The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-10
THE OVID LUNATIC ASYLUM
A REFUGE ron THE PlUPER w.
SAVE or rms STITE



charities the willard Asylum for the incur,,Is
insane. over the door "a YOU enter the main
building are the words. They serve God w.u
who serve his creatures" Pcerln1 out Of thu
grated windows the demented inmates a,troc,
attention by their continual cattcr OF inco-
herent expressions. One discusses politics. ar.
guing both sides Of the question. Another
iabpers Of heaven, ana still another bursts out
in 10 fearful TRADE giinst his prosecutors who
have Imprisoned him.
Before the willard Asylum was built all ths
pauper insane ~ the State were kept In the
county pOorhouses. Now, they are comfortably
cared for NJ ovid. Before thew were left to the
tender mercies Of the pauners who were sup
posed u be sane. Now, they are provided with
fat hiul and careful attendants and skillod phy-
sici ms The total number Of patients now 10
the asylum Is 1,l62 Dr. willard Chaplin Is the
suDeriniendeni During his administration
marked mprovem"nts have taken place, among
them, the employment ~ detectives to see thai
the attendants d. not abuse the patients. by
thls u eune strlct surveillance Is kept over tho
employees II the institution.
There are many persons confined In the asy-
lum VINO have singular histories. one man in
The main building sat. on a wooden setteo With
his leRa bent over the arm OF the settee and hif
head inclined toward his knees. DR. Neliia Id
that he was taken from the Richmond County
AlmshOuSc, where he had been confined I'm "A
daf X cell For over founteen wears and that in
cOnseuuonce OF his cramped condition while so
confined the muscles Of his limbs and neck had
become rigid. so that It is now impOsslole fof
perfectly harmless, but hODeessly insane. An
other patient was seen by the reporter who was
where hls own family had confined him nj
twelve wears IN cell built for the purpose. Dur
INK all this tine he shackled h nd and foot
because lie was thought TO be d ln-efous. When
he WAS brought to OVID the irons were removed,
and he was found 70 be AS harmless anu suo-
IN Cook The founder and owner Of the Re-
treat Tor the Insane at Canindaigul Y, was
recently stabbed to death by one ~ his patients,
to whOm hU mad given a knife, thinking htm 40
much improved ~ not 10 be DANGEROUS. After
the patient had received the kuiio lie suddenly
thrust It into the doctors neck. severtng tue
jugular vein. Not content with tuis, he twisted
the blade around AMI around IN the wound
with nendish delight. do efmined To make sure
81 MS purs ose. The doctor felt 10 tue lOOr and
died. HIS murderer seem d perfectly satisfied
with his work. and looked upon ms d Inc VIC.
tim with complete composure. He was afterwnrd
taken to the Utica asylum, aud ther- he made a
siuiilal attack upon his keeper, but wtthput
81 Oducng death. He was theu transferred "a
the asVum at ached to the Auburn state PRISON
wnere he IL now confined.
DIR. Chaplin says that as the law now Is, n the
voters of any county IN the state refuse to vote
the necessary funds to support their pauDer in-
sane at the Willard Asylum they Will be thrown
back upon the county TO rot In the dungeons 81
on amshOuse. implied and uncared for. Ihls,
he thinks, IL the gieat danger at present threat
ening the ovid Asylum. Tho people ooerudga
the tax necessary to support the utterly help
less and afflicted, while they patiently submits
to being rooUed by their law makers and rulers
who live on the spells OF ofhce. The cost is
little less than 81 per week for CHI patient
The neglect of tue pauper insane In the ams-
houses In the state before the building Of VII.
lard Asylum was horrible. DR.. willard, In honOr
Of whom the asylum Is named. first brought to
light their wretcned condition, and IL was hif
discoveries and agitation " the subject that led
to the idsa OF gathering them all into one Asy-
ium under the management Of a Board of rrus
tees, who should be responsible to the STATE
Legislature.
Willie Clute, youth taken from the Lido,
Asylum in Cortland to the willard Asylum,
and who has been idiotic from his Dirt b, /, a
Lightning calculator OF wonderful ability. He
a. "A
quick In mathematics. and has solved some DIFF.
ncult problems without the aid Of paper md
pencil. He said that he was well and wanted to
10 nome. Francis Duny OF Parishville, st. Law.
renee county, was kept in irons for thirteea
wis heavily itoned when he was brought to ths
asylum. Ills chains we're removed on his arrival
there. and there has been no necessity for any
sucn treatment since. Duny talked sonsiOly to
the reporter about the cruel treatment he re-
ceived at the hands OF the keeuer Of the Can IN
Almshouse. one OF the patient, SAID tuht ne
had been married twice. HIS II IT VIE aud
eigut children were In heaven. After thsy di d
no felt lonely ana went TO Elmi y i've, Here
he met a widow. and he "hitched" to hor. and
SAID he, D." th,twas sorry hitch ior me. lna's
the reason ! AIN here Anotner patient said
! that tue sNium - "A prsp4, aud tina. lie " IS
writing To DR. Cnapu u let MIN 20 home whers
! he belonged. It's an awiul place. sad no.
