Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-06
A TERRIBLE HISTORY.


the poor, dependent inmates Of the Michigan
asylum for the insane at Kalamazoo
Inasmuch as the lady, part of whose expe-
rience there it is-and who was never violently
insane-was a resident of Port Huron before
sh ewas sent to the asylum, and has resided
here quietly with her son and daughter for six
years since her escape; as she has bought her a
home and paid for it; has gone into the circuit
court and by virtue of her own mistaken testi-
nony sustained and corroborated, reclaimed
property which rascally husband had endeav-
ored to fitch from her: as she has demonstrated
her sanity in many ways; and because her story
now told is corroborated, in SO much as is at
present possible, by her daughter and by other
persons, and because by every rule of reason
ing and all forms of analogy,
TT WEARS THE AIR OF TRUTH
and appeals to human reason and the human
heart, we feel called upon to publish it in our
columns. This is the account given by Mrs
Henry Kewley, of Port Huron, Mich, of her
FIVE YEARS INCARCERATION
in the Michigan insane asylum at Kalamazoo,
in answer to questions put by reporter for
the Commercial:
Twas taken to the asylum about eleven years
ago. was really insane at the time, though
was improving, and probably never would have
been sent there if my husband had been loyal,
honorable man.
One cruel practice the attendants INDUCED in
was that of reaching down and jerking
patients feet from under them.
Sometimes the fall occasioned the patient
great pain. 1 will tell you my first experience
of that. About five weeks before l went to
the asylum 1 accidentally a needle into
my right foot, and it remained there. 1t
often caused me pain, and was anxious to get
rid of it.
Some two or three months after entering the
asylum l was standing looking out of win
dow. 1t was the beginning of very cold day,
and we were about to be called to breakfast.
As stood there felt the needle pain me- and
the idea occurred to me that perhaps might
be able to force 1T out, 50 rasped my foot
against the base or mop-board two or three
times, with that object only in my mind.
had not noticed that my gloVe-kid shoes had
made marks on the white Dashboard, but one
of the attendants-a grass widow, Lecty Ogden
by name-had.
what are Won doing, Mrs. Kewley?" she
said, and pointed to the marks on the wall.
For the first time ! now observed the marks,
and stopped little to examine them, when the
attendant quickly jerked my feet from under
me- and | struck fairly on my back. The shock
almost stunned me, and could not have got
up Immediately if left alone. But Lecta called
her sister Louise, and at the same time threw
herself on my chest. The two put ON the
Leather mutf'' to secure my hands, and buck
led heavy belt around my waist drawing 1t so
tight as to interfere with my breathing. They
then assisted to rise, and as l gasped for
breath they forced me to walk, pulling and
dragging me distance of about forty feet to a
bedroom known as Mrs. Readers room.
The room was known as Mrs. Readers room,
because she was kept in that room and strapped
down to that bench in the day, and often to
the bed at night, for two and half years.
Her hands became deformed from the constant
restraint. She finally removed to
a more violent hall, and died there.
Doctor Hurd now of the Pontiac ASYLUM,
toll me- haf She before
death. Once in while l loosened the belt
which confined her hands and let her work the
muff off herself. did not dare to be seen
touching her. They did not feed her enough,
and she often asked me to bring some food
from the table. l did SO several times but was
put under the restraints and ordered to de-
sist. This not done by the doctor, but by
Mrs. Ogden and Mrs. Caffrev.
lNoTE-The ''muff' is something like lady's
muff in shape, but fastens the hands securely. !
Inside that room they fastened me in a sitting
posture near the open window. could move
my feet, but not my hands or body. A mixture
of sleet and snow was falling, which blew in at
the window and settled on my shoulders. l was
given my breakfast l saw no one and was
gwen no chance to explain, and was left there
out food. The snow on my
back. on the seat beside me, on the floor about
my feet, was more than half an inch thick
when 1 was released. At six Mrs. Ogden came
aad offered me food. but would not release nv
hands nor loosen the band around my waist.
I objected to eating out of her hand, and said
that could not eat any way unless the belt
around my waist was loosened. She refused to
do either. l offered to clean the marks from
the base board if she would release me, but she
said she would show them to DR.. Palmer, and
he would order me kept where was month.
L then asked her to lower the window, and she
said l deserved what l suffering; she
would teach me not to do so again. When she
finally did release the belt around my waist at
8P. M the rush of blood that ensued caused
to fall to the floor helpless, she grasped me
by the hair and dragged me out of the room.
She then called her sister, and they proceeded to
take off my clothing. Their violent behavior
attracted the attention of another patient,
Mrs. Blakely, who never appeared insane, and
did lots of knitting and sewing. She grasped
chair and struck them, saying: you have
frozen and starved her all day, and you must
let her alone; you shant tantalize her any
longer" They then left ME, ierked her feet
from under her, jumped on her, pulled, mauleC
and pummeled until they had subdued her
They then put on the mutt and the restraint
belt around her waist and jerked her into tn,
room. l was too weak to assist her. or should
have done so. She was left in the room anC
with the restraints on all night. 1 afterwarc
asked her whether they kept her fastened OF
the seat all night, but her answer has escaped
my memory
Every day the atrocious conduct of the vixen
ish attendants shocked my nerves. Probabl,
no day passed in which some act of tyranny O.
brutality was not pract ced which should neve
be seen in the treatment of criminals, mucl
less in an asylum for the insane
1t was in the fall that went to the asyl UNI
During the winter new hall was finished off
and in the spring l was tran sferred from Nc
Is to the new. or No. IA hall. Not many week
afterward l horrible crime committed
Between 10 and IL o'clock one spring mornin!
1 was sewing on one side of the hall. It wa
Ihilly, and was on bench near the steam
coils, which ran alongside the wall. Besid
me sat patient by name Mrs. Hamilton
This lady was very melancholy always, ant
had habit of chewing paper as gum. She wa
doing so that morning. when an attendant
Familiarity known as Miss Emma, but who's
surname forget, noticed her and said:
Mrs. Hamilton, what are you chewing?"
Paper
ing her ears violently.
Il don't know as it does any harm, and I vii
chew it whenever l can get it, (rising an
showing Miss Emma).
The latter jerked Mrs. HIS feet from unde
her, and as she fell her head came in contac
with the iron steam-coils, making a noise tina
seemed to me to sound as loud as the report @
pistol. Mrs. II. gave shrek of anguish, an
4. Il any woman deserving of place among huma
Z kind would have had mercy. But Miss Emm
threw herself on the woman's chest and Gale
to another attendant, her sister, to bring th
restraints. Mrs. Hamilton struggled SO frar
!. tically that they desisted from their efforts
put them on, but the two ruthlessly dragge
her across the hall and dashed her into beC
room, slamming and locking the door.
had struggled to maintain my composur
remembering from former experiences that
could do nothing but get into trouble mysel
But was cutting dress for Mrs. Hamilton