Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-02-01
nFRIVOLOUSA AND NONSENSICAL
RASTEr

L al Y Wv L ~ NV II ~ " ~ ~ G4s NJ VI IL
RASTE''
On the 18th of December last, this CON-
munity was startled at seeing in the An
nual Report of the Superintendent Of the
W. l.. Asylum, report made to him
officially by the Superintendent of the
Pinkerton National Detective Agency,
saying that t he poisoning which occurred
at the Asylum on February 23i WAS
evidently the work Of design, and has been
perpetrated by parties outside of the insti-
tuition arhonl it is unnecessary and aooutd also
be injudacious to undertake to name at this
time" In addition to that startling IT.
port DR.. Hamilton, the Superintendent oil
the Asylum, added his own surmises,
DO hitting more directly to the ulhors of
the murderous deed, as some ''frepzied
enemy outside who had committed the
murder in CO. operation with soma en-
ployee or employees of the Asylum, yet
there, who had entered into the plot
through 'bltterness ard chagrih at the
removal of their nearest and dearest
friends,'7 and through an unwiliingness
to ''see the present administration sue
eeed.'' The report Of the detective seemed
to the intelligent mi nd as absurd as the
suggestions of Superint endent Hamilton
were Impossible in civilized land. These
two theories, however, had received the
endorsement, ON October 23d, of the
whole Board of Visitors of the Asylum,
| a uiours "a
of the two gentlemen who had fficially put
them on record. The whole press of the
State, with little, if any regard to politi
cal utilization, instantly demanded a
thorough investigation of the matter ::
something more tangible than the mystic
rious r. port of the detective or the shock
ing, but vague suggestions of the Super
ntendent. Our contemporary the valley
Varqenion promptly made the demand for
a thorough investigation by the Legisla
tive committee and on December goth
said [falics nursl:
1t is very probable that the Superintendent and
Directory did not feel justified in mourning The ex-
pense necessary to prosecution characterization
| outside of the ASYLUM. AT such expense, however.
made by Pinkertons representative is of t.. grav-
| est possible character. He states In substance,
that there IS. or was, in this community, sane
| human being SO utterly devoid of every feeling of
humanity-so stepped i'll vainy, that he deliberate
| " designed and executed the fOulest murders,
choosing for his victims innocent helpless luna
tics Under such q charge the State and coDanau-
Mtg cannot df1rd to rest Let the committee dp
pointed By the Legislature probe the matter to the
bottom and let the detective either proce his dsser
| tons Or else acknowledge that the language he
enploys UdS designed to merely c0rer up has fail
are The committee canaaot act too promptly too
| sedrchingty IN this matter. Let stone be left
unturned to establish the truth or falsity of the
Pinkerton theory. No matter where Or upon whom
| the guilt may be located let 1t be done.
The committee of the Legislature ar
| rived in Staunton on Monday. Jan. 18th
at 2. NJ, and went promptly to work
| that evening at o'clock. Its sessions
were long and laborious. and it adjourned
on Thursday morning, January 18th, at
| about 2 O'Clock. The expense of the
| investigation we presume did not exceed
| one bundled dollars. To our surprise we
| find its work greeted by our contemporary
| with this Comment in its issue of last week :
I'm short never was an investigation more bar
rem of results it was expected to show There acas
qeuer the least occasion for it. and it demonstrated
nothing beyond the fact of the excellent MANAGE
ment of the asylum The committee had its labor
for its reward, and big bill has been made for the
people of the State to pay, And the people will one
day demand reckonihg for this frivolous and non
| sensical waste of their money!
| We wholly dissent from the verdict of
our cotemporary ITALICIZED in the above
paragraph. No graver occasion has arisen
in the hisg DRY of Virginia, indeed no' so
grave to vindicate our State and commu
nifty from the suggestions con tanned il
the Detect i've 8 rep TT and in the Annual
R-port of DR.. Robt. S. Hamilton. No
such awful charge imbedded in suggts
| tions had ever before been made agains,
any people. DIR. Hamilton had. according
to his own testimony. spent ST 900 of the
States money in hunting out the authors
of the murders and received in return
vague and most unsatisfactory report from
| a detective. Should not the State herself
spend 500 in seeking more accurate in
formation of he murderers of six of her
unfortunate children? The 81 600 spent
by the Superintendent had not. as far as
he evidence before tie committee went.
brought the criminal any nearer to the
La,o. The 500 spent by tie State has put
the Law officers of the Commonwealth al
least in line with the prose cution and
given the people. whose officers they are.
the assurance that if any evidence is pro
cured, through detectives, or otherwise.
the law will be put in operation. DR..
Hamilton to whom, alone, the Pinkelton
Agency acknowledge their responsibility.
has promptly furnished Commonwealth't
Attorney Bell with the authority to call
on the Agency for all the information
they have in their possession, and now the
people will know where to look for
results.
We do not agree with our cotemporary
that the peoples money is wasted beca use
the committee did not esta blish the iden
tity of the poisoner. The 500 by the State
and the 81, 900 by DR.. Hamilton are paltry
amounts compared with the Importance
of Furnishing murderer or vindicating
the good name of the people Of this Com
monwealth. 1t was an Investigation i'm
peratively called for by the VirQinian
as we'll as other journals representing
all shades of political opinion, and the peo-
Pile would not have been satisfied if it had
not been held. 1t was made industriously.
fairly and faithfully; every witness sug-
gested by the authorities of the Asylum
was sent for and heard. and 1T resulted
in getting the hand of the Law on the only