the dead patient
and the dying one are known to have been very
quiet people, and previous to the last week to have
been in very good health. Ornel particularly was
advancing rapidly towards cure, and 1t was intended
to have let him out ol the Asylum within the next
favorable condition as Ornell, had never been
known as an unruy patient. On the contrary, he
retire into the a Ths the 10
position that they injured themselves and then &C
cused Farrell almost incredible.
FARRELLs STORY.
Thomas Farrell, who Is accused OF all these afro
Cities Is rather thick-set, pleasant featured man
OF medium stature. lie has no hardened look about
his face and deports himself very indinercntly In
spite OF the accusations he labors under. He en-
tered the Asylum as an attendant or nurse on July
90 80 that ne has been little over SIX weeks In his
position. lie treats the matter Of the murder
somewhat derisively, and pronounces the whole
there is proof against him except the testimony
OF lunatcs, whose oaths are vaueless before q
SopTt Of ina, are are constantly In the
1t attempt to lay 1t on the Keepers He denies ever
having struck any patient In the Asylum or ever
having mad the slightest dispute with any Of them
He does not believe he can be convicted, and seems
TO take considerable satisfaction In the thought
that the lunatics' evidence will 20 for naught.
Unfortunately for Farrell another case comes up
which he, no doubt, believes has been hushed for
ever. The HERALD reporter asked the warden
Mr.. Burke, yesterday. In what ward one Charles
Rusch had been confined during his stay in the
Asylum Mr.. Burke after looking over the books
stated It was In ward No. = tFarrell's ward. The
facts OF this case are interesting In conjunction
with the present charges against Farrell Charles
Wards Island since the LIST Of April last. He had
temporary fts OF insanity, which showed them
OF August his wife succeeded in getting him
out on three months pass after which time
his leave OF absence expired unless II was found
he went to Central Park with his relatives, and
there complained Of severe pains In the SIDE
When asked the cause he said that while on Wards
Island he had been dreadfuly treated by Of the
Keepers, end that the pains In the side were the
result OF blows received. Rusch, though suffering.
MONDAY morning he wont down 10 the cellar Qf hts