The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-03-11
East Mississippi Insane Asylum.


Correspondence Of tie Bydalid Journal
Having had occasion to visit recently
the East Mississippi Insane Asylum, and
as it is a public institution lately complet-
ed and opened for the reception of patients,
| deem a brief history OF our observations
would be OF some interest to the public.
The institution is located one and one
half miles west OF the city of Meridian
the second city in the point OF wealth and
population, containing two national banks
and being the intersection OF three railroads.
The six hundred acres of land on which the
asylum is situated was donated by that city
to the State. In the centre of this tract OF
land, which two years ago, was an old
field Is a beautiful mound or rather eleyat-
ed plane Of about six acres on which the
main building is located. 1t is built of brick
and four stories high, 365 feet long, and 81
feet deep covered with a Mansard slate roof
1t is model structure and has all the
modern appliances Tor convenieuces.
Every room Is supplied with heating
register and every ward with q bath room.
| The building is divided into six wards for
the division and proper classifying OF the
patients. The Kitchen is supplied with an
elevator to carry the. prepared food to the
| dining room.
/ In connection with the institution it also
has a SPLENDID dairy with twelve graded
milch cows, good stables and barns and
two engine houses, one for heating, the other
for pumping and forcing water to the res
ervoir.
The institution was opened on the 18th
OF January for the reception Of patients.
| Up to the 18th Of February it had received
! S9-white males, 26, females is; eolored
males -; females %. Marshall county has
only one inmate Lauderdale u.
The superintendent OF the asylum is DR..
| c. A. Rice Of Vicksburg. He is pleasant,
affable gentleman and one OF the most
eminent physicians OF the South,with an e'1-
| perIenee ofithirty years practice. He enter
led the Confederate service as Second
| Assistant Surgeon Of the 18th Miss. Regi-
ment. So great was his talent for pro-
! fessional requirements that he was rapidly
promoted and at the siege of Nicksburg he
| had charge Of the hospital as superinten-
dent He was taken prisoner and exehang-
ed, and was then given in charge OF the
| hospital at Mobile. He endeared himself
to the people of Mississippi during the
yellow fever epidemic OF 1878 as President
OF the State Board OF Health, by his heroic
services to prevent, by proper quarantine,
the spread Of the dread disease. His ap-
| pointment as superintendent OF the asylum
reflects much credit upon Governor Lowry,
by putting the right man in the right
place. Mrs Rice is an accomplished and
refined lady with a benevolent disposition.
Dr. J. NJ Buchanan IS assistant physi-
clan. He is native OF Mississippi and
graduated at Oxford, studied medicine
three years in Europe, and was recently
connected with the asylum OF Arkansas.
Any persons having relatives at this
asylum need have no apprehensions as to
their being properly cared for.
All the buildings necessary are not yet
completed. In fact the support fund had
to be drawn upon to furnish the rooms with
furniture and other necessaries to enable
them to receive patients BY the 18th ult
We hope The next Legislature will make
sufficient appropriations to complete and
maintain the Institution. The work, so far
is credit to the State Of Mississippi, which
OF late years has taken such an advanced
step toward educational aud charitable
progress