The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1889-01-12
The Asylum Committee Report


The committee that investigated the
management Of the Morris Plains Asylum
submitted its report 10 the Legislature on
Tuesday. In substance the report is as fol
lows
1.-THE charges referred to in the resolution, under
which your committee was appointed, were found 70
be of two kinds, one affecting the official integrity of
Martin B. Monroe warden and accusing him Of dis
homes conduct IN making large sums of money by ex-
acting bonuses and commissions, and with using sup
plies bought by the State for asylum uses. The Sc
cond class charges related to the business conduct and
management of the institution. The committee re-
ports that they are UNANIMOUSLY Of the opinion that
the charges against Mr. Monroe dishonesty are un.
founded Evidence Of witnesses show that he re-
ceiyed no bonuses or money illegally.
The specific charges OF DR.. Booth are next quoted,
in which the medical director attacks the food sup
ply. special diets laundry service, &c. The com
mittee say while it is not true that frequent or gross
denquences occurred in the Kitchen store-room, &c.
it is true thar subsequent to fall of 1887 there
were instances more numerous than is excusable OF
improper articles being served out from the store
room and meat from the kitchen, and prepared and
served out to the patients and employees The evil
dence of Miss Julia Murphy presented in support Of
his allegation.
DIR. Mcfarland testimony is not quoted.
THE FOOD OFTEN BAD.
1--WE believe the committee continues, ''that
worms have been bred in oatmeal flour; that water
bugs found their way the food that spoiled eggs
were som etnes given out and other spoiled articles
of diet were sent to the patients. All these things
will occur in the best regulated families 1t is safe to
infer that there was eupable fault in the kitchen
agement There was probably just ground of COM
plant against the quality of the cooking. There
should have been a competent cook in charge. We
believe that the food is now prepared in a manner
that is beyond criticism. George A. Halsey and
other members of the board testified that they never
heard of the complaints of bad food until they saw
them in the newspapers 1t appears from the evI-
dence that DR.. Booth was negligent in calling the at
tenon of the board of managers to the faults that
he saw at the institution.
DR.. Booth was responsible for some of the evils
the committee say, if he failed to take the natural
lawful course to secure a remedy. The reforms
which he wished would have been properly made had
they come to the knowledge of the managers. The
committee say that the washing business in each
quarter in the medical department and downstairs in
the laundry was carried on with lack of system that
would have been discreditable Now however, a
proper system has beeninstituted.
THE WARDEN NOT BLAMED.
The committee do not attribute any of the faults
discovered in the management of the asylum lack
of executive ability official zeal the part cf the
warden They believe that the warden had more
duties than he could attend to- With regard to the
dual system, the committee say, great difference of