lts just the place for such a damn crazy thing
as y1u are sud n'tner patient W. o sat near
| MN. Angry words followed, aud the attendant
! inteIfcied 10 Dr vent ulJWs
these attendants live "a unenviAblr life, I'M
/ Injured as they are within the usNIun walls, and
SURROUNDED Us they ace ~ hordv Of wrecAed
human beings. VINO make tue air hideum
/ with tleir MAJ raNiugs lnuse NJ ovid .eemeS
Kind and tOroearing with tue patients under
their care. As soon as one Is found uufaitnful
/ he Is us ,hafsed. The great curse Of asvtlms
has ueen and Is tue NEGLECT and brutality OF tns
attendants. Tho system OF detectives DOTTED
! 10y Or. Cnapn A. Ovid has largely, II not wholly
rene lied TINS eNN. me attVnudits never Know
wuen they ale watched aud are therefore care
! fui AT all tunes not 10 be caught nesectng theft
sane patients. There are loose spitioons aud
chairs Ia tue halls accessible To tho pa,ien.s
| but tns attendants say that they do no. ieaI
any outbreak. Knives are given 10 tue most
violent AT meal time, ana irom nftY 10 one nun
/ dred eat together IN tue same room. There Is
chapel connected win the asylum, IN wnloh re'
iigious services are htid sNep sunday by tus
! Rev. Or. DOty, the chaplain ~ the asylum.
| MUSICAL concerts, minstrel shows, aud various
other entainmenis ae given IN tue chapel dur-
ing tue week. Tue patients are taAen out 20
walk IN groups OF from three to twelve, escorted
| by one or more attendants. The, seem to en-
jov the slroIi along tue osach Of the lake. nd
| yerv seldom abuse their privilege. l he trees
| about tue asylum afford abundant SHADE. and
| the closely mo~n lawns are like carpets of
| velvet.
! Oue tall. powerful man, with stentorian voice
| and brawny arms. thinks that he Is AN editor.
de had tue Now York daiiy papers IN his room.
| .nd sat on tho edge of his Ued reading thom.
" non lie was told That his visitor was arrpuT1er
from lHE suN,h- Jumued from his bed, pulled
on hi, goggles, aud grasped tao visitors haud
WITH rehemencs. " L a. Grant m~n, said uo,
and Beecher man." emphasizing the VOID
/ besCher like true menDcr VI IIymouLa
/ tnureh. II ~ beeehsr luau, too said au-
other y .tieut' were AL lIeecuer uAen Derc.
/ the men. Iusi talk mora and GAR oil more.
/ Mnre women Than uen become Insane, an %
greater plopn4nu ul these "a married " .l.i, IL.
/ = luut ioUN patients die every wear ihrI. . i-
* 81 insane vino have h5clInu a pa Oh, 600 d q
ia tNls 90 may us IN tItisud lUJ u & o..
Ia twenty y,als. In Eos and the ia les. a
been seventy per cont. IN slAtevu Y"tr- ~
| 40 ueiug ABOUT the INC IN Inc tWo .......i d.
EiSuh uNr scr cont 81 AZ Lic iu-..ue u-tr b n
The state had -r't-olp inrtlHg o,CI ua tuu-. '.
envy tci cent. 81 all tI~ ii-alr t,,rrie GO. ~
charge. lhe Lcs i-l,lute, Dr Liza Ia So, -. q
been very lLolal. IncN laNu nvNUt rel .b,u Is
vote Ion au, hplt, plln "a a-Aei for tins ,-l-
Ian. lhesr slpfI .rittlous have been am Il
eu.IteN for uuhuWg Purposes, Eath cpuutI
supports Tvs uNu insane. lho STATE pays th,
tal,lie- II thr In 'rf- IT the INSTITUTION.
| Ihu liuouug cilsaVs II r u4Ost from in-auit v
/ OF ths patients nov ~ tue asllduu, ~ are DO
| ives 81 Sew iotA state, 81 re natives ui l.h
land, IS al Germ ny, ~ Oi England, ~ ol CilnI
And smah nunueis rdnEins from / to ..f,
natives II u.hei Cpuuttl-s. There Aie ,si sln-
prIaIhs, JJS mtrrlsd, aud - wld 1Wol. tu
hfrs linRe all IN way from To- lUJ Near+ 4
lars '~t pInplluou .rc between tus a.e- lI Y
hud ~ 5Hhls luVI occupations ate. l-, 1900 90"
~uin. lHi l,hlrers. IA ~ fdm WOlh, 81
ten hers, "a s-Au>tf-s AMI IN irf uI.H.. t.
| rauu|uE tnrouIu tue nous otnrt nCcu.ati .li
| ot NE Our vi the potcutb ms tctu .r
rtuErd 81 Stf-; .hrts b. N.ar., io4f, lI ,ri.'
tNrntN-tuuf, - NthIN, lN'l-.lN. 81 yea. ~