The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-03-22
The ASYLUM Mystery.

one important fact. That Is. that the
poisoning Of the six patients at the Luna
tic Asylum, was the result OF neither zig
norance' nor s.carelessness" on the part of
the management of the Inst tuition. 1t
further makes clear the proposition, that
the poison aconitine-was not gotten from
the Asylum dispensary or from either Of
the suspicion that some one of the patients
was the party who placed the fatal drug in
the medicine cups. In sort the terrible
tragedy was neither the result of accident
DOR carelessness on the part of the physicians
there, nor of the frenzied cunning of
lunatic. s
With these doubts aud suspicious removed
effectually, the terrible occurrence resolves
itself into disbolcal crime. There is no
other rational conclusion to reach In the
premises. Who was the instigator and who
the perpetrator Of the strocious act Is the
mystery to unravel. 1t is certain that the
poison as not procured at the Asylum, and
1t Is equally certain that 1t could not have
been gotten at either Of the drug stores Of
Staunton. Where was 1t gotten and who
procured itp At this writing there is no
possible clue to an answer. And the object
OF this article is TO suggest that the Gov
ernor Of the State at once institute search
ing investigation, through reliable and
trained detectives, to the end that the terri
BILE mystery may be solved, and the guilty
party exposed and brought 10 Justice. This
should be done, let the cost be what 1t may.
II necessary, not city in the Union should
escape thorough and searching exam ina
ton. The crime rests somewhere-the
drug was procured somewhere-and to
learn the latter would be to locate the for
GERS, 1t is due to the patients, and the
friends of the patients, it is due to the State
and it is due TO the Governor who made
the appointments Of the Directors, who Sc
lected the officers that administer the affairs
| Of the Asylum.
Partizan malice had gone so tar as to To-
| cate the blame OF the tragedy upon one Of
| the physicians OF the Institution, without
waiting for the investigation that was in
progress. It had gone so far as to arraign
the fidelity of the jury of inquest, although
each one of them is politically hostile to
| the management, and all OF them gentle
men above reproach and who stand high in
this community in all the relations OF life.
| 1t had gone so far as to criminate not only
the prescription physician, but arraign the
Readjuster party, and charge the crime to
and complete testimony brushes away all
these malicious suspicious and fabrications.
! Now a W ider range should be taken and a
more comprehensive plan adopted to fix the
responsibility for one of the most diaboli-
cal crimes that was ever committed in this
or any other State, or stirred the sensibili-
ties of any people.
We pity the wretch. who could so far
forget his manhood, and what is due to hui
manity, as to make the charge, before lie
vestigation was completed, and without
even fact to Justify 1t, that the terrible
tragedy was chargeable to the negligence
or ignorance OF enc of the physicians.
With such a perverted sense OF Justice
such malignant partizan spirit, no inter
est OF community would be safe-no rela-
ton OF life too sacred for its fendish inva
sion. Aud after the clear and exhaustive
testimony OF Pref Mallet, carrying the
conviction TO every honest mind that no
blame could attach In that direction, to re-
peat the charge, amounts to diabolism and
brands the creature who utters 1t as flend
ncarnate, ''whom it were base fattery to
call a william"
We hope Gov. Cameron will address
himself to searching investigation OF the
whole matter. 1t having been clearly
proven that The deadly poison discovered
BY Prof Mallet could not have been OBJ
tanned at the Asylum. and 1t being further
known that 1t was not Obta ined at the
Staunton drug stores, the conclusion is
fixed that it was procured somewhere else
By whom? 1t is known that no druggist
would sell such fatal poison, except to a
physician, or on physician written pre-
scription, or to aregnlar druggist. Let the
| best detectives of the country, at any cost,
be employed. and with the case narrowed
| down to so close point, 1t is possible to
discover the criminal and bring him to JUS
tce.