Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-02-03
1Dailp Aen,lebtr yeurnal.
aAsYirr ssTKIArNIErs FOR TIE CURE
saa& sm OF INSANITY

A02U6 AR1hAA4N EV@ AmA ~ w.
4sals g SCI OF INSANITY
IL a. Isl ss
While I was under treatment" at Jack.
sonville Insane Asylum, for the cure OF
the insane ca idea, that since a good God
can not make a bad article, therefore,
human nature, as it came from His hands,
can not be a "totally deprived" nature, l
became conizant of the following facts,
testified TO under oath, before the Illinois
Investigation Committee; and as Eliza
beth Bonner has been eulogized by DIR.
Mcfarland as his ''model attendant" in
..subduing' the patients Igive them to
the public as q type of Asylum treatment
2 for the cure Of insanity at Jacksonville
Insane Asylum, while it was under DR..
Netherlands superintendence.
1t was one of the despotic rules OF the
Asylum that the patients should not be al
lowed TO lie upon their beds in the day
time and since the ''display of the house"
to visitors was the principle Of the Super
intendent, he wanfonly demanded the sac
riice of the patients comfort in carrying
out this principle.
For example, Miss Elizabeth Bonner, an
IrishIattendant OF my ward, one day caught
one Of her feeble, sick patients upon her
bed, in the daytime, when she ordered her
most peremptorilly TO get off from her
bed. Her tone and manner, in connec-
ton with the injustice Of the act, very nat
urally aroused the indignant feelings of
the insultcd invalid, and ventured word
in self-defence.
This is enough! She, Elizabeth Bon
ner, is not going to bear insulting Ian
guage from her patients!
She seizes her roughly and drags her
from her high bed upon the door, with ex-
treme violence. The patient, thus aroused
to higher pitch of indignation, now tries
to defend herself with the same kind of
force she is called upon to resist. A fight
ensues. But alas for the unfortunate
victim. The laws of the house allow Miss
Bonner to summon any one in the house
10 her assistance, while the abused one is
allowed no help; and If the patients vol
sometimes compel them to do, they are
And as for DR.. McFarland-he would nc
more listen to a patients complaint than
he would defend them from abuse!
Mr.. and Mrs. j. C. Coe, the cooks, be-
ing near, were called in at this juncture
where they found Miss Bonner. large,
heavy woman, resting her whole weight
upon the body of this small, delicate inva-
lid, who was lying on her back upon the
floor, with Lizzy's knees both upon her
stomach, and thus confined she was clinch.
ing the patients head between her giant
hands, and pounding the floor with the
greatest violence. The cooks exclaimed
az they entered and saw this spectacle:
why, Lizzie, what are you doing
Are you killing that girl?
II am seeking satisfaction upon her
and will have it! will not be abused
by patient! You help me jacket her, SC
j can have satisfaction upon herr'
They suggested, "why not put her into
screen room. where she can hurt no one
and get quiet?'
II will first have satisfaction upon her
for she has got the devil in her, and mean
to beat it out of her."
She then persisted in putting on the
straight Jacket as well as she could, and
then tied both her arms behind her back
and dragged her across the hall to the bars
when she tied each hand to the bars firmly
and tied each of her feet to the bars in the
same manner, and she tied her knees to-
gether also. And then having entirely dis
armed her. she seized hold of her head
again, and commenced beating the back OF
her head against the sharp corners of the
bars-each blow inflicting deep cash into
her head-so that every blow was followed
with blood splashing in every direction
besmearing the floor and walls with human
gore.
The cooks again interposed the exclam
alton: ''Lizzie, are you certainly intending
to kill her P"
mo, but will have satisfaction upon
her, and teach her that will not take
abuse from patient"
When then the patient has become SC
completely .'subdued by this treatment, ,
as to be too near dead to offer resistance
they regard the remedy as having been
faithfully applied; as in this case. Miss
Hudson sank, apparently, lifeless upon the
floor, when cut loose from her bands,
when Lizzie seized her by the arm or leg,
or by the hair of the head as they as often
do, and dragged her to the screen room,
where she founced her in with a heavy
bounce upon the floor and there left her
alone, to live or die as the case might be.
The death Of patients under these cir
cumstances is regarded with Indifference
except as, DR.. Mcfarland says, .'be care
full never to have it known outside, to the
injury of the institution"
Another case, testified to under oath,
was that of patient who in this process
of receiving "asylum treatment" had her
arm dislocated, and died in a few days
from this assault. and Miss Bonner says
DIR. Mcfarland told her not to let it be
known at all abroad that she had disloca-
ted the arm, and this was all the reproof
he gave her. She even makes her boast
that Mr.. Mcfarland one caught her thus
treating" her patient, when he, with
smile, simply said, ''that is right, give it
to her, unless she will give up" and then he
left her to torture her poor helpless vic
tim to the full extent her angry passions
prompted her to do.
almost regret TO add that this poor de-
fenseless one, Miss Hudson, did not die
from this "asylum treatment" since death
is the only refuge our American Christian
Government has yet provided for that most
unfortunate class, now incarcerated be-
yond the reach OF human sympathy. or the