The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-07-04
The INSANE ASYLUM SCANDAL.

The Charges Preferred -Examina tion
OF Witnesses.
Great excitement has prevailed in
Raleigh for a week over the serious
charges preferred against DR.. Eugene
Grissom, Superintendent of the Insane
Asylum there.
The Board of Directors met Thurs
day, when the following specified
charges signed by DIR. Sion n. Rogers,
one Of the asylum physicians, and Mr..
j. w. Thompson, the stewart of the
institution, were preferred:
Charge 1. That DR.. Eugene Girls
som, while superintendent of the
North Carolina Insane Asylum, has
been guilty of gross Immortality with
female attendants and others of the |
institution. Under this charge is al |
legged that in 1888 DR.. Grissom had
illicit intercourse with Miss Nora !
Burch, ar attendant; that in the spring
of 1887, he made immoral and lecher-
GUS advances and proposals to Mrs
Lily Parkinson; that between Novem-
Der LIST, 1886, and April LIST, 1888, he
made amorous proposals to Miss Ella
n. Edwards, an attendant; that in
1887 he made insulting advances to
Miss Della F. Morris, an attendant;
and in the same year to Miss Rosa
Bryan.
Charge 2: That DIR. Eugene Girls
som, while superintendent, has been
guilty Of Encouragement of and cruel
| ty to patients under his charge and of
perpetrating indignities upon them.
Under this charge it was presented
that between November, 1886, and
April, 1888, he knocked down Mrs.
Nancy: Flood, a patient, pulled her
hair, choked her and cursed her; the
same not being done In self defence;
that during the same period, he dash
ed water in the face of Miss Mary
Foy, patient, because she would not
obey him and has at other times treat.
ed this patient with unwarranted vio-
lence and cruelty; that during the
same period he caused two patients,
Mrs. Overman and Mrs. Whaley,
who had been fighting in the hall, to be
locked in a room together, telling
them to fight as long as they were so
inclined, and that the patients fought
till they were badly bruised and mu-
tilated; that during the same period
he offered a gross personal in
dignity to Mrs. w. T. Howle, a pa
tient; that during the present year it
was made known to him that one of
the attendants had personally assault
ed D. o. Smith, a patient, and that
the same had not been done in self
defense, yet the said superintendent
! kept in service the said attendant;
that at some time during the year
1883 he stamped in the face of w. p.
! Upchurch, a patient, while Upchurch
was held down by four strong men:
that in 1887 the said superintendent
cruelty choked Henry Cone, a patient,
and threw a bucket of water in his
face, this not being done in self-de
fence; that at some time during the
year 1889 he caused to be strapped to
the bed J. D. L. Smith, a patient un-
der his charge and kept him SO strap
ped for several hours, this being done
as a punishment for something said
patient had done, and while he was
being strapped, said superintendent
abused said Smith for something
Smith had said in relation to the con.
duct of the superintendent; that some
time between 1886 and 1889, he caus.
ed the same patient to be strapped to
bed for several hours as punish
ment for something he had written to
the superintendent; that in 1887 the
superintendent caused James E. Har.
vey, a patient, to be roughly handled
and he himself kicked him without
any Just cause tor doing so; that dur.
ing 1887 he caused Jonathan Bass, a
patient, to be roughly treated, having
him strapped to the bed for more than
thirty hours; that during the same
period he ordered an attendant tc
duck the Rev. Elisha r. Britton, 8
patient, in bath tub; t. at in May
i. 1889. he choked aud beat Jno. Mutt
patient, without any cause; that al
various and sundry times for the past
six years, he has inhumanly treated
patients under his charge and confined
them in said institution by strappine
them to the bed and otherwise abus
ing them, by cursing them without
reason; and among said patients Sc
treated were Zeb. Williams, Miss K
Davis, Miss Lou Gaskins, Mrs
Whaley, Mrs. Oglesby, Mrs. Perdr
and others.
Charge 3.-Dr. Eugene Grissom
while Superintendent Of the North
Carolina Insane Asylum, has appro.
priated the property Of the said insti
tuition.
Specification 1. That said superin
tendent during the years 1885, 1886
1887, 1883, has sent away from the
asylum for purposes not connected
with the said institution large quaint
ties of the produce of the garden aud
farm of said institution.
Specification 2. That said superin
tendent during the years 1885, 1886
1887. 1888, has sent away from the
asylum for purposes not connected
with the said institution large mum
bers of turkeys belonging to the said
institution.
Specification 3. That the said super
intendent during the same period has
appropriated to his own use large
quantities of provisions belonging to the
said institution.
Specification f. That the said super
intendent during the same period has
Used and appropriated drugs and
medicines belonging to said institution
for purposes not connected with the
said institution.
o. the completion Of the reading
of the specific charges Col. Fuller