Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-04-22
MANIAC AND DOCTOR.
AN INSANE NEGREss THRoTTLEs A
PHYSICIAN IN A CELL.

Loses His Llfe-Timeiy Arrival of At.
tendants Prevents Fatal Resuit-A |
Thrilling Encounter.
Dr. 4. G. Dent, superintendent Of the
insane asylum on Blackwell's Island, told
me Of a thrilling experience he had with
a mad negress. DIR. Dent has been for
ten years connected with the asylum,
has treated the most violent cases and
has had many narrow escapes from
death, but his battle with the giant
negro woman. he said, was the closest
call he ever had
When DIR. Dent became superintend.
ent of the institution on Blackwell's Isl.
hand he abolished all the mechanical re-
straint apparatus, and he determined
that all harsh and repressive measures
should be expressly forbidden. His idea
was that in the treatment and care Of
patients they should be made to feel at
home and among friends; but In spite Of
all the care and kind attention and the
endear2r to please the patients, there are
a number Of the latter on the island, the
doctor said, who are as ferocious as wild
animals These violent cases occasion
ally take advantage of the fact that there
are no straitjackets or restraining ma
chimes in the institution, and they be.
come insulting and aggressive and often.
times very dangerous.
The negress was one of these cases.
She had been in the institution for sew
erM years and was incurably insane.
a IL tho ~ nd -,
ward in which she was confined were in
mortal dread of her. and they were
obliged to keep constantly ON the watch
for fear Of "A sudden attack from the mad
woman, whose name is Ann Kinney
She is nearly six feet in height and very
muscular She had been laundress in
this city, and during an alteration with
her husband she received blow on the
head. rs n result of which she became
insane
II was summoned to the acute ward, >
said Or Dent, where found the ncgress
in a terrible rage She had driven all
the nurses ont OF the ward and the other
patients were completely cowed. She
was rambling about at will. brandishing
I half picture frame she had torn from
\ the wall Her eyes were bIoodshot and
she was foauing nj the mouth. When |
appeared she became more violent, and
the other patients were crying out in
terror. She began tearing off her clothes.
and presented hideous spectacle.
There WAS only one thing to do. and
that was to cOntine the negress before
she could kill or main any Of the patients,
which. with her strength she could do in
a few moments There was no time to
summon other help, SO opened the door
and walked in The mad woman made
dash for me and when within half a
dozen PAGES she threw down her picture
frame, which was Of light pine, and
seizing a bench, which she broke with
ease, and catching up a heavy oaken
bench rung. she prepared to attack me.
4 ! spoke to her gently, calling her by
name, told her it was all right, that nc
one wanted to harm her, aud to keer
quiet. This did not soothe her in the least.
Thinking to catch her off her guard
grabbed for the arm that held the bench
rung My antagonist dropped the rung
and swore that she would kill me, and
to tell the truth | was little afraid she
would, for ! was only about half her
size. The way she chucked me about
the floor picked me up and threw me
down again, almost took the life out oil
me. She played with me as cat does
with mouse, but, strange to say, though
she had me ut her mercy, she did not ut.
tempt to beat my brains out with her
club, II all happened in a very few
minutes. When she gave me breathing
spell | appealed to her sympathies and
she Gained down considerably. and after
talking TO her in IA coneiliatory manner
we decided to compromise She agreed
to go 10 her cell qnietly. after | had
promised to give her something to ease
the pain in her head | walked to the
Cell with her, in order TO fasten the door
on the outside ! opened the cell door
and rs did so she grabbed me around
the waist lifted me from the ground
and carried me bodily into the cell, then
slammed the door Now will kill you.
sure, she cried
she imagined that il was | who had
hit her ON the head and had caused her
all her sufierings Her powerful hand
was at my throat when the attendant.
rushed in and rescued me. II was tllt
narrowest escape | had ever had. She
was given an opiate to quiet her, while
|, more dead than alive. was carried to
my Office considerably bruised
How about the cases of rough usage
to patients that have occurred in the in.
stitution; | asked
lin spite Of all the carr and super
vision and under the most rigid disei-
pline, II rarely happens that the patients
are roughly spoken 10, much less rough.
ly treated, by the nurse, but, OF course,
attendants upon the insane, like the or.
binary run of mankind. are not uni.
versally sweet tempered, nor endowed
too literally with that spirit Of Christian
torbcarance 50 beautifully incnlcated
in the Sermon on the Mount
I'VE have too few attendants here.
We should have AZ least one for every
ten patients, but we have not half that
number The employees ARE oyerworked:
they are kept busy constantly from the
time they get M till they 70 10 bed,
with duties ~ most trying character.
They are cut off for the most part from
social pleasures, and their sacrifices are
many for small pay But whenever a
case comes 10 my attention Of a nurse or
attendant caught in the act Of abusing a
patient there r. an immediate discharge.
The patients are encouraged 10 tell their
grievances to their supervisors and ply.
sicians, whom they are taught to regard
rs their friends aud protectors. and
their reports of Ill treatment are inyea.