Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-02
NOT A DOOR IS OPEN.
Chief Elliot Badly Puzzled Over a
Lawrenceyille Freak.
TWO BOYS SADLY AFFLICTED.
He Believes All Incurable Imbeciles Should
Pe Removed.
NEED ANOTHER STATE INSTITUTION.

The most extraordinary case ever pre-
sented to the Department of Charities
turned up yesterday. 1t was that of the
Reese family, living on Liberty street, near
Main street Humane Agent Samuel
O'Brien called the attention of the Depart
ment to it The father is a good, honest
laborer at Carnegie's Thirty-third stree:
mill. His wife, good-looking and very
intelligent woman, has half her body para
lyzed. They have four children, two of
whom are perfectly formed, bright and very
healthy. The other two are terrible cases
of malformation. The Oldest is about IA
years. His limbs come out at the side
and are bent and twisted. He is par
tally paralyzed and his arms are
50 bent he cannot use them He is able,
however, to crawl about over the floor He
is feeble minded and cannot talk. The
other child is years old and less than 80
inches in height His head is much larger
than that of full grown man.
Cannot Either Walk. Talk or See.
He is an incurable imbecile and cannot
walk or talk and is blind. The child is
/ althr aud all the time it is awake it keeps
It's little legs going like the fan of a wind
mill 1t is this child they want the city to
take charge of Both children have to be
led like babies.
The house is scrupulously neat The
mother says she cannot take care of both
and asks that the city take care of one.
Chief Elliot never had such case to deal
with before, and does not know what
to do. The child cannot be placed
in the nursery at the farm because 1t would
rot do TO put the child in with other chill
dreu. For the same reason it could not be
gotten into the school for imbecile chill
dren at Ellwyn. None of the hospitals
would take it either. Chief Elliot said be
would have to try 70 induce the Legislature
10 provide State institution for deformed
children. There is no place where they
can be sent now. Speaking of the case he
said:
Would Be Humanity to Kill Imbecilcs.
''There is no door open to case of this
kind, and 1 will have to see what
can be done. People may not call it
Christianity but L believe it would be hu-
manity to dispose of such children. 1t
would not be murder. There are hundreds
of persons in State institutions who
are hopelessly insane They are imbeciles
for life 1t would be humanity to allow
here in misery. Here is this child, healthy
and likely to live for years, will be a burden
10 himself and his relatives. 1 believe
there should be law permitting institu-
tions to remove persons who have become
hopelessly imbecile or incurably insane.
When person is in that condition 1 be-
lieve it is a sin to allow them to live and
suffer. 1t would be humanity to take them
out of the world.
81 remember the case of Vincent Clark,
a river engineer, who had both limbs
7aralyzed. He lay in bed up at the Poor
~ Tor six wears. / knew him well, and
ime 1 went to see him he would ask
30 nething be laid beside his bed that
might do away with himself. He did
have any complaint about the way he
vas tredted, but he knew he could not be
cured and would have to lie there and wait
tor death. He made the same request of
everyone who came near him, and it would
have beeiN humanity TO have granted his