The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-07
TIIT Asylum INyrsrIeATroN.


THE AsYLuM INVESTIGATION.
The Report Of IIle Joint Committee 70
The lsouse Of Delegates.
The iolnteommittee d thetWo houses ofthe
Legislature appointed to investigate certain
serious charges against the present admins
ttatiOn Of the State Hospital for the Insane
at Weston, Lewis county, submitted IL re.
port yesterday to the House Of Delegates.
The report Is exhaustive and quite yOlumin.
Gus, and is accompanied by q verbatim
record Of all the testimony taken BY the
committee In the process Of their lnvestiga.
ton.
The report bean on It's face the evidence Of
being an honest and impair tAl statement Of
the facts 10 the case, and We think the gen.
efAl verdict will be that the committee has
discharged IL duty ably and conScientouSly.
The report Is In substance as follows:
To tNt L<gilaiurscf Wat RVinia;
Tho undersigned, composing the commit.
tee Of the two houses Of the West Virginia
Legislature appointed under House Joint
resolution No. 5?, providing \ joint com.
mittee Of the two houses 10 visit and examine
into the sanitary condition and general man.
agement Of the Hospital for the Insane"
adopted February 2, 1859, having carefully
and impartially examined into the matters
pertaining to the said institution and con.
templated by the resolution Aforesaid, sub.
NIT the following report:
In pursuance Of the requirements Of the
said resolution, the committee, on the 18th
day Of February, 1889, assembled at the West
Virginia Hospital for the Insane, at Weston,
and, having previously designated one Of
their number TO act as chairman, the CON.
mittee was by him then and there called to
order, and various sittiugs thereof were had
from day 10 day and time TO time until the
labon incumbent upon them were com.
pieted.
On the day Of the first sitting OF the COM
mittee-to.wit: on the 18th day Of February,
lss2-5therc personally appeared before the
committee MeSsFs. James B. LoVett, William
E, Tate and William II. Bragg, three Of the
atlantis upon whose published aftidayits the
Legislature was induced to act In adopting
the resolution aforesaid, and with the con-
sent Of the committee filed the following
MEMORIAL
OF James B. Loyett, William E. Tate, viii.
lam S. WOodell and w. H. Bragg,
To the Joint Committee Of the Legislature oil
West Virginia, appointed under joint res
olution Of the two houses thereof, adopted
on the I'd day OF February, 1889, whose du.
ties by said joint resolution were defined
To be ito visit and examine into the sani.
tAry condition and general management oil
the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane,
at Weston, in the county Of Lewis"
Nh. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN You will
remember that the preamble to the resOlu,
ton under which you were appointed to
make this investigation, recited that whereas
charges were published in the form Of all.
daVits In the Clarksburg Telegram. copy
whereof was fled with the committee offer.
ing said joint resolution against the manage
ment OF the Hospital for the Insane OF this
State. You will further remember that the
afiidayits published in said paper were the
attidavits Of your memorabilia.
Said Committee having brought forward
said joint resolution on the grounds stated in
said R!lldavits fos the action Of said Legisla,
ture, and said Legislature having appointed
your Committee 10 investigate the charge.
contained In said atfldavitS so published a
Aforesaid, the said atlantis, nov your me
morialists deem it duty incumbent upon
them, as we'll as the Legislature, Ia
the public 8s to themselves, 10 render any
assistance they can TO your Committee in
facilitating fair. full and impartial investi
CATION by you Of the several charges con
tanned in said published afTldavits, and thel
here file "a copy Of said Telegram with the all
davits therein, marked Exhibit A." for the
purpose Of reiterating said charges now and
here before your Committee assembled tor
said investigation. at the place appointed in
said resolution.
Andiif such charges be denied in whole
or In part, they (your mSmorialists) ask to be
permitted to appear before your Committee
in person and by counsel, and be authorized
to suggest to your Committee to send for
such persons and papers US they may deem
necessary for the proper prosecution OF such
Investigation. And your memorialists further
state that II invited to do so, they will file in
writing specific charges covering the grounds
OF the charges made in said aftidavits, and in
addition thereto other matters not men.
toned in said aftldavitS; that, in short, they,
with their attorney, are at your service to
assist you in any manner deemed right and
proper in making the kind Of investigation
described.
The committee decided to comply with the
demand OF the memorialistS, and allow them
to be repreSentedSby counsel, and they also
invited the memOrialists 10 file specific
charges in writing against persons connected
with the said Hospital.
Thereupon appeared A. L. Hustled, Esq.,,
as counsel for the memorialists, and filed the
following charges and specifications In
writing against persons connected with the
management OF said Hospital
First-That two members OF the Executive
Committee or Local Board, Thomas J. Moore
and A. NJ. Dent, residing in Weston, have
been intoxicated to the extent oedisqualify.
| fnU than fnH thu k,nr
ness at times when their services are-re.
quired, the third member, Alfred Smith, re-
siding on farm in the country, and making
It inconvenient To transact business through
\ him.
standardization OF Dr.. N. F. HULL.
hen, First Assistant Physician.
Third-lnattention OF DR.. Hullihen to a
patient who was suffering violent pain at
night, and who was SO reported to Dr.. Hull.
hen by the night-watch, Mr.. W. II. Bragg.
Fourth-Miscondnct and inattenti0n OF
DR.. Iullihen In directing Mathematician
Bragg to 20 to the drug-room and get lauda-
mum for the patients.
Fifth The Superintendent and Local
Board ATE charged with contracting for and
buying flour at greater price than 1t can be
bought for at retail in Weston, thus losing
the State several hundred dollars in year.
Sixth-lmprOperly contracting for and
buying coal Of an inferior quality; also mis-
conduct In letting the contract Of coal in
October, 1881.
seyenth-selliug by the Superintendent to
the Board, for use on the Asylum grounds.
fifty lOcustposts at so cents each also selling
Of a horse BY the Superintendent to the Asv.
llm; both OF said articles being paid for at a
higher figure than fail. market price or their
real worth,