St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-31
The ASYLUM HORROR
Takes a Turn and the Other
Side Has Favorable
Innings.
n
81
ri
Trustees Laud DR.. Bowers
and Say They Saw Moth y
ing Wrong. q
SO
1t Is Claimed the Asylum Is
Too Small for It's Ne u
ceSSities.
st
IS
The Taking Of the Testim ony
IS
The Taking Of the Testim ony
viii Be Concluded This Z
Evening. u a

When the Rochester asylum investi
| cation committee res umed its work yes
terday morning at the capitol. the first
witness ca lied was Judge Tyler, of St
Paul, a member of the board of trustees.
He detailed the work of the trustees in
regard to their inspection of the asylum.
The board had not the slightest reason
to believe that the patients were ill.
treated. They had done everything, SO
far as their knowledge went, for the
proper conduct of the asylum. That
brutalities had occurred was no fault on
the part of the trustees. He had paid
| regular and irregular visits to the asy-
lum and never discovered the slightest
trace of anything wrong IN the manage
| ment. The institution was clean and
orderly; in fact, everything seemed all
that could be desired. All that the
trustees knew about the asylum was
gained by the visits of the local commit
tee and that of the whole board,
with the reports of the officers.
He did not think that this
was sufficient, and suggested that a
| secretary should be chosen from the
board. He should receive compensa-
ton and be required to put in all his
time i'll visiting the asylums, stopping at
each for several days and reporting
! thereon to the trustees.
MI. SimpSon-Have you, prior to this
investigation, heard any complaints of
! inhuman treatment?
Judge Tyler-Never. There has not
/ been complaint of that kind before the
board OF trustees since became mem
| Der.
Mr.. Sjmpson-Coud the brutal treat
ment of patients testified to before this
| committee have taken place without the
knowledge of the superintendent?
Judge Tyler latter deliberation)-I
think they could.
| The judge stated it was the custom
for old pc ople, not insane, to be COM
mitted to the asylum. After his first
visit to the hospitals he had brought
| this question before the trustees, and
was Informed it was the general dispo-
| SitiOn Of county authorities all over the
state. 1t was considered the old people
were kept better and cheaper at the
aSylumS than in the different work.
| houses.
Maj. A. L. Sackett, secretary of the
| board of trustees, generally substan7
tiated Judge Tyler. He had known DR..
| Bowers twenty years, and considered
and held high opinion of his manage
| ment of the asylum.
Mr.. Williston-Can the sill-treatment
of patients be prevented? :
| Maj. Sackett-No, sir; do not think
| it ever can be. Where you have one at
tendant to look after twenty patients,
naturally unruly, there must be
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FORCE.
The question is-hOw can that force
| be reduced to a minimum without in
jury to the patients? There should be
as much daylight in these institutions
as possible; there should be no dark
| spots.
Mr.. Williston-From what class do the
| attendants come from? a
Maj. Sackett-W orthy farmers. 81
There was break in the testimony of
| the trustees, A. B. Easton and G. A.
speak to the veracty and truthfulnesS
of John S. Vandiver, witness in the
| investigation. c. A. Staples, of Still
water, was also called He was an inc
briate inmate of the asylum year ago,
and testified to Attendant Roman en-
| cOuraging patient named Cain to eat
filth from his own body.
Mai. Ii. B. Strait, of Shakopee, men,
Der of the board of trustees, was next
examined. He had always regarded
| DR.. Bowers management of the asylum
| first-class.
| Mr.. Simpson-You have heard of the
| inhuman treatment of patients, as tes-
titled be fore the committee. Do you
| think all this could have happened
without the knowledge of the Superin-
tendent, the doctors and the super
| YisorS?
Maj. Strait-It ought not to. have
been very much surprised by some of
the testimony. l have not supposed
that it was possible.
The major said he was not prepared
to say that all the testimony given be-
| fore the committee was correct. but he
did believe there had been
MORE HARSH TREATMENT
of the patients than he, as member of
| the board. ever thought there could be.
An adjournment was here taken for
lunch. and afterwards Mrs. Mack, of
Minneapolis, gave testimony to the
effect that her husband had been an in
mate of the asylum. She visited him
there and found bruises Oh his chest.
She called the attention of physician
| to this, and he roughly said: ION,
himself" Mrs. Mack protested, but
the doctor turned Off, saying: Its all
| nonsense" The description given of
the doctor was that of Dr.. Collins, Mrs.
| Mack not knowing his name.
| DIR. Bowers explained that this pa
tient had jumped cut of second-story
window, and the bruises noticed by
Mrs. Mack were caused by the fall.
The committee decided that Mack,
| who is out of the asylum, should be SUBJ
pGnaed for to-day's meeting; and
| Joseph G. Holt, of Hastings, was called
to the stand. He was in the asylum
| from 1888 up to three months ago. suf-
fering from railroad paralysis. Mr..
| Holt told peculiar story. He was out
| one day, while an inmate of the asylum.
| and found some money on the railroad
| track. wrapped in newspaper. He
did not count the money, and when he
returned to the asylum an attendant
| told him DR.. Bowers wanted it 10 keep
for him. Holt gave the money to the
attendant, and says he never heard of
it again, although he understood that
/ DR.. Bowers was to give it to him when
| he quit the institution. Under cross
examination of Bert Eaton, Holt adj
mitted that DR.. Bowers furnished
him with money from time to
time while in the asylum, and
| that he provided him with S. when he
! quit. Holt also c0mplalned tnaG his
watch was stolen while in the institu-
| ton. and that he afterwards saw At
| tendant Carroll wearing it.
Mr.. WilliStOn-Had you told any
| body about finding this money?
Holt-Yes; l spoke to the euginemen
about it.
Mr., Williston-And afterwards an at
tendant came and said DR.. Bowers
wanted the money?
Holt-YeS.
Mr.. Williston-When you found that
money, you had no curiosity to find out
how much there was?
Holt-None at all.
Mr.. WilliSton-And you never did
| know?
Holt-No.
Hon. Burr Deuel., of Dodge Center. a
member of the board of trustees. said
previous to this investigation, he be-
lieved that DR.. Bowers was the best
fitted man to manage Rochester asylum
between here and Mexico. There had
been some things unearthed which east
shade on him. In visiting the asylum