The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-01-29
Startling. Disclosures Concerning
the Asylum for the In
sane at Kalamazoo.
A Rich American Field for the Am
bidextrous Author of
Hard Cash"
Woman as Ministering Angel to Women
"A Terrible Grass-Widow.
@Never Mind, MRS. Kewley..

The story published below is not intended
as a newspaper sensation. 1t is plain reci-
tai, made and published wholly in the inter-
est of the poor dependent inmates OF the
Michigan Asylum for the Insane at Kali
amazoo. 1t is from the lips of Mrs Hem
ry Kewley, of Port Huron, who was an in
mate of the asylum for five years, and whose
sanity and reliability are fully vouched for
by host of persons Mrs. Kewley says:
1 was taken to the asylum about IL years
ago. / was really insane at the time, though
1 was improving and probably never would
have been sent there if my husband had been
a loyal, honorable Nan. / remember that 1
soon noticed cruel treatment of the patients
in hall No. 15, but l was melancholy and
wrapped up in my own troubles, so took
but little notice of it at the time; it did not
disturb me much in my then frame of mind.
ONE CRUEL PRACTICE
the attendants INDUCED in was that of reach
ing down and jerking patients feet from un-
der them. Sometimes the fall occssioned
the patient great pain. About FIVE weeks
before 1 went to the asylum l accidentally
ran a needle into my right foot and 1t re-
manned there. 1t often caused me pain, and
was anxious TO get rid of 1t. Some two or
three months after entering the asylum ]
was standing looking out OF a window AS
stood there l felt the needle pain me, and
the idea occurred to me that perhaps might
be able to force it out, SO l 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 base board but
one Of the attendants-a grass widow-Lecty
Ogden by name-had. What are you
doing, Mrs Kewley," she sa,d, and pointed
to the marks on the wall. For the first time
| now observed the marks and stopped lit
tie to examine them, when the attendant
| quickly jerked my feet from under me and
l struck fairly On nay back. The shock al
most stunned rue end could not have got
up Immediately if left alone. But Lecty
called her sister, Louise. and at the same
time threw herself on my chest. The
two put on the "ieather muf'' to secure my
hands, and buckled heavy belt around my
| waist drawing it SO tight as to interfere with
my breathing. They then assisted me to
rise, and, as l gasped for breath, they forced
me to walk, pulling and dragging me a dis.
| tance of about 40 feet to q bed room, 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.
| HEB HAND BECAME DEFoRMED
from the constant restraint. She was finally
removed to more violent hail. and died
| there. DIR. Hurd, now of the Pontiac asy-
! lum, told me that she dld-regain her senses
before death. Once in a while during her
suffering in our hall loosened the belt which
| confined her hands and let her work the muff
of herself. did not dare be seen touching
her. They did not feed her enough, and she
often begged me to bring some food from the
table. / cld 60 several times, but was put
under the restraints and ordered to deslst.
| This was not by the doctor, but by Mrs.
| Ogden and Mrs. Caffrev. The ''muff' is
something like lady's muff in shape, but
festensthe hands securely. Inside that roo.:i
they fastened me in 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 win
| dow and settled OH my shoulders. l was
| given no breakfast. | saw no one and was
| given no chance to explain, and l was left
there until eight in the evening without
| food. The snow on my back, on the seat be-
side me, on the floor at my feet was more
than an inch thick when was released. AT
six Mrs. Ogden came and offered me food.
| but would not release my hands nor loosen
| the band around my waist / 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 10 do either.
l.
board If she would release me, but she said
she would show them to DR.. Palmer and he
would order me kept where l was for q
month. l then asked her to lower the win.
/ dow, and she said i deserved what l suffer.
! ing; she would teach me not to do it again.
/ When she finally did release the belt around
| my WHIST at s p. M, and the rush of blood
that eDsued caused me to fail to the floor
| helpless, she.
GRAsPED NE BY THE HAIR
and dragged me out of the room. She then
/ called her sister, and they proceeded to take
4 off my clothing. Their violent behavior st
tracted the attention OF another patient, Mrs
Blakely, who never appeared insane, and
/ did lots of knitting and sewing. She grssped
chair and struck them, saying, You have
frozen and starved her all day, and you mus
/ let her alone; you shan't tanialiZe her any
longer" They then left me, jerked her feel
from under her, jumped on her, pulled
mauled and pummeled until they had sub
dued her. They then put on the muff and
the restraint beltaround her waist and jerked
her into the room. was too weak to assist
her CT should have done so. She was lefl
in the room and with the restraints on al
night. / afterward asked her whether they
kept her fastened on the seat all night, bui
her answer has escaped my memory.
Every day the atrocious conduct of ths
vixenish attendants shocked my nerves
Probably no day passed in which some &C
of tyranny or brutality was not practiced
which should never be seen in the treatmen
of criminals, much less in an asylum for ths
insane.
1t was IN the fall that l went to tn,
asylum. During the winter new hall wa
finished off. and in the spring was transfer
red from No. 10 to the new or No. Ii hall
Not many weeks afterward / saw horribl,
crime committed. Between 10 and IL ons
spring morning WIS sewing on one side o
the hall IL wss chiliy and I Was on
bench near the steam coils which ran along
side the wall. Beside me sat patient. b,
name Mrs. Hamilton This lady was yer,
melancholy always, and had a habit o
chewing paper as gum. She was doing Sc
that morning, when an attendant, familiarl,
known as Miss Emrns, but whose surname
forget, noticed her and said, Mrs. Hamil
ton, what are you chewlng?"
Paper"
.Have ! not told you not to do thate'