The New York herald., 1877-10-31
The State Board Of Charities Ar
raign and Condemn Them.
TERRIBLE CHARGES.
Sufferings OF the Sick. Aged,
Insane and Helpless.
INCOMPETENCE AND CRUELTY

The State Board OF Charities, represented by Mcssrs
Theodore Roosevelt L. G. Donnelv and Mrs. Josephine
s. Lowell yesterday entered protest against the es'i-
mates OF the Department OF Charities and CORRECTION
submitted Tor the year 1873 At Two O'Clock IN inc
srnoon they appeared before the Board OF Apporton
ment for the purpose of presenting this protest
Mayor Ely, Comptroller Kelly and Tax Commissioner
Wheeler wsre present Commissioners Bailey, Bren-
nan md Cox OF the Department OF Charities and Cor
rection, wero also in attendance
THE PROTEST.
The protest, which was read by Mr Roosevci, -
very lengthy document setting iortn some IN
teresting facts and making some terrible charges ~
arst goes state that the State Board oi Chartes
has frequently pressed upon the attention Oh the CON-
missoners the dangerously ovcrcrowded condition OF
The Lunatic Asylum Backwell's Island and had an
tclpatod from them request to the Board of Appor
lion meut for appropriation to buy farm, upon
which inexpensive buildings for the chrome insane
might be erected. Tho report then goes on to lay
before Board statement as 10 The condition Of the
Institutions under the charge Of the Commissioners OF
Charities and Correction.
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
On tho 22d day OF March, 1877, the Grand Jury OF
tho Court OF General Sessions visited, by committee
several Of the institutions under the charge OF the De-
partnent OF Public Charities and Correction, and In
thor presen tho following statement is made in
regard to this :-"Bellevue Hospital is In
most deplorable condition. The wards are simply
overcrowd and the mosphere in them IS sitting.
visit 10 the cellars disclosed the same un-
wholesome atmosphere, where the soil pipes werc
leaking ana emitting an insupportable stencil" The
New York County Visiting Committee, composed Of
onacal visitors appointed by the State Board
OF Charities, speak follows in their re-
port OF 1877 concerning Bellevue hospital
1--WE would especially call your to the position
and condition Of The cells In Bellevue. These cells
for the temporary confinement OF troublesome noisy
or lunatic patients OF both sexes; they occupy the
ground door OF two extensions IN the rear OF the main
building There being but SIX cells for each It Is
often necessary TO place two unacs in one cell. In
she part assigned tS males there is provision
for giving bath TO the filthy creatures sometimes
brought in from the streets, and tho orderly must
resort t. such cleaning processes he can command
10 render them at ior the physician to examine There
Is bath tub IN the dark closet in the cells or women,
but II Is so inconvenienty placed that II is seldom
used
"This hospital contains, among Its other patients, ono
class very diicut TO deal withthosc suffering from
venereal disease. They often not III enough 10 be
eonDed their beus ard are very insubordnate and
troublesome and yet there system by when they
be brought under discipline There are many
prisoners IRON The Worknouse and low from the
fententiary employed IN the building. and these per-
Sons, men and women, are to be seen in the yards
nssociating with such patlents-men, women or chill
drenas are able 70 be out OF the wards The number
oi prisoners IRON the Workhouse SO employed on Au-
gust 23, 1877, was l9 Considering the character OF
many Of the patents, the edom OF association and
the idcness must have very bad effect especially on
the young. To respectable poor person. Obliged by
illness 10 onter charity hospital, no trial could DO
greater than this forced WIN The vicious
ana degraded. Prisoners from the Workhouse are also
sent into the wards 70 be treated when suffering from
c0ntusons, &c.
THE ALMsHoCsK.
