News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-20
KILLED BY CRUELTY.
A Case of Insane Asylum Brutality
and Neglect by Covetous Rela-
tiyes.

| A Case of Insane Asylum Brutalit
and Neglect by Covetous Rela
tiyes.
A Philadelphia dispatch says Eliz
ette NJ. Grant, who was for time al
inmate of DR.. Alfred T. Livingstone'
private insane asylum, at Wayne
Station, Delaware County, and who wal
recently brought to Kirkbrides, ant
thence to the residence of her uncle
John A. McAllister, in this city, dice
Friday morning. Her uncle has made
affidavit before Coroner Janney that hel
death resulted from maltreatment al
Livingstone's institution, and a war.
rant has been issued for his arrest,
The cruelties practiced on Miss Grant
in DR.. Livingstone's Delaware County
Asylum are described by Miss Leslie
Hastings, of No. 2135 Arch street, who
had special charge of her as nurse.
"Miss Grant was no more insane than
I am," said Miss Hastings Friday.
"She would naturally feel sad after
losing several of her relatives. Her
treatment in Livingstone's place was
cruel in the extreme. Her general bear
ing," continued Miss Hastings, "was
gentle and lady-like. and yet the medi-
cal student, Clifford, who was in charge,
gave her hypodermic injections of NOR
phia to keep her quiet. He would
catch her roughly by the arm, push up
her sleeve and plunge the syringe into
the quivering flesh, which was turned
up in knots, causing her great deal of
pain"
Mrs. S. Smith, who was employed at
the Wayne Station establishment for
several months and then came to the
Locust street main institution and re-
manned until January 16 last, assisted
in looking after Miss Grant, and she
says the treatment of the patient was
entirely improper and harsh. 81 have
often soothed her by quietly reading to
her or talking to her and getting her
mind away from her malady. Then she
YVES as rational as anybody and con-
versed with me as well as any one could.
DR.. Clifford was very brutal to her.
Sometimes, when she had her spells
and shrieked, he would come, aud,
showing the hypodermic needle, would
remark, DO you see that you'll get
that if you don't keep quiet. 1t had
bad effect on her. She would get SO
nervous she could hardly sit still.
"Miss Grant demonstrated with Cliff
ford for his cruelty, but he only asked
me to hold my hand over her mouth to
keep her quiet, which never did. The
price paid for the care of Miss Grant
was less than that paid for others of the
patients. The room she occupied was
one of the worst in the house, being
next to the roof, and containing no
comforts in the way of carpets or good
furniture. During the coolest days of
the winter the stove in her room did
not cnntair, +i~ei~-,r,+iI as.ftor +o-a o'clock
in the morning. Her bed was peculiarly
uncomfortable, and was not even pro-
vided with bolster, although she often
asked for one. Miss Grant has been
wronged and cruelty treated. The pa
tients were generally badly used. l
became disgusted with the place and
left.
"Pve known the injections to be
made three or four times day. 1t Kept
her in q sort of drunken stupor. She
was always worse when she got over
The effects. Then she had other medi-
cine to take. Another way of quieting
ner," continued. the nurse, "to
prevent her shrieks from being heard,
was for the doctors and an attendant to
lold towel tightly over her mouth and
nose. I've seen her that way until she
vas black in the face. Then the hypo
lermlc was given to her. She begged
md prayed that this might not be done.
[ said I could not understand why this
treatment was given to Miss Grant,
Who was generally quiet, and not
% my special patient, who was
always noisy. I said it was not |
oroper. Clifford said he had his
,rders from DIR. Livingstone, and
would carry them out. The hypoder-
mic operated very quickly on Miss
Grant. I have seen another person
,therized several times. Then the
light was put out, and that poor soul
vas left alone in that dark room all |
light. Clifford was in the next one. |
She breathed so heavily that he became
Harmed. The next day she rose up in
Ter bed and began tearing at her side
nd shrieking, 'Oh, my heart oh, my
leart 7 and calling for her friends.
When her mother came one day Miss
the doctors sister, called
ne aside and asked me not to say any
hing about the ether"