The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-05-07
DIR. GRIFFIN'S REPLY
TO THE CHARGES OF THE INvESTI-
GATIN,a COMMITTEE.

vestigation-He Has Seen but Lttle OF
tho Testimony, and Makes n General
Reply to General Charges.
COLUMBIA, S. G., April 3O.-The re-
ply of DIR. Griffin to the committee of
inquiry has been submitted to the board
OF regents OF the Lunatic Asylum and
copy was sent to The News and Cou-
rier Bureau this evening.
Dr. Griffin begins by stating the con-
dltlonS under which the testimony con-
corning him was taken, as follows:
The committee sat with closed doors
in the rooms of the board at the Asy-
lum. Of their proceedings had no
knowledge at that time, except from
the fact that most II not all, of the Of
iicers and attendants, some of the pa
tientS and few former employees were
examined on oath. During the exam
ination l was called before the commit
tee. No statement of any matter of
complaint was made to me, and my ex-
plantations were directed to matters as
TO which the committee chose to inter
rcgate me. From these questions I
was authorized to infer that charges
were contemplated against my admin
lstration, and then protested that if
any charges are to be made | would like
tobave specifications. TO this the Gov
ernOr replied in these words, quoted
from the stenOgrpher's report:
THE committee would say here that
us soon as the testimony has been taken
you can cross-examine witnesses on any
points you desire. We do not care to
have any feeling displayed in the in
vestigation. We are simply to inquire
into the condition Of the institution,
and we shall give you or anyone else
an opportunity to show that witnesses
have or have not been telling the truth ,"
TO this most satisfactory assurance
! answered: 81 could not possibly ask
for anything more"
The investigation was concluded
without notice to me and without Op-
pOrtunity to cross examine witnesses
or to show by countervailing testimony
wherein the witnesses had Or had not
been telling the truth.
The testimony taken during the eX-
animation was not submitted to me.
Nor was any information given mo of
any matter OF ceDSure developed during
the investigation. Instead of this ON a
purely ex-parte inquisition l am ar
raigned by the committee in their re-
port to the Governor upon most serious
charges of negligence, misfeasance and
incapacity in the conduct of my Office
affecting me personally as well as FRO
fessionally and officially. These charges
bear the date OF the day when the ex-
animation Of witnesses was concluded.
The board do not need to be Informed
that a copy Of the testimony taken be-
fore the committee has not been given
to me, but that have from the board,
through their courtesy, access to some
eighty pages of manuscript containing
portions of the testimony of some of
those witnesses such as the legislative
committee chose to select, while, as l
am Informed, the larger portion of the
testimony taken during the investiga-
tiOn has not been furnished to the
board. including whatever evidence
nesses tending to eXculpate me from
these charges. This meagre amount of
information was not available to me
till Tuesday last the 21St inst.
This statement is submitted without
comment. l have fault to find, and
wish to express through the board to
the committee of investigation and to
the Governor all due Difference, but l
have the inherent right to say that
justice has been denied me. l am con-
demned without the opportunity OF
plea and defence and without sem
blance Of trial, without knowledge of
ShdlSco dllu SpcClLCdtlOuS pIelcllcu
against me, without place for confront
ing the accusing WITNESSES, and with
out right of testimony in my behalf
Under such singular and untoward
conditions lean have no adequate an
swer to submit to the board save that
of general denial, and my demand for
fair and impartial investigation of
the charges according to the approved
forms OF trial.
DIR. Griffin states that in the manage
ment of the institution he followed the
modern doctrine of non.restraint, and
he quotes DR.. Ilammonds treatise on
insanity, in which are described the
methods Of Pinel and Connolly, giving
the theory and practice Of non-re-
straint, and also the practice in the
more important institutions in this
country and Europe. The principle on
which DR.. Griffin lays stress is this,
from DR.. Hammond:
"ReStraint is never necessary to Sc
cure the lives or the comfort Of others,
and when used it should be with ali
the safeguards against abuse which
sound policy and humanity dictate"
The next part of the paper deals with
the system of caring for the patients,
the number of attendants, duties of the
physicians, etc. Replying to specific
polnlS LT. Grlllln says:
The killing Of DR.. Kershaw by an
othing patient named Denaro was de.
plorable. Denaro was permitted by an
attendant, contrary to orders. to wan
der from his ward to another, and while
the attendant Of the other ward was in
the presence and within touch OF Dr.
Kershaw Denaro suddenly struck his
victim. Perhaps the utmost vigilance
of DIR. kershaw's attendant could not
have averted the tragedy. Certainly
the superintendent could not provide
against it unless the rules and regula-
tions prescribed by the board had been
abrogated and the method Of treatment
changed TO that of close and mechani-
cal custoday of all patients liable to
iitful, dangerous moods.
speaking of Milne he says:
In this instance my desire to reduce
discipline to the minimum Of restraint
may have cause me to err. In relation
to every patient this discretion must be
exercised, and l submit that it IS cause
of cOngratulation that in a population
of about nine hundred persons so few
errors Of this kind occurred. repeat