The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-07
The Charitable and Penal Instttu-
tiOns OF the CITY.


The heartless neglect and brutality to
which poor Mr. Stockvis fell o victim on
Blackwells Island is the latest of long series
of similar outrages which have been coming
to the public knowledge and shocking the
humane feelings of the community for a long
period We present in another column a
compendious history of some of the most
atrocious of these cases. We will only glance
at these revolving rectals in this place
One OF the most shocking is the case of Eliza
Collins few months since. This young
woman was sent to the Smallpox Hospital bv
ignorant or careless city physicians. although
it turned out that she did not have that dis
ease. and while detained there one OF the
keepers or orderlies forcbly subjected her TO
the grossest abuse which can be practised
upon her sex. The cases are numerous in
which helpless people have lost their lives by
the brutality of policemen or of employees IN
the public institutions, and been huddled
into unmarked graves in the Potter's Field,
without any pains to identity them, inform
their friends or preserve any clew by which
their bodies could be recovered Mrs.
| Samuel G.. Ward, the wife of the foreman in
Bowery business house, applied to Judge
to have her husband arrested and taken to the
Inebriate Asylum. The arrest was made;
he was put, temporarily. in the Workhouse
WAS suddenly taken sick there, transferred to
the Charity Hospital where he died, and was
buried as pauper, without the knowledge OF
his wife, who atterward made the discovery
by inquiring after HIM at the Inebriate
Asylum, where she supposed he was. Ma
thaniel French, Grand Master of Masons, q
man of property, was arrested for mtoxica-
ton, put INTO the Charity Hospital, where he
died, and was buried in a trench, with
no means taken for his identification, which
would have been easy. John Thompson, para
lyzed in both legs, was gouged by an
orderly of the Charity Hospital, infiicting
injuries of which he died. The father of
Dennis S. Sullivan was found sick in the
street and taken to the Park Hospital he
died; was buried in the Potter's Field, al
though papers on MS person afforded means
of Identification In one case man arrested
for ntoxication was pitched beadlong down
the stairs of the station house by q brutal
policeman and died few minutes after. At
Essex Market poor man was put into cold
cell and frozen TO death. These cases are
specimens. They are enough to send
sickening shudder through all humane hearts
and excite general indignation at the manage
ment of our city institutions. We call atten-
ton to this painful subject for the purpose of
suggesting remedies.
But before offering any opinion on the main
question we venture to make remark on
collateral subject OF great interest to philan-
third bic and religious people. There is
no city in the world where private
liberality in behalf OF the unfortunate
is 80 active as here in New York.
especially among our various religious de-
nominations. The Catholics, all the various
Protestant communions, and even beyond
the circle of Christianity, the Hebrews, have
their institutions of charity founded by pri
vate munifcence and UNCONVENTIONAL feeling,
/ and vying with one another in this noble work.
! Thousands of the unfortunate find relief and
| succor every year in these asylums who would
otherwise be sent to the public institutions to
receive such treatment as is there bestowed
upon the heirs Of misery. The question, so
much discussed in recent years. as to the
propriety of giving public aid to these de-
nominational and other private charities,
ought to be considered as solved and settled
by the startling revelations from time to time
made of the shocking brutality practised in
the public institutions. 1t cannot be dis
puted that, in proportion as the denomina-
tional charities are dwarfed and crippled by
want OF means. the city institutions will be
thronged and overcrowded and abuses and
outrages be multiplied by the unwieldiness
which does not admit of minute supervision.
The religious and private charities subdivide
the work and bring it into more manageable
form. They have still greater advantage.
The founders. promoters and most liberal
supporters of the private charities are persons
prompted by philanthropic or religious mo-
tives, who take truly compassionate interest
in the relief of the afflicted. They accordingly
exercise an enlightened personal supervision of
the institutions planted by their care and
matured by their benefcence, which is the
best safeguard against such abuses as creep
into the management of vulgar, heartless off,
GERS appointed as reward for party services.
The attendants and servants in the denomina-
tional institutions are generally conscientious
persons in decayed circumstances, who are put
in these positions of trust on the recommen-
dation of clergymen who know them and can
vouch for their kindness, assiduity and
sympathizing interest in the unfortunate.
Every true philanthropist must wish to see
the private institutions built up and
strengthened and the field of the public
institutions narrowed as tar as is prac-
ticable. The public aid given to the
private and religious eleemosynary insti-
tutions is in the interest Of economy
"a ,yeU nc of bumanity II the denomi-