Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-07-18

should he conclusive proof of the fact
Under this statue the court appointed
DIR. Rockwell, Sen, the superintendent
of the asylum, medical examiner, and
continued him in that office during the
remainder of his superintendency. This
appointment, as might be naturally ex-
pected, opened the door for fraud and
chicanery, upon tho part Of some of the
officers OF the institution, At Burling.
ton in Joseph A. Stockton. a
person confined in the asylum, as insane,
was brought before Judge Pierpoint on
writ of hdbeas corpus, and at that hear
ing William Rockwell, Jr., on behalf of
the asylum, produced what purported
to be the original certificate of DIR. Rock
well, SEN, certifying to Stockton's in
sanity, which paper was dated, as of the
date of Stockton's admission as patient /;
and claimed through counsel that the
certificate under the statue of 1855 was
bar to further proceedings. Judge
Pierpoint so held and recommitted Stock.
ton without any examination as to his
sanity or insanity. Stockton, being a
citizen of another State, applied to the
United States Courts for relief, which
was afforded him and he was discharged.
DIR. William Rockwell, Jr., in his testi-
mony before the committee, admitted
that he dated the certificate back thai
II was copy; that the original was not
in his possession; and that in fact he
never, to bis knowledge, had seen the
original, and that this paper ON which
Stockton was recommitted was made
after he (Stockton) had escaped from the
asylum. We deem the foregoing fact
sufficient commentary ON the statue OF
1855. We believe that legislation look
ing to the guarding of persons agains,
improper commitment to the asylum,
should be had and would suggest some
thing like the law in Massachusetts pro-
viding in substance that no person resi-
dent in this State, except only such as
shall be brought by virtue of the certifi-
cate of Court of Record, and under
seal, shall be admitted as patient, with
out the certificate of two physicians, one
of whom shall be the patients family
physician, and further, that said certii
cate shall not be received without the ad-
ditional certificate of justice of the
peace. that the physicians signing such
certificate are physicians in good and reg
ular standing, and that medical exam
liners be elected by the Legislature to ex-
anime all persons brought from other
States for admission as patients in said
asyl lum.
We are satisfied persons have been ad-
mitted to said asylum who were not in
sane, who we're admitted on the certifi-
cate of single physician hence the
necessity of some law for guarding and
protecting the rights of sane persons.
Your committee find that the supplies
of food at the institution are sufficient in
quantity and quality, and we are unani
nous in the opinion that the food is we'll
cooked and properly served.
AT the time your committee visited the
asylums at Northampton and Concord,
they were accompanied by the superin-
tendent of the Vermont Asylum and
his attorney. From thorough exami-
nation of those institutions we are con-
frmed in our opinion that the modern
improvements have not yet been adopt.
ed in the Vermont Asylum, but we found
on our visit on the Oath of June that ex-
tensive changes are being made. Two
additional wings ale in process of erec-
ton, each 35x90, one of which when
completed will be three stories and the
other four stories high. These wings.
we were informed, would give one hun
dred and twenty additional rooms for
patients, each room being 8x10, ana nine
feet studding. Each room will be fur
nished with two fues for the reception
of pure air and the expulsion of foul air,
and it is proposed to warm the entire
new and old, with steam, and
ventilate them by the most modern of
apparatus-the fan. When
the new buildings are completed, the
officers propose to remove all the pa
tients now in underground apartments
to more pleasant and comfortable quar-
ters above ground. These changes and
have been in progress
since the appointment of DIR. Draper,
of the instution. DIR.
Draper was appointed upon the resigna-
ton of DIR. William Rockwell, Jr, and
took charge of the institution in Febru-
ary last.
Your committee were shown the rec.
ord of a vote in 1862, by which the
trustees voted to put in steam heating
apparatus at that time, but the fire OF
that year prevented the carrying out o
the vote at that time.
We feel that we cannot conscientious
y close this report without earnestly
recommending the erection of State
asylum, to be under the watchful eve of
The good people of this State, that pri-
vate Interests cannot in any way in
iuence the conduct and actions of the
officers of the institution, and that the
objects and end Of such charitable in.
may be fully and efectually
carried out, and this class of unfortunate
beings receive Gas they properly should
The tenderest care. Nearly all of the
older States, and very many of the new
States, have such institutions. Our pride
ought TO join hands with our sympathies
n this matter, and impel US to the con-
'traction of an institution in which we
night feel the just qualification which
Massachusetts, people may we'll feel in
he contemplation of the asylum AT
Northampton.
AT the time of our last visit TO the
isylum, we found the whole number of
patients in the asylum was 476, of which
humber about so we're State poor, 200