St. Landry democrat., 1891-11-21
The Louisiana State Insane ASYLUM
at Jackson.

Catharinc Cole in X. o. Picayune.
The school children, the sick poor,
the blind and dumb poor and the in
sane poor, are the wards of our state
and nothing concerns us more than the
way we care for them. 1t is our bust
ness to know how the money we give
for them is expended, and to see that
every year they are improved in their
situation and that our public institu-
tons more nearly approach to an out
lined ideal condition.
The insane asylum at Jackson stands
on high hill at the edge of the town.
1t is a huge, deep porticoed building,
covered with yellow stucco and sur
mounted by cupola. 1t has two brick
threestory high wings on one side, one
on the other, with second in course of
construction. The main building is
used by the officers and their families.
There are two large parlors, one on
each side the wide hall and the entire
front Of the house in the second story
the women play in wet weather, and
where the young people of Jackson
sometimes come to have dance. The
seWing-rO0ms, meDding-ro0ms and
clothes closets are also situated in this
building. One of the parlors is used by
the inmates and their visitors; the 9TH
er, very elegantly and richly furnished,
is for the use of the Superintendent.
Tie asylum estate includes about 700
acres of very worthless land. OF this
enough is cultivated to keep the asylum
in vegetables and to raise q portion of
the food for the thirty head of mules
that are a necessary but heavy expense
on the place. All supplies have TO be
hauled six miles, from Ethel, aud the
teams are busy all the time. All fuel
on the estate has been exhausted, and
the asylum is now clearing land for any
farmer who will give the timber in pay
ment. This is nearly finished and here
after coal will have to be bought and
hanled from Ethel.
DR.: l.. G.. Perkins, an old and distin-
guished physician of East Feliciana
parish, has been since 1888 the supelin-
tendent of the asylum. Doctor Perkins
is man OF marked ability, and il there
was such thing as civil service reform,
he would be left in his position indie.
pendent of politics, because he is lust
the man for the place. vi
When he took charge of the asylum it
had about 450 inmates. By the time the
next Legislature met, through practicing
the most rigid economy, he had accu-
mulated $4,000. This was his nest egg
for building fund. The legislature of |
1880 gave him an annual income of $780,
poo, with an additional SIS, 900 for build
ing purposes, making the total annual
income 100000. Tho board OF mana
gers very wisely allowed the superin-
wide margin in the use of this |
money, allowing him to spend all he /
could spare from living expenses in
building. The superintendent salary
is $500 month, the matron's $50, the
$500, the clerks $50, the at
.endants, OF whom there are sixty, get
NY, the electrician gets $50, and other
)tilcers are IN like proportion. Possibly
something in the neighborhood of $7O,-
)oO year is paid out in salaries. Tie
estimate on which supplies are furnish
ed is $40 year for each patient, and
lniess figures lie, it can be seen that
even by the closest continuing and best
management can the sums available be
made to suffice. At present there are
$50 inmates, or including officers, at
and servants, $50. In October.
oSS, there We're 400 patients, this is only
IN increase OF l2G persons; and the par
sI OF Orleans, DIR. Perkins, saws, has
ent in three years 100 persons to the
sylum. Many of these, coming FROM
he wretched city jails, are SO infested
With verinin that their heads must be
hayed, their clothing burned and their
ersons literally secured. There are at
resent no applications from country
| asked the genial superin-
endent why lie did not then take In
hose who are waiting in New Orleans
0 be sent to Jackson 7
| cannot do it until / know how
lany there are. | have but very little