, 1875-02-11

have certainly objected whom the young
man asked permission to leave, for .
few days, his employment.
Two days before the committee sat he
was on the ground again, aud in conver-
sation with him he informed me that he
came at the earnest solicitation of Mr..
Harmon. and that sit had been intima-
ted to him" that if my place became
vacant, he would be appointed to sue
csed me. Although this was before the
committee had con> ened, he appeared
to be quits familiar with the nature Of
the alleged abuses in our Asylum. He
said he could readily conceive of cases
in which the old method Of ducking and
holding patients under water until they
were nearly drowned. would be quite
applicable a! certan times. But he said
DR.. Hawthorne would not permit any
such treatment in his Institution; and in
further conversation found that this
young man could conceive" of cases
in which such treatment as complained
of in the affidavits placed in the hands
of the Governor and Auditor. would be-
come quite necessary; but it would not
be policy to let the public know that
such treatment was resorted to. as the
friends of the patients would raise
storm about ones head. In fact the
elasticity of the conceptive powers Of
this DR.. Ballard appeared to be unlim-
tied. Well, DR.. Ballard served on the
committee. signed the report. and should
he soon be appointed to the place he
suggested he might be appointed to. it
occurs to me that his action in the
premises, as also his appointment,
might smell little fishy. a3
DR.. Kellogg, another member of the
committee, is an old neighbor and warm
personal friend of Mr.. Harmon, and
Judging from tho display of capital let
| tcES NJ tuc Guu "a AAe AoAo oA6uSu W
the report, he would like to make up in
display what Madame Rumor says he
lacks in fact. That is to say, to write
m. D." as an appendage to his name.
unless it be that this privilege grew out
of great "Ta-man-a-was" effort at
Skaget Head. some years age. with the
great Medicine Man" of the Skaget
tribe of Indians; for I am assured that
he is the graduate of no medical college
now in existence or ever known TO the
whites.
Mr.. Low, I think, is good friend
when he processes friendship. and do
rot think he is unfriendly to Mr.. Har-
mon. With DR.. Ostrander I am but
little acquainted; have always heard
him well spoken of, and l believe had
the committee been composed entirely
of such men as he and Mr.. Judson, and
had they met under other circumstances
and with different surroundings, We
should have had fair investigation of
the Asylum affairs.
Aud now to the report itself: Any
person casually looking over this report.
not knowing the object for which the
committee was appointed. would infer
from the number OF times Mr.. Harmon is
named. and the gushing compliments
that are SO profusely lavished upon him,
that this was newspaper report of a
dinner party. or the celebration of q
silver wedding, at which toasts and hap
py responses to the same, were given in
honor Of the host. while the guests were
warmed with his wine at his dinner
table.
The report il most signally prevari-
eating and evasive. They say, THAT
in no instance has patient been rough
ly or inhumanly treated either by the
direction. knowledge or consent of Hill
Harmon" Yet they do not deny that
certain abuses have occurred. Now.
what difference does it make to the pub
lie or the poor inmates of the Asylum
whether Harmon knew it or not? If
these abuses occurred under his man
agement, he is responsible.
The committee say they "find no
charges other than those contained in
afidavits, and No one willing to make
or prosecute charges" They nit here
to mention that no less than three law
yers were on hand to defend Mr.. Har-
mon. The committee say: again. the
affidavit of one Goodhue, former in.
mate of the Asylum. charges one Allen,
formerly warden, with offenses most
fiendish and brutal in character. COM
mitted upon the person of said Good>
hue and others, during the time of their
confinement, and re-sfirms the same
upon cross-examination." This state
ment Of the committee is an error. Mr..
Goodhue never made any such affidavit,
neither did they have in their posses~
sion any affidavit OF Mr.. Goodhue. Mr..
Goodhue is the night watchman at the
Asylum. He was called and testified to
the facts that the committee wrongly
state were contained in an affidavit he
had made. In Mr.. Goodhde's testimo-
ny be said that Allen, although possess
ed Of a fendish disposition and temper,
had one redeeming tralt-he was quite
cleanly about the Asylum. One Of tbs
committee, DIR. Kellogg. remarked to
Judge Low, the clerk: "That's in
favor of Harmon; take it down." and
down it went. But the other por-
ton Of Mr.. Goodhue's testimony was
considered "frivolous and not worthy
Of consideration" by the committee.
| The committee saw "evidence Of insane
,ty in Goodhue while Allen was testify
ing" But others saw only the manifest