The New York herald., 1878-11-25
Startling Discoveries in a
County Poorhouse.
LUNATICS IN SUB-CELLAR DUNGEONS
Sad Scenes Of Suffering Shown by
an Investigation.
How the Authorities Have Been
Deceived.
TBy TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALp.l
SYRACUSE. n. ", Nov. "a, 1877

SYRACUSE, n. 4, Nov ~, lote
At the session of the Board OF Supervisors last fall
committee appointed county buildings.
whose duty it was to make an examination
into the management of the various institutions
in its province subcommittee. consisting Of
Supervisors Chase. Mason and Eastwood chosen
to visit the County Poorhonse, located at Onondago
Hill. near this city. This committee proceeded to
the poorhousc and entered the institution without
word OF warning. taking the keeper unawares, and
then inspected the asylum for insane paupers with
out discovering anything Of startling nature.
srARIIISG DISCOVERY
After passing through the upper parts OF the build
ing they continued their tour of investigation and
descended into sort of sub-ccllar cf tho build
ing. Here sight met their gaze and state
OF affairs discovered that they were totally
nnprepared for and that utterly astonished them. In
this cellar. which was dark as night. with stray
gleam light occasionally struggling through crevccs
and slight openings found five pens. constructed
of heavy plank. with plank doors, that had small
aperture in the cellar. Tho doors were
locked and opened in obedience to The committees
demand. The rays Of their lanterns thrown
into the interior, and there crouched in straw upon
the floor grouped shuddering in thefurthest cor
ners, were nakedandhalf-clad human beings who had
been left there in abect misery and despair Try their
keepers.
HoRRIBLE CRUELTY.
The stencil that arose from these dungeons was of
the most repulsive and sickenng character and the
atmosphere was sitting There was no light no ven
tilation. sanitary convencnces. In cell lay
man stark naked The bottom Of the eel. was covered
with filth and the straw upon the floor drtisr than
that in the hogpen attached to the poor house.
Startled and dazed by the CLEAN of light from lam
tern that penetrated the CELL the miserable and abject
human being started up his knees, claspod his
hands and clattprcd and munblcQ forth
coherent sounds His shrunken cheeks. hollow eyes,
sunk deep in their sockets and his emacated, feeble
form told of the shameful and degrading treatment
this poor, helpless human being had been subjected
to in being immured in dark. loathsome and dirty.
filthy dungeon. Another cell contained a negro
whose condition like that Of the poor being de-
scribed above with the exception that he could
sionaly conv,rse IN . coherent manner.
tG.. A MODEL KEEPER.
The doors Of the cells were made of heavy plank
and in the centre small aperture through which
food aud water WAS probably passed to the inmates.
Aroused by the voices Of the committee some
Of the poor lunatics thrust their heads out
through & these aPsrmres ama nehea the persons out
abandoned rs they were. had keeper apparently in
tho person of one James Hall. an inmate of the
County House. whose vocation when out in
the world had been to take of horses,
manage cock fights and train bull dogs The selection
surh man @ ior sweeper % @
main but . short time in the cellar. The air
wss infected with the vile nfnuyia and they were
forced for scprotcction to beat hssty retreat The
| doors were locked shc poor abandoned wretchcs
and they were left as they were found i'll forlorn
| and hopeless condition.
ABANDONED LUSATIcs.
When questioned in regard to the discovery made
by the committee the keeper stated that he
| PEELED to construct these dark dungeons the
cells in the insane asylum above were
| overcrowded and he had other place to
put the hopeessly insane found in them
He stated that the straw the bottom Of the cells
removed every day and fresh straw placed
the hoor and that the cells kept
clean a. possible. Many of the unfor-
tunate beings who sent to the County
Insane Asylum totally abandoned by their
friends when once they have been committed to the
admitted that the Board Of Supervisors had
seen them. and did not know of their existence.
When asked why they had not been shown to the
Supervisors. why they had not been informed of
their existence. the official replied that 1T snelled
bad down there and he didrnot suppose the Super
visors wanted to such things
WHY THE sEcnEr WAS KEPT.
The result of the discovery above detailed has been
kept a profound secret until saturday when the
facts were learned. A report will doubtless be
made to the Board of Supervisors. Year after
year the Board Of Supervisors have made
their annual visit to the Poorhouse and
the halls OF the buildings and the hoors have been
scrubbed scrupuloIsly cleaned. in anticipation OF
their coming. The inmates have been dressed
in their holiday suits and have been drilled
in the presence of the august Board.
Gorgcd with turkey and cranberry sauce stuffed
with goose aud wine trimmings. the Board has been
content to make only superficial in
specton of the institution. without delving
down into the hidden secrets OF the cellars.
things that would be revolving to spoil their
dinners and y coat Of whitewash has generally
ceacd from public view all the objectionable features
or the management OF the institution