The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-10
NDIANA'S INSANE.
TWO HOURS IN THE ASYLUM.
The Home of Potentates in their
I'll Own Estimation.

HOW THE INSANE ARE CARED FOR
'scANsT THOU NOT MINISTER TO A MIN DIS
~EAsED"-THE INDIANA INSANE HOSPITAL
A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
A TROLL THROUGH THE WARDS-soME OF
THE CHARACTERS IN HEM-MRs. JUDGE
wHEADoN's CASE.
There ia with nearly all the people a feel
ing of superstition or at least awe on enter
ing an insane asylum. With that feeling
a Sentinel reporter went through the State
ASYLUM east of the city q few days since. 1t
vas during the morning that the visit was
made, and as visitors are not allowed only
between the hours of 2 and 3 in the after
noon, the institution was seen in its oIdi-
nary condition. Under the care of DR.. VIM.
j. Elstun the Sentinel representative ram
bled through one of the largest buildings of
the kind in the United States. The original
building was but about One-iOurth as large
as the entire structure at the present time.
but during the past four or five years addi-
tiOns and wings have been erected, until
now the old building is but a head center.
From the northern To the southern limit the
length il go feet, giving a front to the east
of that dimension. The width is variable.
the old building in the center running back
about $50 feet. There are, including the
rooms occupied by the.ofiicers and employees,
one hundred in number, six hundred rooms,
and when the extreme wings are ready for
NAaN . 10 AAANJ
modated. One other new feature Is
THE EXTENSIVE LIBRARY
purchased recently by the order ofthe State,
containing about 1000 volumes OF
the best works, selected by Su-.
perintendent Evsrts. They have not
as vet been used. but as soor as they can be
catalogued the patients viii be allowed the
priviledge OF reading such as their stage of
insanity will permit. Passing through the
first ball into which the doors OF the library
and offices open, and up the north
ern side, which is the male side,
stairway came the ward where the GONZALES
cents were. To this ward are those whose
next change will DO to saneness and TO go
home. The wards are so graded IN both the
male and female wings of the building, be-
ing seven grades. In the seventh are the
worst cases, and as they improve TIL are
moved from one ward To another, until they
reach this convalescents ward. In this
ward there were about fifty patients, and IL
was hard to see by the faces of some that
they were not sane. In the next ward the
actions and looks ofthe inmates were more
like what would be expected by the ordinary
visitor. One old man who had a very small
head, kept walking around the corridor
with his arms folded, and as he kept close
10 the wall watching the visitors closely, one
could not but think Of some animal that was
afraid for its life. DIR. Elstun introduced
the writer to Mr.. Baker, and
after a low bow he proceeded
TO say that the doctors were keeping him
confined against the laws OF humanity.
''When / am out" he said, 81 wear velvet
clothing. 1t is a clique who put me here to
get my money. I own all the railroads in
the world. built your city of ~Indianapo-
lis and many others In this country" lie
was asked why be did not run for president
He hastily replied that he was president and
mad
Haoraur an Ant orr
So this poor man thinks and ha thinks of
nothing else but of his wealth and being
confined while sane. So on through the
other wards until you came to the worst
class. The wards are all connected, and the
moment the doctor turns the key in "A door,
which opens into another, the attendant
comes up and greets him with good morn
ing sir" and replies to the questions of the
number in the ward. aud a. to
their health. The wards In what is
called Tho new building are kept wonder
fully clean, the floors being polished every
morning spd the walls and doors washed.
The wood work is of the best, and in the
sleeping rooms, generally with one bed IN
them. the shutters are made of thick oak
At the north I'm end of this wing there is "A
winding sLsirway from the &C lar To the top
of the building. 40 that entrance can be made
to any ward without going through Others,
as was done by the writer. Each ward has
its dining room, I'm the side OF which Is a
dumb waiter that carries the food from the
general XII chen where cooking for all the
inmates is done, to each dining room,
they being directly in line. The table
ware Is. one might saw, graded as the wards
are. For the milder patients the plates,
glasses, castors and knives and forks are Of
very fine material, while those of the raving
class are of the cheap order, but, as is every
thing connected with the building,
SHINING WITH CLEANLINESS.
There was not a man seen In all the wards
who looked fierce, as one would expect.
The doctor was asked to show the writer
some OF the dungeons and the cases that
are kept in them. The reply of the doctor
itself Elk plains all that old idea away. cat
one time" said he, 'there were dungeons
here, but OF late years they nave been lone
away With. You have seen the
worst clssses. You have stood among
those that it has taken ten men to brina
here. When they are brought here raving.
and when they get to raving after being here,
we put them In a room, but no dungeon,
until they become quoted, and they are
brought into the corrido- s, where the com
pany has more influence over them than
anything else" There are many people who
imagine that the inside of an insane asylum
is always o perfect bedlam. While going
through the building there were
Bur THREE PATIENTS UNDER CONSTR AMT
other than locked doors OF the wards. There
were none locked ia rooms even. One girl
had the mittens on, and two women
were confined in a bed crib. This
latter mode of confinement is an
arrangement whereby that class who
will not go to bed are made to. A crib is
fastened over the bed which allows the one
confined just room enough to half raise up
in the bel. They are sometimes confined in
these for halt day at a / ne. A lesst four-ifths
of them are OF the kind that will be quiet
and sane for a week or two weeks, or even
for months. and during that time be nearly
sane. in fact TO the average visitor they
would not appear to be the least insane.
Garara- WON nuinlad mi with mhnm TIM