St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-07-18
The Vermont Insane Asylum.

The Vermont Insane Asylum.
REPORT OF THE INVESTIGATING COM
MITTEE.
The newspapers ont of the state-and
some in the state have had genuine
sensation the past week. The report
of the joint committee to whom the last
/ Legislature referred the duty of inves-
/ tigating into the management of the
at BrattlehWO. has been made public.
On readers will remember that grave
charges had been made against the
management of this institution. and
these were of such Il character that the
/ Legislature thought best to investigate.
| Geo. \. Ballard of Franklin county, and
| Calvin Morrill, of Caledonia, We're the
committee on the part of the Senate,
and Hugh Henry of Chester, G.. W.
Randall of Waterbury, and l.. :. Thomp-
son of Irashurg, the committee on the
part of the House.
This committee visited the ASYLUM
on three several times and for the pur-
poses of comparison they also visited
kindred institutions in New Hampshire
and Massachusetts so it would seem
that they had taken some pains to in
form themselves and to Judge dispas-
siomately. They took much testimony.
are left to infer that it was from pres
ent or former inmates. The committee
were surprised at the very outset of
their labOrs, to learn "that the Asylum
was not the property of the state, but Il
private corporation that it was found
ed on IL Request of Mrs. Anna Marsh of
llinsdalc, n. H., in 1894. who left the
sum 81 zen Thousand dollars in trust for
the purpose. The same year the Legis
Vermont Asylum for the Insane" and
the next year voted ten thousand dol
lars to it and during the next few
years ut different times voted thirteen
thousand dollars more to the same OBJ
icct, making 81, 900 III all. The pres
ent value of the property as estimated
/ by Gov. Holhrook. one of the trustees,
is S500,OOO. Your committee estimated
it ut very considerable excess of that
amount. The interest of the state in
this vast property is simply that by the
acts of 1910 and 1913. if it ceases to he
an Insane Asylum the state have a lien
upon it for the security of the twenty
three thousand dollars heretofore in
vested. The property is owned by =;
private corporations.
The Asylum being a private institu
ton. its trustees refused to recogniZ,
any authority in the Legislative com
mittee. yet gave them free access to the
building and to the inspection of tn,
papers and records.
We found the number of patients ii
the asylum to he -four hundred an,
eighty tive-a number. as the commit
tee believe. and rs the officers of tn,
institution admit in their testimony, IA
too large for the capacity of the build
ings comfortably to provide; in thi
: view. your committee is sustained 10y
the testimony of Commissioner Billiard
who fixes three hundred patients as the
maximum number which (the) ASYLUM
could accommodate. About seventy
= five of the patients We're, at the time q
our visit. confined in under groun,
apartments which were damp, unwhole
some. and entirely unfit for occupation
10y human beings. The sleeping apart
ments of this underground portion wer
small lily ventilated. warmed an,
lighted. The sleeping apartments o
the males being altogether too small
l while some of those in the female war,
: were only nine feet in depth by four il
width, and eight in height, openin,
into Il narrow hall, and ventilated onl,
hy eight two inch augur holes bore,
: through the door. About midway O
| the length of one of these lower wards
: and at the end of another ward and a
the side are sinks which receive tn,
urine and Stops from above. and at al
; seasons of the year must impart un
, wholesome OdOrS. TN the occasion q
our first visit, although diSinfectant
had been freely used. your committee
found the Odors extremely unpleasant
The officers of the institution offer a
an excuse for combining patients in thi
unwholesomc manner that. at the tim
the asylum WAS built. il was common
to use under ground apartments 70
confinement of patients: and DR.. Ban
croft of the New Hampshire Asylum
: informed us that a portion of tina
asylum was so built, but had not bee
used for any such purpose for man
wears past. We believe the contne
ment of any person, sane or insane. i
, these under ground apartments to b
, cruel. and that the officers and EN-
ployees of the institution should b
prohibited under heavy penalties frol
l hereafter placing any insane person i
t these apartments.
e The committee also complains tina
t at the time of their first visit, the asy
lum was inadequately warmed an
: ventilated that there were few pi,
II lures on the walls; that the ground
e We're not decorated with shrubs; tha
: there was no provision made for til