AlmSn0uBe
men and Tor women, under one management
The inmates, numbering over one Thousand two
hundred, composed Of various classes oil tho old
and inhrm, blind persons, imboces, epileptics and
others incapable OF caring Tor themselves, many Of
them having destroyed tneir mental and physical
health BY excesses. Tho superintendent who has
charge OF inls large number Of persons receives
81 500 year, and 10 assist HIM he has one malron
assistant matron, foreman cook, SIX order
lies three Al almost any part OF the day
men are TO De seen around tho women's building anu
vice versa In tae women's department WorKhouse
prisoners are employed aud sleep in the wards with
the inmates, eat at the same liable with them and
sometime OCCASION mucn trouble, using violence and
bad language. Scursy maae Its appearance during
the winter in this institution.
THE woRKHousE
"This institution is called workhouse and the prs-
pners are committed Tor various onences-drunkcn-
ness, vagrancy disorderiy conauct because they
are homeless.
"Many improvements have been made during the
year, but mucr remains TO be Gone. There
mehods, by means oi either Of winch the Worknous
might be instrumental in dminishing crime. If the
discipline were very strict and hard labor were
honest living outside; or were the inmates taught to
control themselves ana 10 work well efficiently
certain number might be reformed. Neither course
however, is pursued. With only seven keepcrs and
four matrons real discipline Is possible and the
hours Of work are so short and such slackness IN
working, especially with the men, allowed that the
labor can have no deterrent effect The proof Of the
utter failure Of the Workhouse to diminish crime
the fact that most OF the prisoners have
at intervals for years; tnat several committed
twenty or thirty times every year, and that Of
them have spent the greater part their lives within
Boys o sixteen are confined at night Tor twelve hours
ln the cells with old deprayed offenders; young
girls committed Tor the first time are put into cells
VIII prostitutes aud drunksrds. There can be real
industrial framing from lack OF sufficient number oil
officers.
THE LuSATio ASYLUM
rhs asylum, the largest 10 the State, contains 460
female patients and Tue superintenden the only paid
besides the supcnntcndent and chaplain sixty yeight
paid employees, and the amount PAID for salaries IL
SIS $50, while the amount paid Tor salaries in the
Pentcntlary, where there are 9I2 inmates ~ $43 O05
At the Willard Asylum where only chronic cases are
treated, there were In November, 1876, paents
ana the amount ior house wages Tor tnat year was
e42,sol.
THR FEMALE LuSATic ASYLUM
EVERY ward was ovorcrowdsd, especially in the
lodge containing 100 OF the worst Cases There tho
rooms were very overcrowdcd, and IN one hail two
nurses only were assigned to ninety women tho
number being lar too small or the rcqurcm Is OF tho
case. On inquiry We learned that there was a total
number OF 400 patients, with out resident physi-
cian, whose stan o assistants and nurses totally
Inadequate TO tue needs Of 50 large n number. Tho
small proportion OF nurses, as well the limited
grounds attached TO the building makes II i'm bic
Tor The patients 10 obtain the open AIR
necessary for their we'll being. This institution Is now
carried at expense OF 81 66 per week each pa
ucnt The usual estimate OF the cost OF stcn an asy.
lum is So or t. so week These estimates INCLUDE
food, clothing, fuel wages and salaries. We be cvc
the authorities are dong all that they can with the
limited allowance at their command, and urgently
recommend that larger appropriation be madon
SUMMING up.
The protest sums up to the above institution In
the following language ;"Al tho institutions above
described, with the exception OF Bellevue Hospital,
nre situated on Bickwells Island, on which is also
The Peniient iary, with over nine hundred inmates.
There are therefore, ON TINS comparatively small
Island hvo large Institutions, containing nearly SIX
thousand persons, or the population OF good sized
town The members Of this community arc drawn
IRON the most unfortunate and most vicious OF tho
population OF New York city aud comprise men and
women whose health Is broken down by debaucheiy
oil every description; criminals VI all grades from
pIckpockets OF fourteen years 10 prisoners committed
Tor murderous assaults lunatcs, IRON respect
able homes, some from the lowest dens OF the city,
and every other class OF unhappy human beings For
the government OF lhis town and It's miserable
Inhabitants thero is provision on the is.
land itself. Each institution Is absolutely indepen-
Of fla