Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-03
AN ASYLUM NEEDED
For That Class of the States Insane
Who Are Also Criminals.
TIE VIEWS OF JAMES B. SCOTT.
How One Patients Reason Was Restored in
Very Short Order.
TALKS OF CITIZENS AND TRAVELLERS

James B. Scott, member of the State
Iunacy Commission, returned yesterday
from meeting of the board in Philadel-
rhia. In discussing the work of the year
he said the chief regret of the commission
was in not succeeding in getting the bill
through the Legislature which provided for
the establishment of an asylum for crimi-
nal insane, in which those who have COM
mitted some act in violation OF State law
could be confined the same as in a peniten-
tiarv, and at the same time be given treat
ment for their mental trouble.
"Such an institution must come some
time" he continued. "The number ofsuch
insane people has increased so per cent in a
wear and will continue increasing until
some better means for caring for them is
proyided. Bv criminal insane. mean those
who insist on committing suicide, attacking
their keepers and also those who have
escaped punishment for some crime on the
grounds of insanity. The latter plea is one
of the best known in murder trials and has
come TO be the most common defense. 1t Is
used almost every day in Criminal Court
and with such effect on juries that 1t Is time
some method is adopted to stop 1t.
A Separate Asylum Needed.
''The best means, it seems to me, is to have
an ASYLUM where persons who have been re-
leased on account of insanity can be con-
fined as closely as in a prison, and thus be
restrained from flights of momentary in
sanity, whether they be real or teigned- 1t
is almost impossible to tell when a man is
shamming. but if those who do knew that
a cell in an asylum was awaiting them and
that they would have TO stay in it as long
TO prove that they were not likely TO again
become momenIarily insane as they would
in penitentiary to serve a sentence, there
might not be such an incentive to act crazy
and fool the Judge and jury.
Il recently had some experience with
man in the Western Penitentiarv, which
proves that men can successfully feign in
sanity. The man in question was we'll
known criminal who is serving 11-year
sentence A few months ago he commenced
acting queerly and kept it up so systematic
ally that the keepers believed him crazy
and even Warden Wright was almost con-
WINGED. He would tear his bedcloth-
i.C into shreds; talk all manner of
gibberist, stand on his head in his cell and
veil as hard as he could all night long.
when I saw him Warden Wright wanted
nv opinion as to whether he should not be
removed 10 hospital where he could re-
ceive treatment. There were several Of
ficials passing through the prisons, and we
all stopped in front of the crazy mans
door.
A Restoration to Sanity.
'Just &hen he was going through his
widest antics, l said Warden, l guess you
had better have that operation performed.
OF course it is dangerous, but this man will
not live long the way he is, and we might
as well try ii. 1t will either kill or cure, 1
said looking at the prisoner, who strangely
had enough mind to stay and listen. Kill
or cure, he repeated and then laughed.
From that day he was as sane as any man,
and afterward explained that he was only
feiCning in order TO get in hospital from
which he hoped to be able to escape.
1t is time to call halt on this insane
plea and the best way l know to do is TO get
an asylum where persons who show an in
sane attempt to commit crime, or those who
have escaped punishment through a plea of
insanity, whether momentary or permanent,
can be committed in the same manner as
in a penitentiarv. Treatment would, of
course, be provided by experts and in that
way it would differ from a prison. Tie
Luuacv Commission will undoubtedly make
another attempt to have such law, and
think they will succeed when the matter is
fairly presented.