The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-03-08

81
derstood and appreciated.
If all of the readers of the Richmond Dis
patch were as well acquainted with its CORES.
pondent "Vox" as are the people of Staunton,
they would be surprised at nothing contained
in his communications, unless it were a cor
rect report of some occurrence. In his pant.
ing after sensation and efforts to pad" he
overleaps the barriers of fact and fairly revels
in the green pastures of romance. His first
dispatches on the Asylum poisoning cases
were characteristic. His description of the
terror of the patients and CONSERVATION of the
officers was exceeding dramatic but 30 for
egn to any thing that had really transpired
that, considering the seriousness of the SUBJ
ject, we made point of correcting the i'm.
preston likely to be created. The truth is the
enterprising "Vox" was not at the Asylum
Saturday evening when the jury was present.
nor do we belieYe he was there at all that day
The quietness which reigned then was the
subject of general remark, as it was SUBJ
sequently. If the CONSERVATION was SO appa-
rent why was it not mentioned in the local
paper with which "Vox's" name is connected {?
Certainly 80 prominent feature of the sad
affair would have been brought out had there
been foundation for it. The reason is easily
explained: The dispatches were read by per-
sons who knew nothing of the facts, whilst
the local paper was read by those familiar
with them and who would have themselves
condemned any such unfounded statements
In defending those statements in Saturdays
Dispatch "Vox" charges the writer of this
with suppressing facts for party purposes
The question of party was never thought Of
by this writer, nor do we believe it entered the
minds of either of the jurymen or any of the
gentlemen present during the inquest, save
and except the aforesaid correspondent Had
there been anything of politics involved, it
would hardly have been fair that every one
connected with the investigation should have
been OF one political faith. The Coroner, the
attorney for the Commonwealth, every mem
Der of the jury, the doctors from the town
who attended the patients Saturday evening,
the doctor who conducted the post norton
examinations, and the chemist under whose
supervision those examinations were made,
were each and every one opposed politically
to the officers of the Institution. And yet, as
stated, we do not believe that the question
Of party entered for one moment into their de-
alterations. They were seeking diligently and
honestly to get at the cause of the shocking
deaths. unmindful of whom it would hurt or
whom it would exonerate. 1t was left for the
enterprising correspondent in question to in
ject into one of the most solemn and distress
ing occurrences the venom of politics.
1t may have been possible, as stated, that
he found one of the female patients who knew
nothing of the particulars of the crime, and
there may have been Others equally ignorant.
1t is not presumed that the officers made a
point of going through the various wards and
apprising the inmates of the condition of af-
fairs. But they did not try to conceal it from
any. Our reporter was at the Asylum on Sat-
urday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednes-
day and Thursday, and upon each occasion
conversed with one or more of the patients
He was permitted to talk indiscrIminately
cents to the poor demented creatures IN the
4th ward, the officer who accompanied him
having given that liberty. All whom he ap-
preached knew or had known of the poison
ing. Some had evidently forgotten all about
it. The attendants also talked freely, giving
the reporter all the facts connected with the
deaths, and avoiding anything like conceal
ment either in the presence of the patients or
otherwise.
"Vox" closes his communication with the
statement that DR.. Hamilton took occasion on
Wednesday to thank him for his flair and &C.
curate" report. This ia not surprising. The
doctor was doubtless thankful for very small
favors from tina. quarter The dispatches We'd
nesday, compared with those of Saturday,
were 80 free from sensation that it was really
gratifying to note the improvement.
We do not wish our readers to suppose that
we attach importance TO any thing "Vox"
may say in ITSELF The fact that his pro-
auctions might have been read by persons
who have friends in the Asylum, and who
would be greatly disturbed by them. is our
reason for consuming space in referring TO
this matter. We leave it now with this prop
osition: If DIR. Hamilton or any one else who
knew the facts will say that "Vox's" dispatches
ofSaturday were" fair ami accurate and that the
terror and commotion described reigned about
he Asylum, we will acknowledge that we are
in error and that the correspondent afore-men-
Toned never made a mistake in his life