Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-10-01

least. A large portion of his time durin.
the campaign Of 1889 was spent denounc
| ing the Board of Public Affairs that haC
been appointed for the city of Cincinnati
In this connection there was no language
SO virulent or so indecent that he hesitateC
| to use 1t. How stands the records He Is
not making any charges now against any
body, except only his own appointees anc
members of his own party. He has NJ
time; they completely occupy his atten
tion. Before year had passed he felt
called upon to convene the General As
sembly in extraordinary session to abolish
the Board of Public Improvements, which
he had appointed to take the place of the
Board of Public Affairs, on the ground
that it was SO incompetent, dishonest and
corrupt that he could not tolerate its ex-
istence for a short two months longer,
until the campaign then in progress would
be ended and the General Assembly would
meet in regular session. But before the
investigation the Legislature ordered was
ended the Governors attitude became SO
mortifying and his motives appeared so
questionable that, notwithstanding all he
could say and prove, his much-abused
Board outranked him in public confidence
and esteem.
Management of Public Institutions
Another of his complaints was that the
public institutions of the State had been
badly and extravagantly managed. He
promised to remedy the alleged wrong.
He has had an opportunity, and what is
the result3 1t has not justified either his
criticisms or his promises. During the
four years preceding his administration
there was not the slightest scandal of any
kind in connection with the management
of any of the public institutions of the
State, penal or benevolent, while the cost
per capita of maintaining the same touched
the lowest point ever reached. Such a
record should have shielded them from
molestatiOn, but it did not. Superipten-
dents of asylums, conceded to be among
the ablest of their class in the United
States, were promptly turned out with as
little ceremony as though they had been so
many 1anitors, to make room for men
without experience, fitness or claim, ex-
cept that they were Democrats whose ap-
pointments would pay the Governors
political debts, and who could be relied
upon to take care of Democratic workers
and use their places to promote Demo
cratic success. The result has been the
legitimate consequence. Scarcely an in
stitution has escaped scandal and investi-
cation. From one learn all.
Cleveland Asylum.
The following are but a few of the many
charges that were made against DR.. c. B.
Chesher, appointed in January last to sue
ceed DR.. Strong as superintendent of the
Cleveland asylum. They were made
directly to the Governor by ]. C. Lower, a
Democrat who had held the position of
private secretary under the superintendent
and therefore with full knowledge l quote
briefly from long list, and only to exhibit
a mere sample of the charges and scandals
that have disgraced almost every other
public institution of the State Mr. Lower
says,
"Dr. Chesher is incompetent to fill the
position of superintendent of an insane
asylum. Now, let me detail just a little.
OF the 725 patients now in the asylum,
dare say that DR.. Chesheris is not acquainted
with more than a dozen cases. He never
examined single patient when admitted
into the asylum. He never wrote pre-
soription. He never advised with any of
the assistant physicians as to the treatment
of single patient. He never expressed an
opinion on insanity within the knowledge
Of any of the assistant physicians or en-
ployes of the asylum. He even seldom
walks through the wards. One of the at
tendants says he has been in his ward bnt
three times. A number of them say that
be walks through now and then Just like
visitor would. And Notwithstanding the
fact that insanity is a mystery to him, he
went to work and appointed brother of
his as assistant physician, who is about
ffty-hve years old and who knows even
less about insanity than the superinten-
dent, if such thing is possible. think
IAN truthfully say-and 1 received my in
formation from the druggist and two of
The assistant physicians-tha the superin-
tendent's brother would have killed a
number of patients by overdoses, but the
attendants mistrusted the size of doses
and consulted the ether assistant physi- |
clans before giving the same. The same
man has also been drunk in the asylum |
He has charge of six wards and possibly
225 patients. He doesn't know one third
Of them, and it is matter of public COM
ment by those in the building and those
visiting inmates. When asked to know
the condition of patient he frequently is
obliged to go and ask the attendants. The
superintendent in such cases generally ven
lures the opinion that there is no change;
Just about the same; it is difficult to say
IS to the outcome of those cases, but the |
physician will be down soon' Many of |
those who have called to see friends have
damned the superintendent, and wanted
10 know why he should ever have been |
thought of as superintendent of an insane |
asylum. You can well imagine the COM
ments that are made, both inside and out- |
side of the building. These charges, and |
great many more of a similar nature, can |
prove and will prove if given an oppor-
tunity. Let me emphasize the fact that |
can prove every assertion have made to |
the satisfaction of any unbiased, intelli- |
gent man. Such incompetency as 1 have |
described is frequently the one main topic |
Of conversation throughout the building.
Making More Than His Salary. |
"It is not pleasant matter, to charge
man with dishonesty, and in this case
myself thoroughly before doing so.
DR.. c. B. Chesher Is dishonest, if you call
1t dishonest to receive money from the |
friends of patients in consideration of do |
ing their bidding. Let me give you some
facts. After was put out at the asylum
for some months Dr. Chesher requested
me to write a number of letters to different
relatives of chronic patients The letters
stated that owing to the fact that the
patient is incurable and that the house Ia
very much crowded, he did not think that
he could carry so and so any longer, and
wound up with Please CALL Quite a
number called at once. They were ex
tremely anxious not to have their friends
removed. They dived down into theiI
pockets and said: Here is twenty-five; try
and keep her, and will do all 1 can very
month heard part of this conversation,
and Dr. Chesher himself related the same
to me and then made the remark: Why, II
could make more that way than my salary
amounts to- The superintendent has re
ceived money under such circumstances and
never accounted for one dollar of it. One
man told me that the superintendent
finally said: L will keep your wife for S1s
month"; to which this man replied: 81
will not pay you one dollar Has youI
leg been pulledS' is the question frequently
interchanged between those who have
friends at the asylum. Since the first
batch of letters, mentioned above, and
which / wrote, DIR. Chesher has written
quite a large number of similar letters
himself to my own positive knowledge
He would threaten to remove patients and