The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-03
HORRIBLE CRUELTY.
Practised at the Jefferson, lIIi-
nois, Insane Asylum,
THE NEWSPAPER REPORTER
Who Pretended Insanity aud Was
Confined In tho Institution Tells
What ho Witnessed-A Pa
IIent Rcaten to Death.

CHlcAGo, May 9.-Coroner Hertz ant
u Jury to-day began an investigation int
the cause of the death Of Robert Burns
patient in the insane asylum at Jeffer
son. Attendants Richardson, Cregar
and Pecha, who ara charged with beat
ing him to death, were present, The
dead mans widow and her brother testi
fled that harms wasin good health when
ho was sent to tue asylum, and that the
only abrasion on his body was on one
Of his legs, which had been injured
The most damaging testimony was that
Of Charles Beck, reporter, who sue
cessfully played the insanity dodge
and was admitted to tho asylum where
he was an eye witness to much of the
brutal treatment which reduced Burns
in ten days from q strong man 10 a COM
plete physical wreck, resulting in his
death. The story was one OF the most
revolving and heartless cruelty, The
witness detailed Rt very great length the
fHpthttW NGth VI bIuNllty nulSu thV
three accused attendants inflicted upon
the unfortunate man. He declared that
the patient was not unruly, but seemed
dazed aud incapable OF understanding
what was wanted OF him.
Beck said that upon their arrival al
the asylum they were given cold baths !
then he and Burns were left shivering
in cold room for fifteen minutes, when
after examination by the doctors, the at.
tendants took charge OF them. Burns
was ordered TO sit on bench. He
seemed not 10 understand and did
not do so, whereupon he was
violently thrown down upon 1t,
Rising In dazed and helpless way
Attendant Richardson kicked him VIC.
lently In tho abdomen. Burns again
arose aud tried to walk away, when
Richardson caught him by tho collar
and threw him to the floor. And so the
brutality continued, tue three attend
ants Richardson, Crogan aud Peech
each taking part in it, kicking the help
less lunatic in the side and stomach,
striking and cutting and bruising his
face with their fists. They undertook
10 d ,'ess his wounded leg, Jerking him
about roughly and causing him excru-
clatinp aE Eony, meantime continuing their
blows When this was done, Orogan
picked M on!q Of Burns shoes, and tax
Ing It by the tee, beat the unoHending
patient over the head with the heel, cut.
ting great gashes and covering the un.
fortunate victim with his own blood.
by this time he was In semi.comatose
condition and was fast losing conscious
ness. He was then jerked out Of his
seat, which was covered with blood that
had run down from his head. The 70.
porter came out OF the asylum at the
end Of ten days. Burns was then re-
duced to skeleton and was sallow,
hollow.eyed idiot. -.
Richardson aud Peech, under advice
OF their attorney, refused to testify or 70
DO present at the subsequent proceed
ings, preierring to remain 10 jail.
A verdict was reached In short order
by the Jury finding that Richardson and
Crogau caused the lunatiC's death. The
pair with attendant PeeCh are already
under Indictment for murder. There
seems little doubt that Drs.
Kiruan and Schubert will have bills of
some sort presented against them by
the grand Jury.