The New York herald., 1872-10-12
ANOTHER WARDS ISLAND HORROR.
The Case OF Amalia Kleiber, q Newly
Arrived Emigrant.
War She Done to Death HThe Coronsr Refuses
y Take an Ante-Mortem statement-A Mid
wife Eaid To Be Guilty Of Terrible
Cruelty = What the Warden
4 and the Doctors Say.

The case OF Amalia Kleiber, taken In connection
with the recent exposures OF cruelty on Wards
Island lately, excited some interest yesterday II
was reported In yesterdays HERALD that this
young woman had expressed desire to make an
ante-m0rtem statement OF cruelties to which she
had been subjected lately, and that Warden Welles,
OF the Wards Island Institutions under the dircc-
tlon or the Commissioners Of Emigration, had sent
for the Coroner to take the deposition. HERALD
reporter called at the Coroners office yesterday to
ascertain the facts in the case but there the mat
ter seems to have created no interest. The COro-
ners clerk said that the Coroner was bound to
take no cognizance OF any matter OF this kind
unless It came from the physician In charge, and
that the Warden had no power whatever to call IN
the Coroner In matter OF this kind. me coroner,
NO NOTICE OF THE APPLICATION,
and would leave the responsibility OF the case
upon the parties to whom 1t belonged, especially,
he stated. as the late differences between DIR.
Reidel and the Warden made this look like put
The HERALD reporter, therefore, started for
Wards Island quite familiar route since the late
developments regarding the two insane asylums
upon the island. The reporter saw Mr. Welles In
the ONCE OF the Emigration Commissioners aud
had the following Interview
REPoRTER-Will you inform me OF the facts OF the
case OF Amalia Kleiber and why you sent for the
Coroner to take the ante mortem deposition 0. the
Warden wELLEs-I can give you no information
In the case until the Coroner arrives to take the
REPoRTER-But understand the Coroner has re-
fused to take any notice OF your application.
Warden WELLEs-Then my responsibility is at
an end. have sent
STATEMENT or THE CASE
to the commissioners OF emigration, and they VIII
obliged to refuse you. ! viii say nothing what
ever of the case until some official action Is taken
upon II.
DR.. Devyer was present during the conversation,
and also refused to say anything about 1t. The mir
OF mystery which seemed'to cling around 1t only
made the facts look more suspicious. DR.. Dcvyer
seemed willing to make statement, but the War
den imposed silence upon him. In the meantime
DR.. Essrofer came into the room, and when the
Warden had left he told the reporter the following
A few weeks ago the woman Amelia Kleiber, who
is about thirty-ive years OF age and an emgrant,
who had been in the country about one year, was
afterwards gave birth to child. During her
accouc7ement the regular physician, Dr.. Ford, was
woman got over 1t very well and was rapidly i'm
proving and was transferred to the ward under the
Of Dr. EssrSfr a Here she ~ to DO
Of bed while the nurses were away. This impru-
dence was Immediately succeeded by dysentery,
under which she has been rapidly sinking ever
since and is now In danger OF death. On Wcdnes-
day Clergyman was sent her-Mr. Schmidt-to
whom she made the statement that when she was
in labor pains and about to give birth to her child
she called upon the midwife to assist her, but that
but went on snoring in the bed beside her. She
was thus left for two hours without any assistance
woman attributes her death She says
that she has peritonitis and this is the
cause OF her sinking. She denied that II she dies
anything but this will be the cause OF her death.
On the other hand the tour physicans-Drs
Reidel, Essrofer, Ford and Dveyer-positvely state
that the woman has shown no SYMPTOMS Of any
neglect, but that her dccoucheme,t was quite sue
cesslul: they ask and very Justly why she ala
three weeks to do II. She reiterated her state
ment yesterday to the Deputy Warden Colonel
Krebhl. Mr. Welles, though dsbeieving her state
ment. thought 1t wise to send for the Coroner that
no msstatements might be made after the death
OF the woman. The anta2Onism between Mr.. Welles
and Dr.. Reide has nothing to do with this case at
all
wards OF the Lylng-in Hospital They appeared to
be kept in O fine condition OF cleanliness. The re-
porter saw the midwife who Oiliciated ut the
dcconchement She is pleasantfaced young
woman, and
SHE sToUTLY DENIED
that she hesitated a moment to give the desired
cases had happened in the hospital and that she
was worn out at the time, but she nevertheless
responded Immediately to the summons. 1t was
case OF very tedious labor, and she at the bed
side OF the woman throughout. Yesterday Amelia
Kleiber was no worse than on the day before, and
there are yet hopes OF her ultimate recovery. This
management OF our public institutions, about
which so many cases OF mismanagement have been
lately reported If the woman's story be
true (and IT seems singular that she should
make such charges without cause. The late alleged
cruclties OF Farrell and Others sink to insignih-
cance before the terrible brutality which would
leave woman helpless in such critical condition.
THE CASE DEMANDS INVESTIGATION,
and as the statement OF 1t has already been sent to
the commissioners OF Emigration, 1t is to be hoped
that they will Immediately take action in the mat
ter and exonerate from suspicion the doctors of
the hospital and the woman who is accused Of SO
fearful piece OF cruelty If there is nothing in the
case. II, on the other hand, the charges are true,
no punishment can be too great