Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-24

William Zackendorf, of Tucson, Arizona
has made an assignment. He owes about
$160, 600, and his assets are said to exceed
that amount.
William G. Westcott was killed by a
boiler explosion, near Driften, Penna.,
on Thursday.
sTORIEs Or CRUEL TREATMENT.
Serious Charges Against Dixmont Hospital
Startling stories of cruelty to patients
at the Western Pennsylvania hospital for
the insane at Dixmont were reported to q
legislative investigating committee in
Pittsburgh yesterday. A. P. Hopkins,
who spent six months in the asylum last
summer, in his testimony said "One
day while sitting at the dinner table l
thought it would be a good joke on the
attendants to pretend to take a spasm
as another man was accustomed to
do. stiffened myself and threw N.Y.
self back in my chair. was Immediately
seized and taken to ward No. 8, where
some strong medicine was given me.
Then Leggatt Hamilton, Robert Parks,
John Gennef, and another attendant tried
to put straightiacket on me. resisted
and struck at Gennef. They threw me
down and choked me, jumped on me
with their knees, and broke a rib on my
right side and one on my left. Twas ex-
amined by two physicians, who said some
of my ribs were broken. can bring cer-
tificates from them" The witness said
he had never consulted any of the Dix
mont physicians, as the patients generally
understood that they were not allowed to
speak to the doctors. "After throwing
me down." continued the witness, s'they
put the straitjacket on me and kept it on
for nearly ten days, during most of which
time I was tied down to the bed. The
pain in my arms was excessive on account
of the impeded circulation. This injury
to my ribs was inflicted on me about three
months before I was released, and felt
the effects of it for some time after
wards"
Another instance of cruelty was cited
by Mr.. Hopkins as follows: "There was
a man named Miller who had been sent
from the Western penitentiary. Miller
makes affidavit, which have in letter
here, that he saw a man tied down in bed
and SO badly abused that he died two
hours afterward. Miller himself told me
that he had been badly injured by his
treatment while there. On one OCCASION"
SdlU LILO WlLu0SS, Out VI Gu0 dtltuuduGS
kicked Swede in the mouth because he
told him to get up, and the man did not
do so because he did not understand.
Letters that patients wrote did not reach
their friends"
DR.. Savin, of Erie, who was an inmate
of tho asylum for two years, was also ex-
amined and cited many instances Of cruel
ty. "An old man," said he, "named
Morris, who was insane, wanted to get
out. The attendant opened the door aud
threw him on the floor and squeezed him
brutally to make him quiet. saw that.
I often heard crying from rooms which
came from cruel treatment. There was q
German there named Thumm. I don't
know how long he was in. Thumm one
time asked an attendant for broom, and
he was thrown into his room He had
been in my room, and saw he was insane.
After that I heard fall. and when the
door was opened and Mr.. McMasters and
others picked him up there was blood on
his face, and in few days he was dead
The keeper did not abuse him further than
push him into his cell. I cannot tell
whether the push made the fall. The fall
occurred after the door was Shut
The institution has always been CON-
sidered model one, and stories of cruelty
have caused great excitement. The inyes
tigation will be continued.