The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-04-04
ALMSH0USE HORRORS
cRuELTREATMENroF THE INMATES
Deprived Of the x.e.ssItIs. of Life Will. Living
and Their bodies Sold whsn Dssd-LabOr
Strikes In Various Parts ofths COaptry.
Strange Conduct OF . mlnIitsr.

BosroS, April 3.-The Committee on
Public Charitable Institutions resumed the
inquiry into the management OF the State
Aims. house atTewksburg. Ex.Watchman
Dudley testified that when he detected
Marsh, Marsh told him to keep still about
what he had seen OF loading bodies at the
dead house. Marsh says: 1--WE got to
have some pay for our trouble in taking
care Of these critters" Witness gave de.
tails OF the case Of q man who was put into
cell intoxicated, and died In four days
from neglect. Saw Q light in the trunk
room at night several times after the in.
mates had retired, and!going in quietly one
night saw Captain Marsh's wife opening
trunks and taking clothing from them. The
housekeeper, now in Middleiown, told
him she had seen the same thing, and that
the most valuable dresses were taken by
Mrs. Marsh to her private storeroom and
made over for Davis girls; twenty chill.
Ndren in one ward used to cry at night be-
cause OF hunger. One night, out OF curl.
osity, went 10 the burying ground and saw
four bodies resurrected and driven oil
in wagon. State food for the inmates
and insane was always very poor. The
allowance OF other food was very slender.
A man who drove the hospital team told
witness he had taken up sixty.eight bodies
in eight months. The man was dissatis-
fled then, but next day showed "few
hundred" which, he said Tom (Marsh)
had given him." Witness was afterwards
appointed with his wife, to take careof the
female insane. The trunks Of the insane had
been taken away. The beds, OF straw, were
in q rotten condition, with insufficient cloth
ing; the cells were in q filthy condition.
One insane woman was in dirty cell In
the attic. She was entirely without cloth
ing, and almost skeleton. Assistants
said she was violently insane, and would
tear her clothes. She had had only one
meal day, carried to her by an idiotic
girl, who said she had always taken care Of
the woman. He watched and found the
girl threw the food away and came back
with an empty plate, telling the woman
had eaten all the food. In five or six weeks
he had the woman out OF the cell and in
the sitting room, 80 changed that her hus.
band did not know her. Her name was
Mary Barron.
Governor What1was her hus'
bands name? @s.. I3a
Witness-Ido not know he lived in
Boston.
Governor Butler-fN;ever mind; the news.
papers will bring him TO me tomorrow
morning.
On cross examination witness said that
OF seventy-three children who came there
in year only one lived.
Miss Manning testified that she got 80
much piece for transporting boxes, the
contents Of which she did not know. She
took up the business after the death Of her
brother. Thos. Marsh, j.. paid for this
work. The latter thought it would be in.
convenient to have the work done by any
one else, 80 she took It. Governor Butler
examined the witness very sharply and
endeavored to make her acknowledge she
knew what was being transported, but the
witness would not acknowledge It. She
had been paid as late as last November and
there has been boxes transported since.
Mrs. Charlotte A. Thomas, In charge oil
certain departments Of the almshouse, tes.
tilted that DR.. Parse, female doctor who
treated the patients, evidently. did not know
her business, as three patients lost their
lives through her treatment She had dit
tculty to get clothes for Mrs. Marsh to lay
out the dead, and heard the inmates com.
plain that the good clothing had been
takeA from them. In one case dead
child had been kept TOO long, and when
the father came for the body block Of
wood was put in the coffin and services
held over that. The face Of an insane girl
who had been laid out was eaten by rats.