The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-07-25
DIR. GRIssOM ACQUITTED.


superintendent Of the insane asylum
at Raleigh, on the charges of mis-
appropriation of supplies, cruelty
to patients, and gross immortality,
ended last Saturday by the acquittal
of the defendant.
The trial was held by the Board
of Directors of that institution, eight
of the Directors hearing the case. On
the first two charges the vote stood
6 for acquittal and 2 for conviction;
on the last charge of immortality 5
voted for acquittal and 3 for con-
viction. The hearing of the case
consumed four weeks.
Over an hundred witnesses were
examined and we have furnished the
readers OF The SENTINEL with all
the important testimony, believing
it to be our duty as a newspaper to
do so. Our readers have, therefore,
been able to form their own opin-
ions as to the merits of the case.
We fully endorse the verdict of
the majority of the Directors with re-
gard to the two frstsnamed charges.
While some laxity in the keeping
of the accounts of the institution was
proved, the evidence was not such
as to justify the charge of wilful
misrepresentation of supplies. There
was also some unrefuted evidence to
support the charge of cruelty to pa
tients-notably the instance where
DIR. Grissom was proved to have
put his foot on the neck of an unruly
patient; but in that case DIR. Girls
som had great cause for anger and
the act was probably nothing more
than a piece of indiscretion, the pa
tient not being injured in the least,
and was not such as to warrant his
conviction on the charge of general
cruelty to the unfortunate insane
placed in his charge.
AS to the charge of immortality,
we are not so ready to agree with
the five gentlemen who acquitted
him of that charge.
In the first place DIR. Grissom
acted very indiscreetly, to say the
least, in kissing Mrs. Parkinson
through Sympathy" as admitted by
himself, or through any other mo-
tive. Her testimony to the effect
that he repeatedly attempted to kiss
her afterwards, and to even seduce
her, was unrefuted except by the
denial of DR.. Grissom himself. Mrs
Parkinson proved good character:
numerous witnesses testifying there
to, and one, prominent citizen OF
Raleigh who had known her nearly
all her life, said her character fol
virtue and veracity was Gas good a.
that of any lady in North Carolina.
We are not prepared to believe tina
the whole testimony of Mrs. Per
kinson was a "tissue of falsehoods.
Then there is the "key-hole tes
timony" of the negro boy and Mr.
King, with regard to the illicit rela
tions of DIR. Grissom and Mis-
Burch, who is now lunatic herself
but at the time was an attendant il
the asylum.
We would not believe the unsup
ported testimony of the negro boy
but Mr.. King proved a good char
acter and is regarded by his &C
quaintances as an honest and {
truthful man and, as Col. Waddel
stated in his magnificent speech 70
the prosecution, he was ga brav
Confederate soldier who fought fou
long years for the honor of North
Carolina"
The defense dwelt upon the as
sumption that man who woult
peep through a key-hole was not t.
be believed. Well, it is not a yer,
gentlemanly thing to do, but we cal
conceive of circumstances where al
honest ard an honorable man Nigh
do such thing and consider him
self justified in doing it. If Mr.
Kings suspicious had been aroused
as he says they were, respecting tn
conduct of DR.. Grissom and Mis-
Burch, we can conceive of how he
on the impulse of the moment, resor
ted to the means he did to ascertain
whether his suspicious were wei
founded, believing that crime, no
only against the laws of the State
but against the honor and goot
name of North Carolina, was bein,
perpetrated. We say Mr.. KIM
may have peeped through that key
hole under such circumstances ant