Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-28
HOW INSANE ARE TREATED.
Tales Of Employees as to the Damnable
Work at the Hospital
MATHewsoN AS A MIDNIGHT spy
The Absconder ilinman and the Cute
Games He Played on Fricnds-A
Woman in the Case-Lin-
coin News.
lrnoN TIE nEE,s LINCOLN nrnnAr.1

supplementary to the death OF Dcines
at the insane hospital, and the light let
in on the chloral and water, and death
dealing treatment there, it is IN order to
CLEAN from the statements made by en-
ploycs some facts and figures concerning
the management of the institution and
the humanitarian work that DR.. Mathew
son cXcmpliics, or rather hides, and
which Is only brought to light when en-
ployes dare say their soul is their own,
and are willing TO make statements. Tie
State journal can call the BEES expos
urc of frauds at that msti tuition lies, If in
that way 1t will assist it IN becoming yoke
fellows with DR.. Mathewson, and 1T can
ally itself to the wrongs and wickcdness
of that institution and its management.
But AL that will not wipe out the cold
facts that are on record, and the BEE
keeps within the record. The record is
damnng enough without straying away
from it.
There is standing order that patients
at the hospital shall not be required to
work, yet an employc who has been long
in the institution says that insane men in
winter are worked shovelng coal until
midnight and then change is made TO
another patient in the work until morn
ing 1t does not require much medical
science to determine whether insane
patients, worked on a coal pile through
the night, find in that treatment the
highway to recovery.
Another statement Is made that patients
whose insanity was in measure created
by overheatng are worked in the harvest
field in the brOllng sun in the hottest
days of the year out on the asylum farm
This kind of intelligent treatment does
not require medical science to solve its
mysteries. The standing excuse for
working patients is always that they are
reason would let about fourth
of them Jump from the fourth
story windows because they were
willing to jump. An attendant relates
that IN several instances he had watched
II patient from the epileptic ward, who
was liable to have tit on moments
notice, painting on the building three
stories above terra tirma, all of which is
in evidence rs to the intelligent distribu-
ton of the work.
"Thc way the hospital is run makes the
place to employees much like prison"
said one former attendant there. Dur
ing six weeks time, he continued, Il had
Just one permit to leave the building, and
that was between the hours of and in
the afternoon" On that occasion, the
party goes on to state, he went out walk
ing with young lady employed in the
female department; that they were back
before the end OF their time, but that the
charged the lndv without anv cause or
reason.
Said one old employe there: "If any
together tor" one ne Of Of US is liable
to walk, for the superintendent
out. and il IS a boast of his that he will
keen no one who knows ANYTHING of the
institution.
One of the attendants makes the state
ment that in managing patients the doc
tor has advised the use of a CLUB instead
of brusing ones knuckles up in hand
IinT notients The anxiety of the super
intendent to find out if the employees ever
talked about him, was illustrated in one
wov bv the doctors locking himself in n
closet off the dining room at midnight to
hear if the two night watchers talked
ahoIt him or the institution. One of the
ni~bt mon makes the statement that the
ordor when confronted With tho closet
rani,a+ Tb,s ;IIustrotos n Moo stotn Of
harn,orv hatwaen The baad Of tho in stitu.
ton ond tho assistants a man like
no;nos o ,'" conid Law ali niobt locked in n
i'iu' III ;, S J,''n 10y aSn J;t;on a. su,;tbont nmrs"
InGnh
Jeo,b p's With chIoro, while the
man" man who should have saved
i;S i;fo o",,IJ ,ut in b;s time SnU;po on the
hnI, ,to ~ 60" IL any dornd tn discnss MS ad.
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