The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-29

| to walk past the open door. Croghan called
Simpleton Billy and Richardson. All three
Of them struck the PROSTATE man. This was
the first time that Burns screamed. His
yells could be heard many feet away. He
was in bed two or three days after that and
when he again came out he was wreck of
his former self. When he entered the asylum
Burns probably weighed $50 pounds He
was about feet inches tall and man Of
unusually strong physique. Within ten
days he had changed wonderfully. His face,
formerly ruddy, became sickly sallow and
he looked like a man who had had long
sickness.
Burns died. His death was caused by
nothing else than the atrocious brutality of
the attendants. Upon examination the body
showed the marks Of brutal treatment. On
the left side directly under the ribs there
were two large spots, five inches in diameter
each, badly discolored. There was large
dent in each of the spots, which looked as
though they were made by the toe Of boot.
It was developed after that one Of the ribs
was broken. The groin was one black bruise
and badly pulled out. Under the right knee
there were two marks which looked as though
Burns had been kicked there.
Croghan, Richardson and Pecha were ar
rested and, with Dr. Herman, the superin-
tendent of the asylum, have been indicted on
the charge of murder.
THE REPORTERS EXPERIENCES.
This is the substance Of the reporters story
of the murder. In order to be admitted first
to the detention hospital and from there to
the Jefferson asylum, he underwent many
curious adventures. 1t is remarkable how
~ y,1
the asylum physicians as TO his insanity. He
dressed up in a shabby suit and sat down in
| the doorway Of butchers shop at II o'clock
| at night He was approached and roughly
shaken by an officer. He whined and sobbed,
rubbed his hands together, couldn't remem-
Der his name or address and acted like q
simpleton generally.
The officer was convinced that he was
crazy and took him to the police station,
| Here the reporter simulated insanity in the
same way, and so completely deceived were
the officers that they straightway sent him
to the detention hospital The reporter writes
a graphic story of the criminal looseness OF
this place. There were about a dozen men
confined within its walls, and several of them
were perfectly sane. The reporter was
strapped down to cot in room with two
maniacs, one of whom was large, powerful
negro, who was not strapped. During the
night the reporter could see by the dim light
coming through a transom that the negro
had risen on his cot and was staring hard a
him. The reporter says of this experience:
II will not deny that was uneasy. II
state it mildly, the situation was not pleas
ant or a desirable one. As lay there watch
ing the big negro, who had been staring a
me for two or three minutes, felt perhaps
had embarked upon foolhardy mission after
all. The big negro grunted and fell back
ward on his cot. He was snoring in less thai
a minute. How sweet and musical that snort
sounded to mel l fairly reveled in it, ant
fervently hoped that he would snore al
night. Ireasoned that when he snored h
was doubtless asleep, and when he was ASLEEP
wasn't afraid of him. The grim humor o
the situation forced itself on me, and
smiled. There l was-undoubtedly the onl,
sane man in the hospital-tied down as a dan
gerous maniac while the crazy men had theI
liberty. The more l thought about it til
more ridiculous it seemed. 1 didn't think /
wise to laugh, and couldn't move my hands
so kicked up my heels had never heart
of laughing with ones feet, but know nov
] Ul1U IL Is pOSSlDle. AlUcI LilelO lCAG DSO1S-'
NOT HARD TO FEIGN INSANITY.
After relating many other similar expe
riences the reporter tells Of how he was takel
to the court for examination. He succeeded
in feigning insanity before the jury, and wa
consigned to the jefferson asylum. During
his examination in court he was in constan
fear that he would be recognized by the re
pcrters present in the court room, but as b
had shaved off his mustache and otherwis
changed his appearance they did not kno7
him.
By the time the reporter arrived at th
county asylum he was pretty tired of the 81
ciety of insane people, but he resolved
stick it through The food at the detentio
. asylum was unfit for dog, and it was sti
worse at the asylum. Sour bread, foul bu
ter, chunks of tasteless meat, musty prune
: and outrageously bad coffee was the bill {
! fare.
, The reporter thus describes his sensation
, when he became an inmate of the madhoust
"When l entered ward D w 2 at the insan
/ asylum great horror came upon me-
r seemed to me that was in great sink no
of human suffering-a living realization {
r Dante's dream-peopled with horrid demon
/ and grewsome ghouls. Was this movin
g skeleton mani Was that wretched bein
Q with snnlSen cheeks and wildly staring ey,