The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-04-03
SPEECH OF JUDGE EsTILL.

] fbAEAl ~ 4EOA EEAa4uLH lev -AHh ANlll.
with the hope of better gOyernneit-
to have returned from our mission
with the glad tidingS that all Is well,
but fair investigation and 4 truthful
rendering of the evidence given would
not Justify this.
Our Investigations were made with
closed doors and away from the asy
lum, and this, for obvious reasons.
Had it been public investigation. i'll
which the accused parties hid been
present in person, and by attorneys to
intimidate and croSs-eXalnine witness
Is, while the members of the commit
tee would go 10 further than to ask
such questions rs would call Oat the
actual facts, the facts would not have
been aScertained-the investigation
would have been farcical. Where Il
| large number Of witnesses believed
that recital of the facts within their
knowledge would lead TO their dis
charge from the positions they Occu-
pied, 1t Is easy to imagine Whit success
would have attended our efforts had
these witnesses been called to speak in
the presence of the person who could
discharge them at once, and him ll;Ick-
ed by crafty lawyers, to confuse and
entrap. Again, the people We're eXcit-
/ ed with the TumOrS ailOat. and anxious
! TO ascertain the facts, so that it would
have been next to impossible TO pro-
cure hall sufficiently large To accom-
nOdate those desiring 10 be present
and hear the revelations. ! might as
sign other FU;lSOus for our course,
which was denOminated a 'star cham
her investigation" by those who evil
IDENTIFY feared to have light turned up
on their transactions; but, | appre-
hend, their candid mind will readily
conceive that no other than the course
adopted would have been efficient in
extracting the facts from the Witness
Is brought before us.
FIFTY WITNESSES Examined.
We examined about fifty witnesses.
Some had been discharged from the
| institution; others had resigned; some
had been displaced by their positions
being abolished; hut q large majority
are present employees of the Asylum.
1t is proper to say that there were no
swift witnesses. Many showed q will
| lingness to testify to what they know.
\ few plead ignorance, and refused to
answer intelligently. Others begged
TO be excused from telling what they
knew, fearing that to tell the truth
would be at cost of losing the pOsitions
they occupied.
The evidence Was taken down in
shorthand and is made part of the re-
port | aIn now about to submit.
| When we remember that the people
of Ohio are SchOoled in liherality and
charity; that our granaries are filled to
lOyerllOwing; that the purse-Strings of
the people are lOOSened to the call of
beneyOlence; that the hand of charity
| is always open to the deserving, and
that the Golfers of the State Treasury
! freely pour out from their abundance
whatever is needed to- relI9Ve all the
distressed and ;,!!licted within our
| borders. those who read the sworn
statements of the fifty witnesses sub
mitted with and made part of the re-
port l am about to offer will do SO with
heavy hearts, and arise frqm the
peruSal with burning indignation at
the recital Of
'iAEaBs mhumanity to man."
We We're sent out to gather wheat, il
good seed had heen east UpOn the
ground, but il tares had been sOwn to
return with taTes. We have filled our
mission and returned to you with our
gleanings, and submit them to your
careful consideration in the report |
now offer.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
To the House Of Representatives., &ttig-
third General assembly:
The Committee of the House of Rep
lresentatives, appointed under House
resolution No. 1GO, adopted March Z,
1879, requiring them TO Immediately
investigate IS TO the truth of certain
charges of inhunan and cruel treat
ment inflicted on the insane patients 40
LOngyiew Asylum, and to report to this
House at as early day as practicable,
by bill, or otherwise, having made such
Investigation would respectfully re-
port:
That they visited Cincinnati for the
purpose Gf taxing testimony bearing
upon the subject, arriving in the city
on the 10th instant and remaining
there until the 14th engaged in the eX-
animation of witnesses. They ex-
amined fOrty-nine, selecting such per-
sons as would be likely to be possessed
of accurate information touching the
subject matter under investigation, de-
rived from personal observation or
from personal experience. From
the nature nf the case tie persons
having tbs knowledge Of the conduct
OF the Asylum were such as have
heen inmates of the institution, or
such as have been, or are, employed in
or about it, regularly or occasionally.
il is such witnesses as these that your
committee examined. These persons
gave their testimony, which Is en-
bodied and made part Gf this report,
in 4 spirit of clnddE, WithOSt apparent
malice on prejudice, and IN such Il man
ner so US to make a deep impression
upon the committee and to convince
them of the truthfulneSS of the state
mentS made. Not all of the witnesses
had equal sources of information, Int
among those who had had about equal
facilities for CLEANING knowledge of
the subject the force of the testimony
was greatly emphasized by being cor
rObOrdtiye and cumulative. The evil
dence of persons ut present employed
III the Asylum is of special value, be-
ing in the nature of unwilling teSti-
mOny. The emplOye alWays stands in
some fear of the employer, and the
testimony OF the former against the
latter is not easily obtained, but when
obtained has added weight Your
committee, in the examination of these
and all witnesses, pursued such a
course rs was in their Judgment adapt
ed to eliciting the whole truth aud to
facilitate the investigation, having no
desires IN the FIeRtses save To make a
full and impartial Investigation of the
conduct of the l.Ongyiew Asylum. us
directed by this House. Your COM
mittee return from their labOrS, Us
they went to them, without personal
Ill-Wlll toward, or prejudice against,
any officer connected with the institu-
ton; but they are unanimously of the
opinion, and they 50 report to this
body, that the charges of inhuInan and
cruel treatment 0f the unhappy in
mates of that asylum for the insane
are sustained by the evidence. The
hapless ones whose reason is de-
thrOned. ShOuld by reason of their
helpleSSneSS, command the greatest I
care Of their guardian, the State. III
the unfortunate inmates of this insti-
tuition are cruelty gagged. and beaten,
and ducked, and lll-fed, and Scantily
clothed, and "tIken down." and
"spread-eagled, (the technical names
Of inhuman punishments) and over
worked, and subjected to va
riOus needless punishments of
revolving severity, and become the vic
tins of ineXcusable neglect, and in
many cases left in their last moments
with no hand TO administer to their
dying wants, and these facts come to
the knowledge Of the state that is
thereafter guilty of this iuhuman and
cruel treatment, should it occur. a
retreat for the insane is not State
prison. and peniteItiary treatment Is
highly inappropriate in 4 house for |
those whose only Offense is that their
minds are gone. Such modes of treat !
ment rs have just been mentioned |
would be Of doubtful humanity and
prOpriety in an institution whose con
iinement IS the most ignOminOus pun
ishment save capital punishment, and
is certainly shameful and cruel in the
last degree in an institution where
confinement is meant to he a mercy \
but the evidence submitted herewith |
shows that the cruelties have been in
flicted upon the unhappy inmates of
the I.Ongyiew Asylum.