Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-19
The Insane Asylum investigation
THE TESTIMONY TO-DAY.


the Interior Department resumed their in
vestigatiou OF the affairs OF the L. s. Insane
asylum this morning:
Patrick o. Hare testified that he was a Me-
tropolitan police officer and accompanied
Officer John Connell when they took i've in
sane patients 10 New York in June last;
tnt re were three women and two men: one
OF them did not appear 10 be very insane,
though three of them were very b ri cases.
Lett here In the evening train and parted
with the patients on the ferry boat az Jersey
CITY. DO not know what became OF them;
LETT them on the boat. This witness mainly
colrubOrated the testimony OF OH GER Con
nell given yesterday. Wifne IS formerly re-
sided in New York, and obtained a furlOugh
10 go home, and went with these parties
Think that two OF them were able 10 take
care Of themselves.
CLds n. Eo,~aE1g testified that he lived on
u street southeast. aud thai he remem bered
man named VI. T. Murray, who was taken
10 The insane asylum. Witness belong III to
The same order that he did, the Circle OF the
Brotherhood OF the Union; was member OF
committee 20 ascertain the manner I'm
which he was treated al the insane asylum.
called AZ the insane asylum, aud asked TO
see DIR. Nichols, and was informed that DR..
MOTTIll mad charge of the patient. Asked 10
see the patient, Hnd DR.. MOrrill raised an
objection, but afterwards consented. H per
sisted, however, in stating that IL was no use
10 see the pStient; waite three quarters of an
hour and the patient was brought down. He
was Trembling very much, having Just been
given bath; noticed that Murray hal a
very bad bandit was burned very badly;
iHe attendant said that he had fallen against
q stove and burned IL; remarked that IL was
strange That they he'd stoves where the in
sane patients were; was informed that the
boilers were out of order, Murray COM
planned very much OF being cold, AMI said IL
was cold there all the time; reported the
facts 10 his circle, and a correspondence took
place between DR.. Mckim and DIR. Morrell:
ihe attendant said the patient had 10 be pre-.
pared 10 be Seen-that he was Ia filthy con
clifton; left the matter in the hands OF DIR.
Mchlm, VINO was friend OF DR.. Nichols;
requested 10 see DIR. Nichols, but could not
see him; never visited the asylum bat one
time; don't know what DE-. Mckim did
aboutlt; the iniuTy to the hands looked like
burn; the flesh was burn; all of the back
OF the hand never saw the body after Muir
ray died.
iGaiel HiYiass testified that he is en-
Iloyed at the Insane asylum as an attend
ant, has been there for ten months; is now
in Sycamore ward; was first In Dawes base.
ment, where the working insane patients
are kept. There We're thirt y-eight patients
there, twenty eight OF whom worked in the
field. No meat is given for Breakfast; beef
and soup for dinner. Seldom see any vege-
tables. None OF the patients get enough TO
eat; know This because the patients get up
from the table and ask for more Have often
applied for more, but got no satisfaction nor
any more fool for them. The dinner was
small ahd not enough to satisfy them. The
quality OF the meat is bad; u was Often
tainted; while in Dawes basement this was
often the case The bean soup was goOG; has
often gwen some OF the patients some OF his
ONl meals. Alter considerable trouble
got some additional clothing for them.
The majority of the patients worked
On the fam exposed 10 ali kinds of w~8ther.
IN the cold and rain. They seldom COM
planned about IL. In August last was trans
ftned 70 the sycamore ward, which u tDT
civilian insane. There are p patients Their
now. There are fOCr strong rooms on the
ward. TIE civilians do not LABOR, except in
the ward. THIS is supposed 10 BE- the fiCSt-
class ward at the iustitutiOn-the cleaueSt
and best. The patients in this ward are
al -
lusIty Of the food, hOwevef. has been very
poor; since then, better. The fool now j.
very COOL. Vegetables are often served now
ia new patent lin dlshe>; everything is 40
very respectable style. Ol,en have fire nov,
AID liver Tor dinner. Have often seen pa
tents in Dawes basement covered with YER
mir. ir. Niclo.S has visited sycamore
ward but eight times in toe past twelve
months. and he comes through this
wand OiteEer than ne does in the others; Syc-
amotc ward IS the ward Kept TO show Wis
tors; the visiting committee 90 through the
wards huTriCdly once month; DR.. Nichols
lid rot 60 through Dawes basement but
once duT!ug the i've weeks witness was EN-
plOyed there; on committee days the supe~-
visor gets ali patients really for the com nit
tee 10 see tFem; have often kept patients
standing In a tine an hour and half walt
irg for the doctor and committee to see
them; had been reprimaadeI because ne
allowed them TO sit down: know of al at
teTdant named Willis discharged recently
Tor abusing patient; David Bigley, the
was visited but once by DR.. Nichols during
the long time he was there. Mr. Welch, who
recently died there, was visited by Dr.
Nichols but twice. Thinks that there are
several patients there now who are net in
sane; one of them is Martin Goebel, who was
sent over there by shoema ker on 9th street
He * kept there because he is a fiGe shoe
maker. GOebel has friends in Philadelphia.
Has hot discovered a5y symptoms Of in
sanity in him. John kenney is similar
case. Have reported these cases 10 Dr.
vi IN nj 81
cause | did so. A Mr.. Johnson, who came %
the asylum three months ago, has never
shown any symptoms OF insanity. M
III. Bradley has been there for over two years
ana is very rational. His wife and family
reside near the maynard. DR.. Chase qaes-
TONED witness last night as TO how he woul1
testify before this committee, and tried TO in
fiuence him TO make il very favorable toward
the ylum. He offered witness a bribe IL he
would not say anything against the aSy lum.
Witness would not accept it, but said ne
intended to tell the truth, regardless OF who
il would hurt Witness told him that he had
written TO the committee TO be subpPnaed.
Came here TO deny the statement OF DIR. Nor
rell that meat was given the patients for
breakfast, as he (Dr. MOrreln knew il was
| not true when he stated il. DR.. Chase 50 III
10 me last night he hoped | would not say
| anything against Or. Nichols and if did
| not they would give me good letter -; rec
ommendation. Gave notice to DR.. Nichols
| three weeks ago that L intended 10 leave the
asy lum soon.
IBrs Sarah lforiin testified that she resided
at UniOniOwn, ID. G, and that her brother.
Richard Jones, was insane, and was sent In
the aSy lum. After he had been there to- i
months and did not improve she asked that
he be let out, saying that she would take
care OF him aud give him home. soon after
she made this offer TO DIR. Nichols she heard
that he had been dumped with the party Of
insane patients near Marlboro, nd. Toe
reason why DR.. Morrell would rot let her
take him out was, he said, because he was
too crazy and too dangerous 10 be at liberty.
He was afterwards found roaming about the
woods near Marlboro, without any shoes,
and in a terrible condition.
The committee then adjourned until Fri
day morning.