St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-11
EYES WE'RE BLACKENED.
Patients in Rochester Asylum
Had Pugilistic Encounters With
Attendants.


Had Pugilistic Encounters With
Attendants.
Special to the Globe.
ROCHESTER, Mimi, July 10. - The
committee investigating the manage
ment of the Rochester insane hospital
met here to-day, w. c. Williston, II.
FL. Hart. G. Amundson and Attorney
General Clapp being present. DR.. Bow
ers was the first witness called, and
presented the case book to show the rec
ord of several of the patients who it is
claimed have been ill-treated. They
were all violent patients, some of them
frequently attacking other patients and
the attendants. Two attendants, Martha
Donahue and Miss LETTER, and Miss
Howe, supervisor, were put on the
by Sophronia Sharp and Mrs. Bart
lett in st. Paul. Miss Dona-
hue testified to having scuffle
with Mrs. Munson in the ward last win
ter, in which the latter got black eye,
but the blow was struck in self-defenSe.
She told Of another patient who attacked
her, and she hit he1 with a small cane.
This. with one or two unlmportant
Scuff1eS, comprised all the cases of force
that had come to her knowledge. Miss
LETTER related one or two cases where
considerable force was used, it was
claimed in self-defense. Mrs. Howe
said she had been in the hospital seven
years, and had never seen any force used
where it was not necessary. Mr.. Pierce,
a farmer living near Rochester. was
called by the state, and said he was fire.
quently at the hospital, but had never
seen any cases of abuse. The afternoon
session was almost entirely taken up in
examining female attendants as to the
condition OF affairs in the female de-
partment Miss Alice Hayden had
worked in the asylum as an attendant;
had seen patient. Julia Myer, beaten
with the strap used to buckle the pa
tientS into the restraining chair. She
had seen patient, Miss Lilliskog, taken
into her room and beaten on
the bare limbs with the strap.
She also testified that she
had witnessed number Of other cases
of abuse, some of which she had par
ticlpated in herself. She did not think
that any of them were reported. She
had not reported any of them herself.
that an attendant that would report
for her by the other attendants that she
could not remain in the hospital. She
had been called reporter" by some
of the attendants all winter. because
she had on one occasion re-
ported a case of abuse. She also
testified that the attendants made it
a practice to wear the hats furnished by
the state for the use of the patients,
and also frequently appropriated to
their own use articles of clothing be-
longing to patients. She had known of
attendants cutting up cloth belonging
to the state for the purpose of making
Undertaking for themselves. She had
done these things herself, because she
was told by the attendants that that
was the way they did. On being cross
examined she admitted that she had
had been discharged from the hopital
few days since for stealing. The commit
tee then took the testimony of Mrs. fda
Holdenburg. Ida Manley. an ex-attend-
ant: Nellie LETTER, Maggie Schiller and
Ruth Bingham. attendants. They had
been charged by Miss Hayden with the
abuse of patients, and with appropriate
ing articles to their own use which be-
longed to the state and patients. They
denied all the charges made against
them. and very emphatically and indig-
nantly deried the charges of stealing.
William Pick. an eX-patient, who had
been in the asylum five months. testi-
fed that he had seen patients thrown
down, kicked, ehoked and otherwise
abused because they would not do what
attendants told them to do. He had
never been subjected to any such treat
ment himself. but his attendants had
treated him properly in all respects.
He had no fault to find with the doc
tors; they had always treated him we'll,
and he liked DR.. Bowers very much.
The commission will probably complete
the Investigation here Friday.