The Indianapolis journal., 1890-06-10
SEARCHING FOR THE FACTS
The Treatment Mrs. Miller Received at
the Central Hospital for the Insane.
She Was Forcibly Put in q Room but the Bruises
On Her Face Not Reported as They
Should Have Been.


treatment of Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, until
recently patient of the Central hospital
for the Insane, cam6 up yesterday. 1t took
place at the hospital. and among those pres
ent were Alex. johnson. secretary of the
Board of State Charities; Rev. O. C. McCul-
loch; Albert Beck, who appeared as attor-
ney for the hospital board, and Captain
Eli +. Ritter, who acted as attor-
ney for the relatives of the abused
patient in the investigation. Witnesses
were examined, including attend
ants. supervisors and physicians. who
made their statements regarding Mrs. Mil
Ter, who was patient from Moore's Hill. in
Dearborn county. Her father is 3 stock
raiser. and she. widow, is lady of refine
ment and culture. 1t was brought out in
evidence that on the 25th of May the at
tendants had some trouble with the patient;
that she was little stubborn and
was making, as the attendants claimed,
some excitement among other patients In
the ward where she was. These attend
ants. Miss Christy and Miss Cain. asked
Mrs. Adams. the ply ysician in charge of the
ward. for permission to lock her up. The
ants. as they testified, took hold of her by
the arm and at the back of the neck by the
dress and pushed her into the room and
locked the door upon her. These two at
tendants testified that she had no bruises
on her face or person when she came to
their ward on the 23d inst, two days be-
fore this occasion. They testified that
they did not strike her and did not use any
rn1n hat
sary to put her into the room.
The rules of the institution require that
all occurrences of the kind, or of violent
acts upon the part of the patient which ne
cessitates the use of force shall be reported
in writing each day by the attendants to
the supervisor, and by the latter to the su.
perintendent. This case was not reported
to Superintendent Wright The super
visor of another division called attention
of the attendants to the fact that Mrs Mil
Ter had q black eye and some bruises next
day after the scuffie, and that they spoke
to Mrs. DR.. Adams about it. DE-. Adams
and the attendants say that the reason
they did not report the case was because
they did not know whore the injuries had
been received, whether in that division or
in the one from which she came on the 23d
of May.
superintendent Wright was passing
through the ward on the 25th of May, and
Mrs. Miller spoke to him about it. He
called on the attendants to know what
they knew about it, and they claimed to
know nothing at ALL He examined Mrs.
Miller casually. At that time she had q
bruise on her left cheek and a black mark
ent Wright examined her he found bruises
on her face, some on her breast and in the
region of the stomach just below the breast
bone. The doctors at the institution, who
examined her afterwards, say there were
eighteen bruises on her person, some of
which were slight.
Mr.. Beckett, a lawyer of this city, brother
of Mrs. Miller. had visited his sister since
December last five times. He went out
there ON Monday after the scuffle and asked
to see his sister. Mrs. DR.. Adams told him
she thought it best that he should not see
her, as it would excite her." and he was
compelled to 90 away without seeing her.
He wrote to his parents that he had been
refused, and on last Saturday, one week
ago. his mother came to this city. Mr..
Beckett and his mother went out to the
hospital on the same day, and found
Mrs. Miller ont on the grounds. She
the bruises on her face which looked as
though they had been inflicted with fists.
| Mr.. Booklet, without asking his sister,
went to- the attendant, Miss Christy, and
asked what she knew about it. Miss
| Christy told him she did not know any
thing about it. that the bruises were on her
| face when she came into her ward. He
| then asked his sister about it and she told
| him and his mother that the attendants
| had seized her. thrown her upon the floor,
| had beaten and shaken her and had tried
| to smother her when she screamed. Mrs.
| Miller then pointed out Miss Christy as
! the one who did the principal part of it.
Mrs. Miller is very intelligent and would
not appear to the casual observer to be
| insane until one of her delusions is touched
| upon. Mr.. Beckett and his mother called
| upon DR.. Wright and asked that the
| patient be released, as they wished to take
| her home, but she was not released that
| day. The next Sunday they went out
| again. accompanied by Capt. Eli f. Ritter,
| and DR.. Wright consented to her discharge.
| They brought her to the city and DR.. Henry
| Jameson made an examination of the
| patient and found wounds upon her face
and breast This last examination took
| place on June 8.
| Superintendent Wright desired the in
| yestigation to proceed to the fullest extent
and seems to have been kept in the dark
regarding her injuries. Mrs. Miller is now
| at her fathers IN Dearborn county. DR..
| Wright has heretofore been prompt to dis
| charge attendants for cruelty, and that is
/ given as the reason that this case was not
| reported to him by the attendants or by
| the physician. The persons who made the
| investigation are to make a formal report.