The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-13
A SCHEME FOR GETTING FEES
Defective System of Examining People
Who Are Supposed 70 Be Insane.
Marion County Compelled to Pay Over Seven
Thousand Dollars Year in Fees for
the InQuests That Are Held,

There is complaint about the courthouse con-
corning the waste of fees relative to insanity
inquests. Under a defective system regarding
the examination of people who, their friends and
others say, are insane. many cases are passed
upon at a large expense to the county. only to
De rejected at the asylum. If some Of them are
received, the asylum authorities soon discover
that the persons recover rapidly and are soon
discharged No can be blamed for this, for
the system exists without giving the county Off
GERS any advantage in checking an inquest unless
the allegation of the PERSONS insanity is trans
parently weak. When it is thought necessary to
examine one supposed to be insane for the pur-
pose OF having him sent to the asylum the board
of inquest must be formed. The two examining
physicians are entitled to So per day each, and
the magistrates each 50 per day. 1t is custom
airy to meet one day and adjourn until the next,
thus giving each physician Sc and each magls-
trate 81 The witness fees, varying from sew
enty-hve cents to two or three dollars, together
with the clerks and sheriffs fees, swell the total
to snug sum. On an average $50 is expended
in this way on each case. 1t frequently happens
that the cost of an outfit of clothing for the
patients, $37 for men, aud $34 for women. has to
10 douCu1 uldkluR bn0 dRSC0Sdl0 average Cost QtU
The county's insanity expense last year
amounted to $7,2Ol, and of this $685. Al
charged to State beuevoence about one-thrd is
attributed to the insane account. No officers
except the examining magistrates and physicians
have any discretion in the matter when an in
quest is once called.
A large number Of the unnecessary examina-
tons are held only to find that the socalled pa
tent is suffering from excessive drinking or
vicious indulgence, of which a period of
ahktinAnco would paIiova i'm TChic oil Of
cases is increasing rapidly, and makes the
largest drain on the county treasury. Not long
ago it cost the county SIP to discover that a
fifteen year.old girl was morally depraved,
without an iota of evidence to warrant the pre-
sumption that she is insane. Thirty five dollars
in fees was expended to find that Cerelda
Newton, old and demented, was o better sub
ject for the pOor-house than the insane asylum
Mary Labarte's neighbors thought she was crazy
because she punished her child severely. They
had her formally examined. but were only able
to testify that she was known as Crazy Mary"
although she supported herself and family. The
doctors, at the average cost of inquest found
evidences of insanity wanting After two
days inquest, the doctors said Jonathan L. King
was subject to melancholy and ought to have
treatment in the asylum The officials thought
differently and rejected him. Mary Dean, who
had disease that troubled her mind at times,
was supplied with clothing, and sent to the
asylum to remain only seven days. John L.
Mclaughlin, the convicted train wrecker, was
subjected to two-days inquest to show
that his insanity was dodge by which
he hoped to escape punishment. The doctors
discovered that Charles Cherdron was
hard drinker and the asylum people would not
accept him. Barney Coys had the inclination
and purposes of Satan largely developed in him.
The county expended forty Odd dollars to find
that his only disease was epilepsy, which did not
AFFECT his mind sufficient for treatment at the
asylum. It cost equally as much to learn that
John Gondol6 was not insane. William l.. Nun
son and Mary Liebenthal, after the doctors drew
their verdict as severely as they could, were re-
jected at the asylum. So was Joseph A. Robert
son, whose sole difficulty was fondness for
liquor. Emma StuInpf. after a rigorous exarnl-
nation of witnesses. found to have good
reasoning powers. Somebody wanted to send
Michael Larkin to the asylum on account of his
domestic troubles, but the doctors would not listen
to 1T. They did not reach this decision how
ever, until the fees were chargeable to the coun-
ty. Erastus Holmes rejected at the asylum
after verdict saying he ought to be restrained.
There was nothing in MS case to warrant send
ing him to the asylum. John Murphy could not
be chargeable with anything more than strange
conduct. Jack Coughlin had nothing TO estab-
llsh his insanity but periodical spreeing. Oscar
NagePs fancy that everybody prosecuted
him. The asylum authorities die not receive
him. Lon Lerslie's friends tried to send him to
the asylum on account of alcoholic drink. They
did not succeed although the examining doctors
recommended it. These cases were taken at
random from the record for the half year ending
the 3lst of last December Since then inquests
of this class have been fully as frequent.
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