Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-07
AMONG THE DAFT
Some Incidents of a Visit to st.
Elizabeth's Hospital.
a MAN Who SAID he WAS DEAD.
How Sixteen Hundred Insane Are
Cared for.
PATIENTS AND ATTENDANTS.

PATIENTS AND ATTENDANTS.
The Government Hospital for the Insane,
on the hills of Anacostia, overlooking
Washington, has a grander site than any
similar institution in the world. Nature
literally endowed the 24O acres comprised
in the estate with useful and ornamental
features. and the patients, under the direc-
ton of the physicians and attendants.
have made best use Of them. The result is
most pleasing to the senses. Wherever you
stroll throughout the grounds you see signs
| of careful and intelligent workmanship. In
| nothing could the contrast between this age
! and a century ago be more marked. Then
| they chained the insane and treated them
as wild beasts; now they are given employ
ment to distract them from the minds sore
| trouble and allow dethroned reason to re-
! gain her seat. The patients of the govern
ment hospital raise most of the farm and
| garden products they consume, and twelve
of them in the tailor shop turned out last
year 1900 suits. 2,242 check shirts. 1854
socks and other undergarments In ike pro-
portion, besides making all necessary re-
pairs.
A Startling Question.
when did you die?' A Star reporter
| was strolling through the grounds when
accosted with this rather startling ques-
| ton. He turned and saw a lean lank, ca
| daverous young man with sallow complex
ion and mournful looking brown eyes,
| when did you der the apparition re-
peated
| Not knowing exactly what to say The
Star reporter preserved a discreet silence.
| His interrogation paused for moment and
| then added in a disputative tone: You're
| dead"
The reporter having admitted that this
might be so. his new friend nodded his
| head approvingly and continued: Yes,
| you're dead and I'm dead and We are all
dead. Now. there are ignorant people who
| don't know We are dead and buried, who
dispute the fact just as when they were
alive they disputed all facts that did not
| agree with their preconceived ideas. But, L
know L am dead and If I am dead every
one else must de dead"
| How do you know you are dead?" asked
the reporter.
Because 1 was my own grave digger"
he replied triumphantly. This seemed to be
a clincher and he stopped to consider its
effect. Then going on: Perhaps you think
| that is the sum-, pointing to the orb Of day.
| III you do you don't know anything about
it. That is not the sum-" lowering his voice
to whisper: This is purgatory and that
is Old Nick's dominions''
A sample Case.
The attendant who had him and others In
charge came up just then and the dead and
buried gentleman retired.
NO. replied the attendant when asked
whether this was the patients sole hallu-
cination. He has different one for every
hour in the day. Every now and then he
becomes conscious that he is In an asylum,
and at such times he always has some new
reason to account for his being here. have
some scribblng of his, written on one Of
these occasions, which is a perfect curios-
ity."
The attendant obliginsly procured this
manuscript. There were several papers
written in a close but legible hand. The
following extract will give an idea Of its
tenor:
ITO think OF such a thing being possible
in this nineteenth century and in this free
country. To think of a man being incar-
cerated In an asylum with madmen, in or
der that he might be robbed of the honor
and wealth that the greatest invention Of
the age would justly confer upon him. The
whole villainous plot flashed across my
mind and made the mystery a mystery no
longer, just as the lightning lllumines the
murky blackness of a stormy sky only TO
make II more terrible. l was drugged and
then conveyed hither. The cowardly scoun-
drels, the loathsome human reptiles, miser-
able crawling vermin toads. bats, snakes
ghouls, buzzards; the Incarnation Of every
thing that creeps and crawis and cringes
OF all the vices that flourish in the sink Of
iniquity; Of all the mean Things that can
not bear the sunlight of God but must
come forth from their hiding places when
the dark shadow of night is upon their
of my invention. they would rob me of the
wealth it will surely bring with it. they
would rob me Of the renown which. without
the wealth, would make me happy: they
would rob me Of my happiness OF my lib
erty, of my friends, of my home, and keep
me here with these babb.ing idiots these
poor shells of human beings. the kernel Of
whose lives has long ago G,cayed."
Yes" remarked the attendant after the
reporter had read the document, he has
an imagination which ought to have made
him a fortune If he could have kept IL in
proper control, but it ran away with him
and brought him here
You hear good many odd imaginings,
do you not?"
the outsider would suppose However.
could fill good many volumes If / told
them all. There was one man, now dead, q"
he continued reminiscently, that 1 had
with me for long time, who thought he
was Samson, the strong. The joke of IL
was that he was not five feet and a half
high, and could not have weighed 10
pounds. He used to claim that after he
pulled down the temple of the Philstines
he escaped from the ruins. He claimed that
he had taken part in all the great wars of
history and that Napoleon would never
have been defeated in the battle of Water
loo. had he not killed 10000 Frenchmen
with his jawbone. Notwithstanding this
bloody record he was one of the gentlest
most quiet patients l ever had Poor fell
low he has been out Of his trouble for
three years now.
I'VE had another nan here who used to
walk around with his hands pressed to the
side of his head. He imagined it was made
of glass, and that he had to hold it to
keep it from breaking. But 1 would talk
longer than the silver Senators if l tried to
| tell YOU all of their different vaga-ies."
Some patients are allowed to roam at
liberty around the grounds, are they not?'
| Yes they are put upon their honor to
remain inside, and ii Is very rare that any
one will violate his word. Then there are
some who are allowed to go outside, and
even cross over into the city, and We have
one who will start on Monday for the
worlds fair. OF course these latter are
patients who can absolutely be relied upon
The vast majority, of course. go about
| under escort, and the convict insane are
kept separate from the rest, and take their
| air in an inclosed yard.
NO patient is compelled to work. but Dr.
| Godding encourages them in every possible
way when they desire to employ them
selves AS little restraint possible is
used OF course. some at times is abso-
lutely necessary, but We have not a patient
| here who is always under restraint Just