The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-04-25
A CARD TO THE PUBLIC.
The Recent Inves tigatiOn al the western
Luna tie Asylum.

of the State announced the fact that the Board
of Directors of this Asylum were investigating
its management, and charges preferred against
the Superintendent by the other officers OF the
Asylum. The result of this investigation, SO
far as the public has been informed, is simply
that DR.. Conrad as Superintendent and myself
as Steward were not reelected to the positions
we held, and the natural inference on their part
would be- that whatever blame or disgrace may
attach to one is also due to the other. 1t is to
protect my character from any such reflection { S
this and to appeal to that sense OF justice that
animates the people as body, and to which an
injured man rarely appeals in vain, that l am
out in this card to the public.
On the 9Th of this month l joined my brother
officers Of the Asylum in addressing the follow
ing note to the President of the Board:
STAUNToN. VA. April 1889.
To the President of Board of Directors of the W. L.
We The undersigned respectfully represent
TO your honorable body. that after three years
of daily association with the present superin..
lendent of this asylum: being thus anoraea
his fitness for the position he occupies. feel 1t
10 be our imperative duty to inform You that
in our opinion. looking to the welfare and fair
name of the institution. DIR. Conrad ought not
longer to be continued at Its head. Our rea-
SONS for this position We are prepared to give
in full if desired by the Board and when called
for They are, in our opinion. controlling and
far too numerous to be here set forth.
We desire in this matter most emphat1caily
to dsc.ai any personal feeling or purpose
of debating and 10 assure the board that we are
moved only by IA high sense of duty and by
deep int. est In the good name and wei
Iare of this institution whose servants we are.
f, g. FISHER. LIST Asst Ply stefan.
A. H. WEIR. End Asst Physician.
GEO 8. WALKER. Sd Asst Physician
JOHN w BLACKBURN, Steward,
Z. j. ARMSTEAD, Clerk,
In addressing this note to the Board, through
its chairman, we thought they, as the sworn
guardians of the Asyum's good name and
welfare, would ask us for our reasons, take
charge Of the evidence we were prepared to
give them, conduct the investigation for them
selves and in their own way. Judge then Of our
surprise when we were handed resolution
from the Board requiring us to prefer charges
and specifications in twenty-four; hours, and to
furnish DR.. CO nrad one copy and the Board the
other.
Whilst this was not the position we wanted TO
assume, as it came in the shape of an order of
the Board, we did not feel authorized TO resist
it, and complied with the order best we
could in the time given us. Our charges were
seyen in number, and drawn up with view to
support the general charge of unftness con
tanned in our Joint note to the Board
The Board assembled on the 10th. About
one hour before the time set for trial. word was
sent us that Dr. Conrad had counsel and the
same privilege would be granted us if we de-
sired it. We sent word back, that it had not
been our intention to employ counsel, we did
not desire to dc SO now, deeming the Board
competent to act in this matter, but if DIR. Con.
rad had counsel, no one of US wishing to act
the part of public prosecutor by conducting the
case, we would have counsel also. The exams
nation of the evidence to support the first
charge, which was as follows:
In that In his moral treatment of his patients
he has shown marked lacK OF Judgment, TACT,
and dellcacy or feeling.
closed about s o'clock, P. M. After supper,
DR.. Conrad's counsel examined one witness in
rebuttal The evidence of this witness was
rather damaging to him than otherwise. Ills
counsel then rose and asked that the Board ad-
journ to meet the next morning; that his client
was not well, and that he thought time would
be gained by an adjournment. The next morn
ing his counsel reported DIR. Conrad too sick to
appear. The Board adjourned until o'clock
P NJ. His counsel reported him still sick, and
so prostrared mentally and physically as to be
unahla In TAI a written cOmmuDira
| ton from the Board or the prosecutors in the
case. This representation of counsel was sup.
ported by a similar assertion from his kinsman
and friend, Mr.. E. H. Boyd, a member of the
Board, who said he had just come fIom the
| Doctors house. The Board adjourned to meet
on the 10th. Yetwe have evidence at o'clock,
or two hours after, Dr. Conrad was walking in
his front yard, and at o'clock he was a mile
away from home, witnessing base ball match
The Board resumed the investigation on the
10th. DR.. Conrad appeared and reported hi:
counsel sick, but expressed his willingness to &C
on without counsel In answer to enqniry if he
could not get counsel, he said he had spoken tc
some FIVE or six, but none of them would come
At this point Col. E. K. Edmundson of the
Board moved, that inasmuch as DR.. Conrad die
not now have counsel, that we be required t.
dismiss ours. This was seconded by Mr.. Boyd
1t was objected to by the prosecutors that they
had employed their counsel for the case; hac
putihim in possession of the facts turned tn,
management of the case over to him; that we
had opposed having counsel at FIRST were
forced into H. and now to be forced gut of it
would be unjust to us; but if it was to be done
we wanted it to be made a matter of record
The Board insisted that DIR. Conrad procure
counsel, which he did. They then proceeded
to investigate the seventh charge, which is al
follows:
In that by going into private rooms to exam
inc the persons of female patients and an at.
| tendant. without witnesses, and without the
| Knowledge of the physician in charge OF the
| yard. thus neglecting to take even the ordinary
THEIRS ne has shown himself destitute of the
| prudence and discretion which are necessary
in the official head of an asylums and haf
| given rise to, and has perpetuated SO many
| and scAndalous rumOrs and suspicious that
we consider that we would be derelict in oul
| duty 10 you. to the Asy lum and to ourselves II
We continued to ignore them.
The evidence INTRODUCED to support this
| charge WAS vi HioIC CHdTaCttI
the charge indicated, and out of seven or eight
witnesses, all testifying to different times and
cases, will give in substance the evidence OF
two, in order that the public may have an idea
of the gravity of the offence. Mrs. T. testified
| In 1896, in the fall. l was an attendant in the
| W. l. Asylum. pr, Conrad came on my ward
| one morning. when Miss IT., a yopps girl. was
| standing by my side. He said to me, Ills Mary
| a tidy pAtient?" ] said yes except sometimes
she is troubled with.incontinance of urine at
| night. He said 81 will be around tomorrow
morning. end II she has been SO troubled dur.
| ing The night, let me know" He came around
| the next morning about the same time, and
asked me II Mary had her trouble last night. 1
| told him she had. He said bring her into the
| water closet. He directed me to draw some
| warm water in a bucket for her to hathe in. ]
| went to the ont water faucet to draw the water
hut as there had oeen no water drawn for sgme
time, it ran cold at first. l told the DR.. the
| water was not warm but 1t would be Ii 1t was
allowed to run awhile. He said II have moi
time to wait. Take your bucket and go over on
| ward ID. I've Just come from there and the
| wafer ia hot tried to explain that by the
| time could go over to d and back the water
| would be warm here. He told me never mind
| to go on and do as he told me. AS l went out
| of the wafer closet door he told me to lock the
door. went aver. on ward and found the
! waited until the water rpm warm, and went
back to the water closet. found the DR.. and
| Mary there as had left them. locked In. He
made Mary battle herself. When she was done
the DR.. took her by the arm, pulled her to The
| door leading from the water closet to the
clothes room. He unlocked the door, pushed
| her in. and went In and locked the door after
him; heard I'd struggle; heard May say '.ohl
| Heard her fall on the floor. The Dr. remained
in there about Is minutes, came out by me-