New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-22
TALES OF GROSS CRUELTY.
STORY OF A PATIENT KICKED TO DEATH
IN THE WARDS ISLAND ASYLUM.
HOW THE ATTENDANTS WERE TRYING TO CON
cEAL THE TRACES OF INHUMAN TREATMENT
OTHER SUFFERERS NEGLECTED AND
LEFT TO DIE-A DAY OF SEN
SATIONAL TESTIMONY.


sATIoNAL TESTIMONY.
The State Lunacy Commission, consisting OF Ut
Carlos +. Macdonald, Goodwin Brown and Senator
Horny A. Reeves resumed its hearing or the
charges against the city asylum officials In conhec
tior With the alleged mismanagement at WARDS
Island at the Park Avenue Hotel yesterday
Dr. Lyman A. Cheney. the thiro SEN
Tor assistant physician in the female depart
nent on Wards Island under Dr. Dent was on the
stand again. Dr. Cheney said that among inenicai
annliances hard to get on the island were artery
forceps once a patient cut her throat ana she
had to be left bleeding for some time, while can
vass was made for the instruments absolutely
necessary Dr. Dent, the witness said. was away
from the institution a great deal. He tod or the
scarcity OF shoes and Of the hard work which the
patients had to do in scrubbing anf withdrawing.
The witness then at Mr.. Edwardss request, de-
scribed a'typca visit Of the Grand jury TO the IN
st,tution telephone message would announce
their coming on the previous day. anc nice lunch-
con would be prepared In the stan Glning-roon.
They were generally accompanied by Commissioner
Shelby who invariably appeared bored. ana In a
hurry to get away. After luncheon the Grand Jury
would be shown through the visiting wards the
mat factory and the amusement halls. This In
specton would take about half NJ hour after
which they would take their departure
There epidemic OF pneumonia in the IN
stitutlon the winter of 1893 said the witness. and
TO keep the patients alive The form OF stimuant
used regularly at the institution whisley. The
witness remembered cases in which pneumonia
patients had been lef, twenty-four hours without
stlmuants. and had died.
Mr.. Mastn took up the cross-examnation OF DR..
Cheney at the point in his testimony relating to
the death Of Ann Fitzgerald. a violent patient who
hal been drugged continually, until one morning
she dropped dead not long after receiving hypo-
dermicnlly ninety grains OF choral Both the Wit
ness ard his colleague. Dr. Rabncvitch. had testi-
fled that Dr Dent present nj the autopsy,
md that her death had at Or. Dents suggestion,
been officially attributed TO cerebral hemorrhage
The witness explained that he recorded the results
OF the autopsy IN accordance with the opinions OF
others although he himself did not agree with the
conclusion arrived at. All the appearances IN MS
opinion and I'm the opinion OF others present pointed
to heart failure resulting from choral poisoning.
This opinion not expressed at the time but
was freely exchanged after Or. Dent had gone out
The next witness was Margaret Grnen, who
served as an attendant In the fema'e asylum, "nen
IL was sltnatcI on Blac1we..'s Island. for eighteen
months. prior TO Angus 1893 She corrob2fatel
nuch II Inc testimony given by previous witnesses
concerning the quality Of the food given the pa
TENTS and the preNl.eH," OF ver,n' "H M as n,
ier,s one o. thee was tho cas-. Of Annie Wis
dom. who Was taken extremely Il. with chi.'S ana
fever Or Mosey. Whose duty Il was 20 attend ner,
iii not go mar her. AMI after considerable delay
r hashore prose Teei p0~Gr " 5oey y@' s s
woke ~. screaming with pain. Iae next lay tns
,.lfu... ,y.r, a,Nlv. and when she returned she
was tjd that the patient had died from conshinP-
don Tha attendln's she said. were frequently
cruel To- the patients. Some Of the common netn0ds
~ f,rtur. wer, bending back IN" thumbs. TWISTING
TIE wrs's pu''ing the hair. AMI thr7tthng On
bong asked for the names OF attendants "h"In
she had seen N-usiug patients. tAr wines =.
nrst refused q answer. hut under Instructions from
tia comm !ss!0n. she gay" th" names o. Annie
smith Mrs Roach ani Miss Ok"efe
The next witness WIS PHILIP G"rma'ne, Idrb';
nIIi.t-tg,l freshman. who tod "A StralS"ttYTN "a
story IN an intel gent. energetic manner. lie
served az an attendant In the mar asN;uh on
Wards Island from September ~, IH@ 70 January
! 1874 lie described the apartment IN Whch ne
st,crlarfs Who sept on fou-smei,inR straw bedS
which w,re swarm!ng with bugs ,,-,
~ hat Kind OF bugs asked Judge Mcmahon
"Therr's only bug know or IN America
replied the witness seriously. 'and that's the pug
bites YOU.
lie had seen patients with fee, torn and bleed
ing because thcv were not furnished with shoes
He hIl known Of another patient without trousers.
ana hal seen women patients scrapng coal out OF
tho dirt and snow He described the operation
known among the attendants az an Irish hypo-
/ dcrmic' which consists OF the lifung OF pauen'
at arms length above tho heads OF fOur attehi-
anita anil the abrupt dropping Of him = the grounI
Tho most sensational featur" OF the witness
testimony was that dealing with the death or a
patient named Mc'iinn or Mc'iynn- N" VIM, WINS
Is not sure which The witness. while looking
L through a window. saw Mc'iun kicked IN the ply
/ ~ the stomach. but he could not tell who klckei
! him There were only two people win him al the
/ time. however aft"niint named furcer am a
u,ticnt who's. name ne Ill not know. Purcelt
came out Immediately a'terwlrd. ana said 20 M
! Witness. There's a fellow dying In mere ~ up
/ and toll o'Rren" (the supervisor. @ Brtn llI not
/ uexf time the witness saw the victim Of the Kick
H. was dead. lie had b'el protusely ron me a..
ears nose mouth. and the attendants were siuNlnS
! them with coNon 70 oblterate the traces Oh the