The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-02-20
OUR INSANE ASYLUM.
tFrom the Portland Telegram. !


From the Portland Telegraml
But short distance from this city ex-
lists an establishment which contains
more of human woe and misery than
could be written in lifetime. It is the
Oregon asylum for the idiotic and in
sane, and under the careful management
of DR.. Hawthorne; is model of good or
der and cleanliness, or at least as nearly
as an institution of this kind can be.
Thinking brief description of it would
prove interesting to our readers, who
may have dread for such a place and
would not visit it, we have gone through
the various wards and will give in brief
a portion of what we saw and heard.
On Saturday last, by invitation, we
crossed the river and walked over to the
House of Lamentation. The buildings
are beautifully located, the grounds
ornamented with trees and shrubbery,
the proach for the time being banish-
ing that queer feeling which involun-
tarily rises in ones breast. We were
met at the western entrance by Mr..
Beatty, first attendant. who has spent
the greater portion of his time in such
an institution, to whom we stated the OBJ
ject of our visit. He very kindly
INVITED US INSIDE,
And we started on our tour. The dining
hall of the first ward is light, cheerful
and airy room, as in fact every room
about the building is, except the cellar.
the walls ornamented with bright-colored
pictures. The long tables were spread
for supper and very much resembled the
dining-room of our city hotels. Every
thing was as neat and clean as an old
maids pinafore. We pa ssed on through
into the ward where the convalescents
were assembled. They all spoke pleas
antly as we passed and seemed very
cheerful and contented. The general
appearance was good, all being well
dressed and orderly. The floors were as
bright and clean as if freshly waxed.
Throwing open door, and by the way
we will remark that not a door within
reach of the inmates can boast of knobs,
they are unlocked and opened with the
key we emerged into the second ward
dining-hall, which was the counterpart
of the one first entered. The wards are
the same also, having hall about twelve
feet wide down the center, with cross
hall at the end the same width. On
either side were the rooms containing
comfortable beds, while in each ward, as
in every part of the building, hose are at
hand ready to be attached to large pipes
and put into use
IN CASE OF CoNFLAGRATIoN,
The stoves must be very violent about
the Asylum, as they are all put in iron
cages and securely locked. We had
grown to feel rather at home than other
wise. until our guide, as he opened a
door, says, quietly, ''This is the worst
ward-many of whom are incurable, and
some frequently rave" We timidly re-
marked, Don't let them rave until we
get out, as it would be more fun to watch
them from the outside" We entered and
the first person we met was Judge Rey-
nolds of Canyon City. He was compar-
atively quit. but he possessed the grip
of dredging scoop as he shook hands.
We were pleased to see him, but not so
emphatic. The crowd were assembled in
the Hall intersections, listening to the
Patriarch of the World and Jesus Christ
talking politics. They were discussing
the intellect of jackson and Henry Clay,
and their audience, while looking at
them, kept up strange movements pecu
liar to insanity We never was a poll
tician and took not half so much interest
in the discussion as we did to keep close
to the heels of Mr.. Beatty, and our
weather-eye scanning the horizon. We
breathed free and became very talkative
when the door opened to let us out, be-
fore one of them could get rave in on
us. Next we came to the Women's Wards.
In the first and second all was quiet and
orderly, many of them being engaged in
sewing, knitting, tatting, etc., and chat
ted gaily with each other. Some, how
ever, were sitting idly by, nursing their
sorrow in silence, We missed one in
mate from the second ward, and that was
CHARITY LAMB.
In early days she murdered her hus-
band by splitting his head open with an
axe. She served years in the Peniten-
tiary and was at length sent to the Asy-
lum, where she died last fall by stroke
of apoplexy. She imagined she was
serpent and kept up a continual kissing.
She was very beautiful woman, having
hair and eyes as black as night and com.
plexion as pure as alabaster The dining
halls of these wards are the same as those
described. only more handsomely orna-
mented by the handiwork of the ladies.
The halls and neat white beds are also
more homelike and comfortable. Having
chatted pleasantly with number and re-
ceived invitations to 'cal1 again." we
were conducted to the most repulsive
ward in the building, being the one for
incurable and idiotic women. The scenes