Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-08-15
AN EXPLANATION
Regarding The Refusal of the Officers
of the State Asylum to Admit a
Paiien. from This County.

| OF the State Asylum 10 ADMIT
! Paiien. frcm This County.
| Last week we published an article
charging the officers of the hospital
for the insane, at Madison. with I'M
justly refusing to admit to the hos
pital a woman from this county, the
particulars of which were related to
US by Judge John T. Jones. We
stated that at the request Of DR..
Vivian, member of the state board
of charities and reform, Mr.. Giles,
Of Madison, also a member of
the board, promised to give the
matter attention and report to the
controlling board DR.. Vivian sent
a marked copy Of The Democrat
containing the article to Mr.. Giles,
and has since received from him the
following explanatory letter:
MADISON, Aug. 10, 1884.
DEAR Doctor: Il received last
evening a copy of the Mineral Point
Democrat containing a marked ed
itorial concerning the Mrs Colds
worthy case.
have been =, .re State Hospital
to-day, and mace Inquiries into the
circumstances of the case and ascer-
tanned the following facts, or state
ment Of facts from DR.. Fernald and
DR.. .Buckmaster:
A telegram was received from
Judge Jones of lows county, as fol
lows:
"will you take in old lady Goldsworthy, the
one taken by her son to Moline, Ills. Direct to
Moline, Ills, without further official inquiry.
Please answer by wire at once"
JOHN I. JONES, County Judge.
DIR. Buckmaster telegraphed in
reply:
as she resident of this estate? Must have new
papers
Mrs. G. and son reached the hos
pital about two o'clock in the morn
ing. DIR. Fernald was called, and
Mr.. Goldsworthy handed him a dis
patch reading as follows, viz:
go through to Madison with her by yourself
and wife. Signed, J. 7. JONES. Co. Judge.
He called DIR. Buckmaster and
asked what he should do. DR.. B.
said:
THE Judge has not telgraphed or notified me
that she is a resident of the state, and afraid to
take her. Her son may go OFF in the morning ana
she will be on my hands, without authority.
Have carriage called again and take her down
to Mr.. Smiths the hoteD and will see the board
IN the morning and see if l can admit her. l
told the and he said it was all right, and that
we could not do differently. l told them the
driver had gone to bed, and they must wait
few minutes until called him, and he had har-
messed the team and get the carriage around.
The driver was called and soon the carriage
came, but the old lady refused to ride, and we
The son had told her that the
hospital was hotel, and that they
could not be kept there over night.
The mother and son then left for
the hotel at the station. DR.. Buck
master went to the city, by team. in
the morning, and telephoned back,
after seeing the board:
1--WE could not keep her without the evidence
that she was resident of the state and proof
that she was insane.
The young man was advised to
take his mother to Dodgeville, and
have her regularly committed, and
he said it was all right.
A telegram was received from
Judge Jones about one hour before
train time that papers were sent,
and the son was told that he could
do as he choose, but to go to Dodge
would make it all right; and he
chose to 60.
Had Judge Jones answered the
telegram and said she was a resident
of the state, the old lady would have
been received.
| interviewed Mrs. G., and she said
they got a carriage for her to ride to
the hotel, but she was mad and
would not. She also said the car
riage followed her some distance
and they tried to persuade her to
ride, but she would not. She rode
from the railroad to the hospital
and waited at the tavern for her son
to go and get carriage.
Since putting the above in type
we have received a communication
from DR.. Buckmaster, containing
substantially the same statements
as are made in Mr.. Giles letter.
He says that not knowing that Mrs.
G. was a property holder in Iowa
county, or whether she had been
examined or committed as the law
directed, he telegraphed to Judge
Jones for necessary information. To
quote from his letter:
New papers were necessary because she had |
been discharged recovered. and gone from the |
state over two years. Before any further word |
was received, Mr. GolGsworthy came to the h os- |
the depot hotel. The driver was called and the |
carriage sent down, and the old lady brought |
up We then found that her son had no COM
or papers of any kind. 1t would have |
been direct violation of the law to have re-
ceived her under such circumstances. 1t is a |
and should we receive patients without papers, |
| might sometimes be held personally response |
BILE for their detention here" |
Iowa County Fair.