Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-25
The Insane Asylum Investigation.
THE TESTIMONY TO-DAY.

TIE Committee on Expenditures in the
Interior department resumed their iuvesti-
cation into the affairs OF the U. s. insane
asy lum TO day:
Mrs. =. II. TdVlor, Of Jersey City, y. j.,
testified that she came to this city 10 appear
before the committee, al her own expense. in
carrying out what she thought 10 be her
solemn duty. Her brother, who served all
through the Mexican war, received a Seri-
Gus Injury, from which he was periodic ally
insane, but was never what was called
daI EeIOus patient. He enlisted during the
late war and served almost until the close OF
il, though, as previously, he suffered some-
| times from a temporary alteration OF the
| mind. After The war closed he went 10 the
Soldiers Home, at Dayton. Olio, from
WheI &c some years afterwards he was Sc IT
to the Government Insane Asylum, With
lot OF 20 others. AS soon rs she learned OF
10 she came here and called at the asylum.
The tir / time that she called there her
| brother was brought TO The reception
room and SDe dCciCed 10 let him remain
! there temporarily; when she called the sec.
ord time, after considerable difficulty, she
saw her brother and visited the room in
which lie was left, which was in all res poets
! inferior. His ted was an very bad cOudi-
ton, the covering consisting of dirty Old
army blanket filed with holes, the mattress
beil Of husEs and very rough one. Upon
seeiIg the ted she remarked to the doctor
that il was not good enOus On 10 put a dog I'm.
She then determined 10 see DIR. Nichols, and
requested pT. Cnaae 10 say that she would
call urOn him the next morning, which she
Gid, as also several times after, out was uu-
able TO see him until one day, when
she noticed him in the asylum garden,
sitting under tree, when she spoke to
him. He received her very cOUr!eJuSly
aud asked her To step into his Office, which
she did. He promised that in the future her
brother would be better treated, and wOIii
ne put in proper room, aud showed her a
5light sun-i;t room, which he said he would
give him. She thanked him very kindly,
and requested that the privilege or the
gTOuuds be given her brother as much as pos
Sible, 10 which The doctor asSented, and she
left for her home. Soon afterwards she was
informed that her brother had walked away
from the asylum, and had taken shelter WITH
kind farmer lear 0denton, Nd, on the
Baltimore and Potomac railroad. From
there her brother wrote for money TO bring
him home with. which was sent him. fl
then remained with her al her home for some
time, and upon aScertainIng that he was not
getting any better she wrote TO DR.. Nichols.
giving him full statement of the case, sd-
ding that she felt confident, from her CONVEX
saiion with him, that he (DT. Nichols) wouli
take proper care OF her brother II sent TO
the asy lum, and that she would pay
his board, attendance, and expenses.
Then at the advice Of her friends sine again
sent her brother to the asylum. and sup.
posed that the fine room which the doctor
mad shown her was given HIM. Feeling un-
easy about IL, she again came To Washing
ton, end instead or finding him in the room
for which she had beea paying, she found
him in ward crowded in among iifty-fOJr
other men. As she approached the asylum,
after entering The grounds, she heard pierre
Ing Shrieks issuing from one OF the windows,
and the sound of lashing, and after every
lash Tie cry OF ION, doctor; on, doctor" Sue
remarked 10 Inc lady who was with them:
"t6ey are whipping some one, and the voice
T. like that OF a female" All was excite
laent, and she could see the patients running
auoul the wards and peepiBg ont OF Jue win
fOws. Upon entering the building she said
70 DR.. MOTrelI, do you whip your pa
Tier ts.'' and he answered, .sNo'' '.sThgil :"
sad / 10 Or. Mcneil, some o.. The
Eeepers are whipping some one in an
Jnmelciiut manner, and the voice is
that Of "A female. i cOUld hear each separate
lash and cry distinctly I.remarked To Or.
-IOrTel!: Now that | have reported this to
youa Will say nothing mOCe abOIt 10 The
OciOr did not say any Iulng. After leaving
the hospital She CalCl upon Or. Toner. one
Of the visitors 10 The hospital, and reported
the facts 10 him, saying, 1T may seam - be
4 violation OF my Wort, but IL Is duty 20
tell YOU this, and Or. MorrelI did not request
me 10 keep it a secret" Or. Toner SAID
You have done right 10 reporting this"
but afterwards said, You have done
very wrong in violating your word"
While at the asylum and talking with Dr.
GUDnell about this whipping, DIR. M0rrell
tod her that the ward from which she heard
the cries issuing was occupied by colOreI
females, and that it was 10 charge OF DR..
HamlIn, who came down anu said that since
he passage or the civil rights bill one of Jae
cOlOred women there always became violent
when she saw any white person. She said
10 DIR. Hamlin, that may be, but il does not
explain the crying, lasting and piercing
lOr said that from what she learned since
she was firmly impressed with the opinion
that the whipping was done by DR.. Hamllu
himself. She took her brother away, ana al
the advice of friends placed him in the
Mount Hope Retreat, Iear Baltimore, which
is in charge OF the Sisters of Charity.
Mrs. Taylor was eros examined at some
length by Messrs. Tufts and Woodwork, OF
The committee. She said she felt confident
from what DIR. MOrrell had told her, that Dr.
Hamlin whipp ed the woman. she said IL
was her firm belief that if she had not taken
her brother away from the asylum he would
now be a confirmed imbecile if living
at all; that he complained bitterly OF
his harsh treatment, and said that
DR.. MOrren had knocked him down.
Judge William Dawson, OF Cincinnati, aud
other OF her friends know all about this case
When Sire went to the asylum, when this
whipping took place, last summer. she was
accompanied by young lady residing in
this city, on DefTees street, whose name she
gave TO the committee, and who will be sub
pUnaed by the committee. She never as
certained the name of the patient who was
being whipped; none OF the persons at the
asylum would tell her.
The committee then adjourned until 10
morrow, when several ladies will be eX-
am ned.