Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-11-04

AhN"hN Asylum
The bin before tn legislature to connect
the inside Of a. with ihe outsidn
world. by means oi mini sion who arc TO
be addressed by the patient. through an un-
opened correspondence, s. one that most GER
tainly ought to become law. It is a pro.
lection Of sanity against unjust mcarcca-
, ton IN an asylum, and protection Of insan-
its against abuse and injustice Il is an
emiucntly wise and righteous measure. wouli
be an honor 70 cur stsfftc book. aud wr a.
imagine mo- one protesting against IT, unles.
with the purpose Of concealing wrongs and
outrages that ought to be published.
Mrs Packard, a lady who has gone through
great suffering IN an asylum. and maintained
her self-posseSion through 1t all, has de-
voted her life to this most merciful and
righteous object Of giving to the insane and
those confined in asylums, the kind protec-
ton Of law. n she were frantic bedlamite,
just escaped from an asylum. instead OF be-
ing a lady who has educated and supported
her family, aud commanded the utmost re-
spcct Of those who have known her best, the
protection she asks for the insane is reasona-
bic, right and Christian. Her cause is good.
Our own asylum has not been above the
breath Of suspicion Of wrong. It, condition
may be excellent. vet there are things which
have been said about IT, that are painful and
humliatiug to think Of.
\ few years ago a lady of Newbury, Mrs.
Charles Leet then unmarried, was placed 10
the Asylum at Bmtileboro, more for the
amelioation Of an insane tendency, aud a, a
preventive. than for the cure of a confirmed
mental alteration. She was q Young lady
Of excellence Of character and good personal
presence and habits. and not irrational ON
any topics. but in possession Of her com
seriousness and reason to such an extent that
she fully compreheuded her duties and her
rights She was one day ordered to 20
into the bath, after iom or five other pa.
tients had been washed and cleamscd in the
same water. She objected on the ground
OF personal cleanliness, to going into the
bath that had already been occupied 10y fv,
persons, until the water was changed
Thereupon the muscular Irish woman. who
was officiating a. attendant, took the larg,
bunch Of keys which She carried in hen
hand and struck the young lady into insensi
blity, and then plunged her, unconscious a
she was, into the nasty water. We submit
that there ought to be protection in sucl
cases. and some means of complaint and re
dress. Another young lady, who recovered
from her insanity, was put in cold weather
into a room without fire, and given only
straw bed and quilt as protection from tn
cold, and her uffariugs from this caus
were constant and terrible. We have theS
facts on the authority Of one Of the mem
bers Of the present legislature, the patien
in one case being his own niece. There ma,
be another side to these statements which
would modify them, but what the communit
desire to know, is NE other side. We wish t.
be satisfied that these stories, and other
like them, are either true or false. We wan
to know whether such gross and barbarou
things are done in this state, under thu
shadow Of our laws. Is there a class o
helpless persons, subject to all sorts Of in
dignities from the brutal attendants of tn,
Asylum, who have got to endure such bru
tally aud be allowed to make no com
plant? Is there not to be an ear opened Il
hear the cry Of the unprotected, or the cry Of
one whose protector turns into a brutal and
savage assailant ? This is all that is asked
that the State shall find an ear to hear anC
a hand to rectify such things. If Mrs
Packard is as "mdd" as ever the Apostl,
Paul was, her request isright, and the acton
she asks Of the Legislature is just. Great
bitter cries do not come up from our Asy
lum, year after year. without there is som'
cause for them. Even a child will cry i
the shoe pinches and it is the part of a mer
ciful state to provide for the help Of tn
helpless
1t is within q very short period that tw
persons have been released from the Asylum
by order Of the court, the knowledge Of who's
sanity became only incidentally known. Tn
bill which Mrs Packard urges and whcl
has passed into law in six other states, woul
protect innocent people from the wrongs t
which we have alluded