Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-04
A DEATH TRAP.
Blackwel's Island Hospital Dis
grace to Civilization.
Gross Mismanagement Charged - Its
Sanitary Condition Filthy in
the Extreme.
Awful Experiences OF the Sick and Afflicted
Drugs Dealt Out by Ignorant Con-
victs-Complaints Filed.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
New YORK, Sept. 3.-For some time
past. says the Evening Sun to-day. con-
victs discharged from Blackwell's Is
land have complained bitterly OF the
gross Encouragement of the city IS work
houses, alleging that it is disgrace to 6
civilized community. The statement OF
convicts applied more particularly to the
sanitary management of the institution.
Last April the prison was swept by q
scourge of souryy, which nothing short
of almost criminal negligence could
have brought on. At one time not less
than thirty or forty convicts were down
with the disease, and this bv no means
represents the number who were act
ually affected. There is a dread among
convicts of going 10 the prison hospital,
which keeps many who ere in need of
medical treatment from applying for 1t.
During the scurvy epidemic last spring
it kept at least one man from revealing
his illness and he suffered in illness and
finally
FACED DEATH ITSELF
without telling anybody that he was
sick man. He was found one morning
stone dead in his cell, aud the disease
There are still more cases of scurvy left,
but they are mil and the disease in its
epidemic form has disappeared. The de-
pGrtment, which Is known Us the hos
pital, is situated in dirty garnet, and
the unfortunate convict VINO escape
from the den to which sickness has driven
him is in good luck. rhe beds are so
close together that the doctor and at
PENDANTS can barely get between them,
and in these beds iumblsd practically to-
gether in one mass are all the diseases
and disorders brought into an institution
by thousands of men and women, repre-
senting the most afflicted Glasses of hu-
manity. There are no rooms and no
conveniences for surgical operations.
They must all be
PERFORMED ON THE BEDS
where the patient lies with. perhaps, a
fever patient crowded close up to him,
and man dying of consumption at his
feet; yet in such quarters are performed
some OF the most difficult operations
known to surgery. The air of the room
is lnconoeivably foul. In the mems
ward the water closet is right out in the
room in plain view of all the sick, not
ten feet away, in fact, from some of the |
beds, and with not even SO much as a
screen around it. Further than this, the |
mattresses on the beds are foul with dirt,
and the sheets and pillow cases grimy
and unwhoiesome. The hospital attend |
ants are all convicts. There Is not a |
single trained nurse. The worst feature |
Of this is, that it falls to the lot of one of |
these ignorant criminals to handle all the |
drug and measure out and deal out doses |
Of medicines which the doctors prescribe.
The medicines are sent in quantities to |
the penitentIary hospital, and are given
put as the doctors prescribe by some
RUBEIAN FROM THE sLUMs,
who does not know the difference, be-
tween prussic acid and par egoric. An
Instance of the working of this aystem
q week ago last Sunday. An
DID man named Hamilton was very i'll of
1ysentery and when Jockey Sullivan
turned the drug wheel of fortune there
fell out for Hamilton a heavy dose of
strong cathsrtic. Poor Hamilton died
1n the following Tuesday night. Jockey
sullivan has since been released from the
his term having expired
Why he happened to be assigned to deal
,ut drugs in the institution ia as much a
mystery to him as anybody else. He had
)een horse jockey, and had been
hief, and this was as near as he had ever
come to education i'll pharmacy. His
successor in Office is necessarily
IGNORANT OF DRUGS
Is was he, for he had to be drawn from
he ranks OF convicts, and there is not
nan among them who knows anything
Y hatever of the subject.
DR.. FaTwell, of the resident physi-
'ians. has complained strongly to War
len Pillsbury, aud has given notice that
10 declines TO take any responsibility for
his sick as long as the present syste of
management continues. The Sun says
that not one of the facts
bove stated can be refuted.