Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-06
WHISKY AND LAUDANUM.
Notes Which Give Clue to the Trouble
at the Washington Asylum.

WHISKY AND LAUDANUM.
Notes Which Give Clue to the Troubles
at the Washington Asylum.
THE INTENDANT AND NATION ESPECIALLY "a
voRKD-ALEoED NEGLECT BIZ THE MATRoN-
ORDERS FOB LfoUoR AND oPIArEs SENT TO
THE DrsPESsARY AND WANTED DESTROYED.
The investigation the Commissioners have
been asked to make Of the management of the
Washington asylum will, if the statements
made by inmates and employees of the institu-
ton can be credited at all, bring to light Q
shocking state Of affairs there.
This institution has been one which has, in
the divisions Of executive duties among the
District Commissioners, come under the imme-
diate supervision of MIR. Webb. Mr.. Stouten-
burgh, the intendant, and Mrs. Stoutenburgh,
the matron, have been always regarded as
being held in high consideration by the Com
missioners.
It was for Mrs. Soutenburgh that costly
dinner set was ordered about two years ago.
When the account reached the controller the
did not understand the need Of such sumptuous
furnishings for q poor-house table. The bill
was disallowed. The explanation was made at
the time that the intendant had frequently to
entertain visitors from abroad and it was
deemed desirable to do the thing in some style.
ALLEGED NEGLECT OF THE MATRoN.
For long time there have been complaints
arising from the conduct Of the matron. whose
personal habits have been called into question
by the charges made by Mr.. Michigan. As
matron she is supposed to have charge
out for the comforts of the female in
mates. Statements obtained by STAR re-
porter from inmates of the poor-house
and from persons who have been employed
there in official capacity, all tend to support
Mr.. McGuigan's charges. The attention of the
Commissioners has been called to the condition
of affairs due to Mrs. Stoutenburghs alleged
weakness by publications in newspapers, If not
by statements made directly to them, but no
steps were taken to inquire into the matter.
When Mr.. McGuigan's charges, very plainly
stated, came before the Commissioners, it was
their opinion that they could not entertain
them properly unless they were made under
oath.
Inmates Of the poor-house state that the
rooms and halls above the first floor over which
visitors are generally shown, are permitted to
remain in an exceedingly filthy condition. One
man, who has been an inmate for some time,
told a STAR reporter that the intendent had
been on the upper floors Of the poor-house
only two or three times in year. Inmates
also state that the matron's visits to the poor
house are not frequent, and generally when she
comes she is under the influence of liquor or
opiates. Supplies of liquor and opiates appear
to have been obtained by the matron from the
dispensary attached to the institution and sup
ported by the District government.
ORDERS FOR WHISKY AND LAUpASUM.
One of the results Of a STAR reporters in
quiries was to obtain a number of notes sent by
Mrs. Stoutenburgh, to the medical officer Of the
asylum, ordering various things, but
chiefly whisky and laudanum to be sent
to her. These notes are written
on small scraps of paper, varying in size and
description, having evidently been torn off in
haste from larger sheet Some Of the
requests we're sent to DR.. Koones, now at the
asylum, while others went to DR.. Rawlings, who
has since settled in Washington Territory.
None Of the notes were dated by Mrs. Stouten-
burgh, but she signed them either with her
initials or her full name. Some of those with
out dates read as follows
"Dr. K: Please send me some laudanum and
the bottle Of sweet oil. s. s."
DR.: Please send me some laudanum and
some vaseline and some camphor. 8. s."
"Dr.: Please give me this bottle of lauda-
mum. s. s."
"Dr. K: Please send us some whisky or
brandy. s. s."
'.Dr. Koones: Please give me this bottle of
small bottle of paregoric for my own cough;
only little. S. s."
"Dr. Koones: Please send me some lauda-
anum. 8. s."
On April 2s. 1888, SO the doctors penciled in
dorsement says, the following request from the
matron was complied with:
DIR: Please send me 4 doz. 1ss-grain NOR
phine powders. S. S."
similar request, filed June "a, is as fol-
lows:
Or: Please send me some morphine pow
ders. s. s."
Eight other orders are dated covering
period Of fifteen days. They are as follows:
"Dr.: please fill this bottle. S. s."
This was dated July IL, 1887, and on the back
was the doctors Endorsement, IS OF. lauda-
num-"
Three days later there was another one:
DR.; please fill this bottle and give me a
dose of headache medicine. S."
Across the face is written "July IA, OF. of
laudanum."
On July II this was sent to the dispensary:
DR.: Please send me little whisky. s. s."
The doctor responded by sending the GUS
tomary doses ounces.
On July Is the scrap of paper had penciled
on it:
DIR: Please fill this bottle. SIS"
'This bottle" was the regular laudanum
bottle, but it was not filed because the lauda-
mum supply had been exhausted, and the
doctors hieroglyphics on the foot of the
order show that. Two days later another re-
quest was made: Doctor, please send me a
is July 90, 81; 8 o."
On July q the dspensary supplied another
''little" dose of laudanum-six ounces-on the
following:
DIR: Please fill this bottle s. s."
The medical records between July 81 and %
seem to be missing, but on the latter date the
note read:
"Dr.: Please fill this bottle-S g."
1t was the six-ounce laudanum bottle and it
was filed.
On July 26 came another request from the
matron, accompanied by an explanation:
DR.: Please send me some whisky. want
to fill up my glycerine bottles. s..
1t might, of course, be said that some Of these
drugs may have been used for the treatment Of
patients in the poor-house or hospital but the
doctors say that the matron did none of this
The matron became evidently somewhat anx-
ious about the disposition Of these tell-tale
notes, and wrote the following note:
''Dr. Rawlings, will you tell me are all the
notes and orders I have sent to you kept on file
or destroyed? Very respectfully,
s. SToUTENBURGH."
What manner Of reply was vouchsafed by the
doctor ia not known because he ia in Washinp-