The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-22
A DETECTIVES DISGUISE.
osE OF PNKERTOyS MEN IN THE WEST
RRy LlyiTIC ASYLUM.
Els Report as 10 How the SIX IA
sients were Poisoned Or Feb"
ruary "a. 1883.

The annual report OF l,r. Robert 5.
Hamilton, superintendent OF the Western
Lunuic ASYLUM, has been published, and
n more than intimates that the six pa
tients who were poisoned at that institu-
ton on the cath Of February last were so
dealt with by parties who wished to dis
grace his administration. lie says:
The hail in which " 1.-THE mcdicinel was kept
cannot lie called other than public passage way.
Very few Is ,r ,ssy wes ,h IN IN, hst hap OF
1 none have since then been allowed There; but OH
/ GERS, employees, and visitors have always been
permitted 81 pass and repasSand otherwise occupy
il without let or hindrance. And SO u was on the
evening referred 10. The pace. therefore. was OF
| easy access to anybody. and " the most frenZed
eremy felt dsinclined 10 risk himself here he had
every opportunity OF approach or access by means
of frlends--cIthcr male or female OF whom there
were ut least some amongst the employees thor
oughly familiar with the place In all its details.
These had every opportunity that the oruggist
| could have had; and surely Il motive could DE
more reasonably assigned In their cases To say
the least IL may reasonably be supposed lnat thcy
| bad not the same inclination which tue druggist
4 had 10 zee the present administration succeed.
Moreover, some who had hut little or no reason 10
| believe that they thenselyc, would he removed,
nevertheless had already had ONE OF their nearest
aud dearest friends so dealt WilI, ana wsio lily
\ and chsgriu. There were, ! mean, some such at
! the INSTRUCTION AZ the Time the deed was DONE ana
!
| this hall and used II up TO the very day OF the
| dreadful incident. - -
1t seems ut least possible theretore' II NOT very
probable, that the medicine nigh, have been
poisoned at the time indicated-viz.' while In the
hail.
THE POISON.
That the particular agent employed was
aconitine lin alkaloid form DR.. Hamilton.
in the light OF Professor Mallet's analysis,
thinks admits OF little or no doubt, and he
says "there has not only never been, TO our
knowledge, particle Of aconitine on the
premises, but up to the time OF the poison
ing, and after Or. Buffers connection with
the asylum, there was not one instance In
which single prescription contained any
OF the medicinal preparations Of aconite."
.sCertaiu it 49," says he, "that DR.. Butler
Ithe druggist could not have done it,"
THE DETECTIVE IN TIE ASYLUM.
Further he says:
As Is well known here, IL has al, along been the
desire of the management % leave no stone un-
turned TO ferret this thing out, and lay It's respon-
silility where II belongs, no matter where. or
upOn whom. And hence II was determined to
seek and II possible secure. even 81 great expense
the most efficient means for probing The matter to
the very bottom, and finding. IL ii could he done,
The guilty partics-no matter who they were or
where they belonged.
To do this efectually required. Of course. the
most skilfJl, yigllan, and experienced detectives:
and such. AT the same time, rs were wholly un-
known about here. Even the prominent detec-
tiyes of Richmond and Baltimore would have been
inefficient here because known 10 some fnOt many,
members Of our community. AFTER deliberltioA.
therefore, and early rs pr'cucable after the
subsidence of all excitement aud suspicion IL was
determined To employ the celebrated "PinkcT-
tons" who, while operating In all the cite of this
country, have their principal headquarters in
Philad iphia, and entirely unknown to our
people here. This was accordingly done. and done
so secretly that detectives, after having Dut them
selves i'll possession of all the facts they could by
studying the testimony given before the corOner's
Jury and otherwise, icefe on the premises here
constantly and etSeiCh6re, operating for months,
without the Fnowledge of any one lsiye the super
intenden'sl. whether official. member Of the
Board, employee, stranger, or patient.
Every facility was offered for full and free in
vestigation IN any way rna by whatsoever means
of detectives, and az a time when nobody suspect
ed IL. but when, every now and then, were heard
coming from prominent quarters such expressions
as, Well, II the officials ut tie asylum are innO-
cent, and want TO do what Is right why. i'll Gods
name don't they employ detectiye?" &c.
The Oreratiye-a dOctOr-at first sent hcl (abOut
the LIST of May, besides being a shrewd. adroit
man, of large experience as detective. was an
accomplished physician. with diploma from at
least two 1rst-class medical colleges. lie was add
united into the asylum as patient. accompanied
by officer ana All the papers. forms, &C. that
nre usual and necessary, and as he gradually i'm
proved (?l his privileges were extended. and
license To visit The city ard other surroundings ut
first With an attendant. and then alone, was al
II
possible, to enshe him. without suspicion. 10 eX-
plore infinitely and satisfactorily Tie entire field,
both within and without the precincts Of the in
stitulion. This operative. of great experience,
and with won ierful manner. fdmiliarizing him.
self with everything and becoming acquainted
with everybody, fcdS busy night and DAY from
the Isl Of May till the early part of August.
And ii NAV not he amiss TO add that those with
whom he most intimately associated all this /
timc-thOse who seemed. in fact. TO be his conf
Dental friends here. both in and about the town,
were rs rule inimical 10 the present administrl
ion. They were, TO say the least, not in sympathy
with II In any respect so far as could he known
and besides charging the terrible disaster to the
incOmDetency of the druggist were not slow TO
make known their sentiments of dislike and dis
trust on any occasion. These, say, 50 far as we
could observe, were the operatives associates and
advisers; and vet withal. after several months
constant association. vigilance, observation, and
nvesigation-reportin IN he mean time almost
daily to his principal and colleaguCs-the principal
or superintendent Of the company makes report
which concludes as follows:
"In accordance with your request, we selected
frst-cass detective 10 make the investigation. who
was furnished with every facility by yourself
while at the asylum TO get any information that
could be obtained: and the conclusion arrived al,
from The reports of the detective and personal in
teryiews, Is that the poisoning resute from no
earelessness or lack of precaution on the part of
the faculty. but was evidently the work of design,
and has been perpetrated by parties outside OF the
institution. whom n Is UNNECESSARY and would also
be injudicious 20 undertake To name al This time
~ ours, truly.
lSlgnedl "R. j. LINDEN.
superintendent, &C., TIE Pinkerton National
Detective Agencv.'"