Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-06-27
THE HALL MASTER.
Some Experiences In an Asylum
for the Insane.

About once month you VIII see q
newspaper report concerning some in
sane asylum, and the statement that
some patient has been abused Is sure
to be made No doubt there are cases
where keepers lose their tcmpers and
inflict summary punishment, but there
is one thing you never hear through
the press, that is the injustice inflicted
upon keepers. have been bitten as
fercely as by tiger, kicked until my
legs were black and blue, and knocked
square down half dozen times by pa
tients, but ! never gave IL out to the
press. have known of keepers being
crippled and killed, and ! have several
scars which will 20 with me TO the
grave. For man To go on watch over
insane people, especially mon, is more
dangerous situation for him than any
about powder mill. If he has an
average lot to deal with, he will have
to put his hands. and perhaps his
feet, upon some one nearly every day.
He will have to do it to save himself.
was hall master in a great State in
stitution for three years. and l had
every opportunity 10 study madmen
and their ways. A prison convict can
be depended on to certain limit He
must work. he must obey rules and
regulations. A guard can turn his
back without fear of assault. A mad
man is singular combination of wis
dom, ignorance, cunning, stupidity,
integrity and faithlcssncSs. He has no
one limo of policy or action. He may
have mood for every half hour What
will Quot him to-day may fail to-mor-
row. He will he as obedicnt as n
child at noon, and ut one o'clock defy
half a dozen men. II is this uncertain
ty how he is going TO act that keeps q
strain on your nerves. have heard
people talk of studying mailman.
You might as we'll study the winds l
have heard people Tell Of the power of
the eye over mailman That is true
TO the extent that ono will seldom as
sault you If You are facing him, because
his aim is to catch YOU OF your guard,
and he will disscmblc for months TO nc.
complish this II is perhaps not gener-
ally understood by the public that the
hour you bring II lunatic To the asylum
he catches the idea hat he is prison
er detained by force. the same rs n con-
Wet. | don't believe there is one man
in five hundred who does not get this
idea, and who does not soon begin to
plot an escape. Very few prison plots
include the death of guard. Nearly
every asylum plot includes the death
of a keeper. The patient gets the idea
that the keeper is responsible FOR their
detention, and if he can be killed, they
will at once secure liberty. After the
first year | could generally tell when q
patient was plotting against me. as
most of them would give it away in ac-
ton or expression. When satisfied
that my suspicious of an individual
were correct, my course of action de-
pended upon his characteristics. II he
was defiant man took him aside and
said: -
Nov, James, have found out all
about 1t, and am prepared for you.
The first move you make j shall put
you in the dungeon.
Sometimes he would at once aban-
don his purpose and not 60 back TO IL
for weeks; and sometimes he would
persist until he was fully convinced
that ! was watching him. II the pa
tent was not of u defiant spirit would
call him out and say;
"Thc Great Mogul has told me all
about II.
about what?
"Your plotting to Kill me aud get
away. Now ! shan't let you take part
In the next dance.
"Oh, please do! I'll never let my
self want To Kill you again."