St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-01
IT NEEDS MORE FORCE
That Is What Seems to be the
Trouble at the Rochester
Asylum.
Asylum Experts Testify to the
Ability Of Superintend-
ent Bowers,
While Other Witnesses Con-
tinue the Tales Of Cruel
Treatment.
In Six Weeks the Committee
Will Be Ready to Render
q Verdict.

rapher Will tranScrlbe MS report OF the
evidence taken. copies of which will be
furnished to each member of the CON-
mittee-MeSSrs. Williston, Simpson and
Amundson. Messrs. Davis, Kellogg
and Severance will in all probability
make written defense on behalf of
DR.. Bowers, and if this is done Attor-
ney General Clapp will also prepare
brief. Six weeks must elapse before
the committee will be in a position to
report.
There was little material adduced be-
fore the committee yesterday, beyond
that DR.. Bowers was most painstak-
ing, conscientious official, and that ne
was OVerburdened with work. 1t was
demonstrated that with the duties he
had to perform, the small corps of at
PENDANTS, with next to no supervisors,
DIR. Bowers could not be reasonably eX-
pected to keep Informed of everything
transporting in the institution. n every
case where abuse Of patients had come
to the knowledge of Dr.. Bowers it was
shown that he took vigorous measures
in the dismissal of the offending attend
ants. The miSmanagement OF Rochester
asylum does not SO much lie with DR..
Bowers as superintendent as with the
board of trustees, and through them the
legislature which have allowed the in
stitution
TO BECOME oVERCROWDED,
undermined and its officials under
paid. ,........-. ..s-..i...:.
DR.. P. Fl. Willard, of st. Paul, an eX-
member of the state lunacy board, was
next examined. He found that the at
NIX OF pnahnctar q Cunnrinr
set to those at St Peter. 1t was impos-
Sible to prevent the i'll treatment of pa
tients by attendants. 1t was lamenta
BILE fact that most of the insane were
| title better than animals. They were
continually wanting to fight, and would
attack the attendants. who were COM
PEELED to use some restraining force. In
some instances the patients might re-
ceiye injuries which were serious.
w. HI. Mack. OF Minneapolis. has been
an inmate of the asylum. HerecouDted
an attack by four attendants. He was
tearing piece Of blanket. when the at
tendants ordered him to leave the room,
and upon refusing they attacked and
threw him down. Two took him by the
feet, two by the lands, and proceeded to
kick him in the face and breast. Tom
LAWYER was one attendant, and two of
the others welt by the name of Jim and
Frank. He complained to DR.. Bowers,
when the attendants claimed they had
merely choked him. The attendants
threatened to kill Mack if he told the
doctor what they had done. He had
seen patient named FarnsHorth kicked
in the face and body.
Ex-Lieut. Gov. Barto, of aukI.Center,
a member of the beard of truStees.spoke
- I, of
ment up to the time of the Combs muir
lunacy board, also spoke in favorable
terms of DR.. Bowers. DR.. G. N Hewitt,
of Red Wing. secretary of the state
board of health, believed DR.. Bowers
had done the best he could in his man
agement of the asylum. There was no
question but that the attendants should
COME FROM A ,BETTER. CLASS.
The class of attendants at Rochester
and st. Peter could not be trusted.
Mr.. Wi1liston-Where do you place
the blame at Rochester? @ - --. -...
DR.. Hewitt-The blame is in the gen.
eral system Of running these institu-
lions. They are all run on the same
plan. There is no idea of originating
anything new. 1t would be out of
order. The average management of
the eountry'S aSylumS is not up to what
it ought to be.
Mr.. Simpson-These series of out
rages-tO what do you attribute them?
Dr.. Hewitt-To the present system of
running aSylums. The superintendent
has been kept SO occupied that it has
been impossible to give the necessary
attention to the inmates of the asylum.
The system has kept him on the run.
DR.. w. A. Jones, of Minneapolis, is
a specialist in cases of diseases of the
mind and nervous system. He was four
years assistant physician at st. Peter,
and has known DR.. Bowers fifteen
years, considering him as possessing re-
of an insane asylum. DIR. Jones has
visited many asylums in this country,
England, Germany and Austria, and
says that the Rochester asylum COM
pared favorably with good many of
them, end ranked above great many.
A better class of attendants might be
secured in the asylums of the state by
the payment of better salaries. He eX-
planned that in a certain condition in
sane patients would often strike and
wound themselves, and afterwards be-
leve that they had been abused by
some one else. A certain amount of force
is requisite by the attendants to control
violent patients. DR.. Jones believes
that 300 patients were quite sufficient
for one superintendent to have under
his direct charge; that he should have
several assistants, with large cor ps of
well-paid attendants, and more than
one supervisor. The doctor should
DEVOTE HIMSELF ENTIRELY
to his medical work, have nothing to do
with outside details, and then he could
do himself and his patients justice.
There were $50 patients in Rochester,
and he believed there should be one at
tendant to eight patients. 1t was totally
wrong to mix inebriate patients with
the convaleseent insane, and the GRIM
inal insane and physical insane should
be separated.
State Auditor Braden testified to
knowledge of James II. Turner, an eX-
inmate of the asylum, who has given
evidence before the committee. Turner,
perhaps, had the ability of telling the
truth, but he was not man upon whose
word he would like his liberty to de-
pend. His mind was Shattered-he was
a crank.
DIR. Bowers denied Turner's testi-
mony that he threatened to remove him,
and that he privately treated patients in
the asylum. With regard to Maek's
case, the doctor thoroughly inquired
into the injuries he received and found
that they were inflicted by himself.
Mr.. Kellogg-Have you always, when
ever patient has been injured and it
came to your knowledge, investigated
the case.
Dr.. Bowers-Yes, 1 have always in
vestigated for myself or directed an
assistant.
Mr.. Keilogg-If you found an attend
ant had committed willful wrong,
have you discharged the attendant?
DIR. Bowers-1f the matter was of suf-
ficient gravity, yes. Ii of milder
character, the attendant was probably
reprimanded and cautioned to be care
full and not have such recur again.
Mr.. Simpsons the present arrang-
ment of your force sufficient to give
you perfect and thorough information
OF whether such outrages compl aimed
of have been committed?
DR.. B0wers-No. 1 have felt for some
time back, a year or SO, that additions
ought to be made to the force. have