The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-01-30
Lunaric Asylum Matters.
TO THE PUBLIC.


| A few days ago, during my temporary
absence, Geo. I. Hackley published n sour
riious card concerning the management
and treatment of patients in the Mississippi
State Lunatic Asylum.
If that card has created any distrust In
any quarter, deem 1t proper to state that
| | have at the earliest opportunity called the
attention of the Board of Trustees to the
| publication, and have expressed readiness
and willingness to enter into a most thor
ough and searching investigation of every
transaction connected with the Asylum
| from the day OF my entrance upon duty
down to the present moment.
WIN. NJ. COMPTON, Sup't.
Jackson, Jan. 26, 1873.
The foregoing was published in our
paper and it has given rise to numerous
inquiries for the statement of Mr.. Hack
ley to which it refers, and which is here
with printed
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE LUNATIC
ASYLUM.
To the Members of the Mississippi Senate:
Learning that DIR. VIM. NJ. Compton is an
applicant for re-appointment as Superin-
tendent OF the Iunatic Asylum, Ceem it
my duty to present some facts in my posses
sion, so that you may judge of his fitness
for the position. l will mention several in
stances to show you that he is not the proper
person TO have charge of the institution.
patient by the name of Smith, was so
| brutally beaten by an attendant that he spit
blood. The attendant was not discharged,
or even rebuked as far as | Know. Another
patient in crazy fit struck his attendant.and
for this he was severely beaten bytWO attend
ants, one of whom called me into MS ward
to show me the patient whom he struck an
other blow in the face. | saw the same at
| tendant, for trivial off -nse, knock an old
man over two or three times. The head at
| tenuant told me that he hal often reported
| this fellow to the Superintendent for his
cruel treatment OF patients, but no notice
was taken of it, The next that will men
| ton Is an Old man about eighty years OF age.
his name is George Work, he resisted ar at
| tendant--a young man weighing over two
| hundred pounds. He beat the Old man so
as to require porous plasters on his bruises.
| The patients were always complaining to
| the Superintendent of the way this attend
ant was treating them, but it did no good.
The next is man who stayed in the attic.
BY nstituting rigid investigation among
the attendants, aud protecting them against
removal for testitying to what they know,
these and many other acts of similar pur
port can be proved.
You know his political course better than
can tell you. | myself,was deprived of my
employment for being Il Democrat and fur
nishing for publication in The CLARION the
letter which | herewith append. 1t shows
IndG tic superintendent was CO0nlNlDR
with others TO keep GOV. AmeS from being
impeached. He was the adviser of Ames,
and used his time writing articles calcula-
ted to stir up war of races. | have been
told, and believe that can prove that he
said : if he was in Ames' place he would
take the Caldwells, Wilbur, Lee, Jim Hill
and few other resolute men aud go to
Nicksburg and hang Warren Cowan, DR..
OLeary, DIR. Shannon and Col Fullong and
tell Crosby to attend to his business as
Sheriff"
month ago l published over my own
signature that DR.. Compton harbored at
the Asylum, one of the bloodthirsty negro
rioters who was guilty o. the murder of
the young men at Clinton, in 1875, and that
he sent the said murderer in the Asylum
hack, to railroad depot north of Jackson,
so that he might get out OF the reach of
justice. This charge has not been denied.
To show the estimate that he places on
Democratic Legislatures, L viii mention
that he said lie could buy half of the mem
bers of tile last Legislature with pair of
pigs. Ii is for you to show what estimate
you place on his fitness for the place he is
seeking. GEORGE L. HACKLEY,
Jackson, Mississippi.