Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-09
MathewSOn'S Mob Of Brutal
Thugs at Their FaVurite
Pastime.
The Insane Patients Kicked.
Choked and Otherwise
Horribly Punished.
Testimony of Eye Witnesses
Given Before the Investi-
eating Committee.
Tho SIoker tho Loon tho More
Thorough the Whaling.
THE ms ANE.
Special Correspondence OF The Bsc

THE ms ANE.
Special Correspondence OF The Bsc
INVESTIGATING THE ASYLUM.
LINCOLN, February 8.-The special
committee in the senate appointed to
investigate the alleged cruelties and
abuses at the hospital for the insane
has been In session two half days and
one evening. Twelve witnesses have
been examined. They were all work.
men employed In building the new
wings of the institution. Dr. Math-
ewson Is present during the taking OF
the testimony, and also has Judge
Mason there to cross question the wit
nesses.
The following is brief synopsis Of
the testimony taken thus far.
Anton Hosar testified that on sew
eral occasions he saw the guards throw
patients Into the gangway. On one
occasion he saw three attend ants beat
and choke patient cruelty, the blood
came out of his nose and his throat
was bloody when they choked him.
The patient was doing nothing out of
the way.
| Aleck Brastrom said that he once
saw two attendants leave a patient on
the ground In the yard. They kicked,
pounded and choked him violently.
They helped him up and pushed him
towards the asylum but got him down
again near the door and again jumped
onto him, pounding and choking him.
Christ Kulr testified that he was n
mortar mixer at the building of the
new wing at the hospital. One day
patient came to him and asked him If
it was hard work, and said that he
would try to work, and took up the
hoe and commenced to mix mortar.
An attendant came up and cried to pull
him away; patient said 81 am doing
. nothing wrong, let me alone" Then
l another attendant came and they
knocked him down and kicked him,
a whom a third attendant came up ard
, ohoked and beat him till the blood
l ran out OF his mouth and nose and
there was blood on his throat. Wit
ness went to them and told them to
let him up and they did. When the
patient got up he went off to pile OF
lumber and cried.
o Charles Sturm, q teamster, testified
that he saw two attendants with
patient on the ground; one sat across
his breast and the other was pounding
10 him wherever he could get chance
The one ON his breast choksd him by
"a placing his two thumbs on the
Ie patients throat and pressing down
y very hard for four or five minutes.
"a Thomas Carnahan testified that he
d saw DR.. Mathewson choke patient.
This was some three or four years az,
l. while he was at work on the new wing
le to the hospital.
n John Robinson said that he once
4 saw an attendant strike patient twice
a In the face with his fist, knocking him
n down and then choke him ''power-
"a fully" He also saw another attendant
IA knock patient down and kick him
I. several times after he was down. The
IA patient rose aud was bleeding when
a. he got up. Witness was about five
,e feet away at the time.
/, Andrew Nettles swore that he saw
an attendant hit poor, sickly patient
behind the ear with brick bat, knock.
Ing him sensaless. All the patient
ID had done was to complain because he
IN had been hit by the same attendant
{. for walking around In circle. After
of the guard had struck him with his
{. fist, he said, "You strike me as though
"a was id dog" and for this ne
ia was knocked down with brick. They
re carried him into the asylum.
GO @. F. Dllley, stone mason, who
in saw two attendants jerk patient
I'd down and kick him. The patient
= only went out of the line to get 9
a. drink from pail Of water that stoot
,k by the work. WAS foreman CT th'
ds stone work for Keys & Bullock; wa
It. at work for fifty days at one time ant
ID fifteen another; saw no other act
Id cruelty.
m o. T. Aldrich swore that he was
ed carpenter and worked on the ne,
,is wing Of the hospital for the insane
he About the middle of last January
al. saw an attendant slap patient an
,r. knock him down and kick him sewers
ed times; did not know exactly ho'
,d. many times he kicked him, but sa,
the attendant kick the patient goo
ice many times. Looked through hol
,ot In the partition and saw the strikin
, a and kicking.
A. p. Hollenbeck, carpenter an
joiner, foreman OF the carpenter wor
on the new wing, saw an attendar
slap a poor, sickly patient at least
lea. dozen times, when the said patieI
int. was strapped to bench with her fe
Of tied, and her hands tied togethe
mo. Same witness also saw Mr.. Burns, q
ith. attendant, throw two patients In
ntal seats In the hall, one of the patien
last spoke few words, did not hear VIII
ros. he said, but 1t evidently provoked Il
an. attendant, when hs struck the patiel
of two or three blows In the breast;
,ilv, also choked him violently, and th'
con. struck him several times again.
then called another man to come al
see the performance; also saw an |
tendant by the name of Merrill stri
a patient In the breast a number
do. times, and then throw him into &C
.ture Merrill afterwards went Into the Q
pies, and whipped the patient for tAlki
ches saucy to him. The investigation v
!. continue tonight.