The New York herald., 1878-11-26
THE REFORMS SUGGESTED by THE


oUTGAGEs IL THE oNoSDAGA COUNTY
AsYLulI--CIINToS CoUNTYs PooRKoUsE AS
IT ONCE APPEARED TO 4 coMxIssIoSE,.
The story of outrageous crueiies pcrpetrated upon
the chronic insaue in the Onondaga County Asylum
recalls the earnest efforts made by the state Board Of
Charities. and supported by the HERALD. to have the
chronic insane removed from the county yiuns TO
the Willard State Asylum, on Seneca Lake. or some
other State institution where they might be m
der proper state supervision. OF the three mem
beers of the State Board for this district. Messrs
james Roosevelt T.. G. Donnelly and Mrs jose
phine Lowell, the last named lady was the only
accessible yesterday. and. ia converse
ton with reporter os the HKaarD she was
not in the least surprised ut these ortrsgcs which,
she thought were comparatively frequent in several
counties. Unfortunately, tie willard State Asylum
she fad. full. and the only way Of obviatings
these evils for the State 10 provide additional
accommodations for the chronic insane so that II
county poor and aims houscs-whcre proper super
vision was almost impossible need no longer be the
scenes OF these constantly recurring outragcs An
other evil was that one county tCliptonl had even
been entirely exempted from the operations OF the
law compelling al counties send their chronic in
TO the Willard state Asylum; and. no wonder.
therefore. that the condition of The clinton County
insane was a most shocking one The lady referred
10 the following extract from an oic Gal report bv
Commissioner Foster, Of the Fourth Judicial dir
trict, upon the clinton County Poorhonsg and the
condition OF the insane in that Institution
CLINTON couyry rxsASt.
The keeper absent His wife and his lsi ~ about
ss reported ;oai Il seventy hye inmates present of
these twenty cassed ufteen dioc aud
The building is briek strrctnre; has bceu occupied
nst.. Yse r. ora y he secpsr snd H. tsnIiS oes, s
eenirs oi he bndIng and the domestic offices Of h.
dividing the building nto two general wards depart
s"ash wsr fhe Kitchen %ashrocm and % other ssme,,e
sIasn y We & sarmen. rsn wsrs ,ar sonaton ~
and s room e q one o s ., - Noe aoor have has
nendation.
The persona and clothing OF - inmates dirty tho
@ ps1as vi p s ina IN r. oa y n ns
had seen reduced By long nsc aaos. 90 the condon Of
eoS % No sen VII ss d p"d ~ 10 ]
foul odors pcryaded the whole house Was informed tnt
changing q co,thg bathing Of inmates; that shoy
sp 1 % and % ss
aboni the establishment we're then lot g be performed
could attend them. There seemed method
sSs 70 s es sss ss ana ~ ri ha mss se @ ii tho s
house. and quito number were loupeng on the beds,
Tobacco is freely supplicd the inmates smoke IN the
T .. np I'm "pe t 1an Va" ~ ssf" in @ s, ~ "e w,
- ~ mpcrnvc ~ any of the innses there was pen
rhs s,spg ARTICLES g die, salt beef potatoes and
bread Tie bread dark and Some fresh meat Is
supplied during the winter months and salt fish
week during thr year
From fnc garden about twelve hundred pounds az TO-
bacco viii be secured aud there plentiful supply o
vegetables " good quality. informed that the to-
bacco s used IN the house vegetables for
part sold or fed 10 the stock
nOEK DUNGEONS.
seven @ 9'Ig ng "r % s Gn ron %c. ana
four u Them " close chain Iuu They
~ ~ MOTT dcpl0tnbc condition Threc found
hred - br-ement ellie. With barred doors. and
ghsn M ss q Z, "ir sSeo igm M ha,n window
The stencil and font AIR IN ts room c,e horrible and
the cells and persona ~ the stretched nmate tiy
description One ~ them suffering ~ tho advanced
stages of most lpathsomp rhe keeper subse
qucnty admitted that water had been applied to the