The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-06-26
WARDS ISLAND HORRORS.
En- Patient Bradley Tells Of Cru
city and Filth.
A Former Attendant Corroborates
His Testimony.

The State Lunacy Commission resumed
Its Investigations into tho condition OF
the insane poor on Wards and Black
wells Islands. at 10 A. Nj. to-d.y. at the
Park Avenue Hotel.
Henry p. Bradley. Of 15li Broadway.
was the first witness. He sod he was
the manager of n grocery inVNovember.
1891. became intoxicated and was sent
to Bellevue Hospital. He remained In
the hospital for about three days. and
was then transferred to Wards Island
on the commitment OF DR.. Douglass.
Witness WAS confined in ward 10, where
there were about eighty patients. with
three attendants during the day and
one at night. Witness said the Indian
meal used was worth about one and
half cents a pound: the coffee was only
roasted rye. worth about 80 cents n
bushel the fish was always bad, and he
never saw a potato while he was there.
from November, 1891. until March. 1892.
Witness had seen four powerful at
PENDANTS grasp a patient by the arms
and legs and lift him up as high as they
! could and then drop him violently upon
the hard floor four times In succession
| Witness could only recall the names OF
two OF the attendants who performed
this act Of brutality. They are Wilson
and O'Neil.
| On another occasion a colored patient
reported to DR.. Petit something about
the attendants, and after the doctor had
departed the attendants took the un-
s9Tunase patient into SSdj2inins
| Witness complained to an attendant
one night about the vermin in the beds.
"Dr. Drake. a little snip Of a fellow,
IN and S,s gave wt me a tn
Six men were bathed In the same
water. Some Of the men were covered
Witness had never seen DR.. Macdonald
but once once while he was on the
island. Drs Petit and Drake were pres
ent on several occasions when an at
erai patients at a time in the same
water. Witness admitted that Commits.
sioner Porter was friend OF his and a
customer Witness had repeatedly stated
only qualified to testify In resard to
conditions on the Islands at the time OF
, his Incarceration there.
| On cross-eXamination, Attorney Martin
endeavored, without success, to get wit
ness to recall two occasions when, It I,
alleged, he attempted to KIN himself.
. John MoSweney. resident of Green
, and, once in 1891. and the second time
for six months in 1892, was called. He
said he was an attendant in Ward 10
: Of Meals. At this time he had seer
clothing in it. Witness corroborated
sard TO he OF fdad n"d clothing suppet
E to patients. He had seen five or 81,
!. patients bathed in the same water
: Some of the patients had sores on them
2 and DR.. Petit was present on a number
OF occasions and had seen this done
+ He had not protested. Notwithstanding
: the rules of the institution stated tina
. the, water should be changed for eacl
. Witness had also seen the "healtl
>, lift" given to patients At one tim
passea tn
s tient by the "ilft." They We're dis
, charged. Strong patients were used b.
v kicking and beating them. They wer
: called bully patients
{ T. L. Dunn, Of 242 East Forty1sIxtl
j for over year, said he had charge Q
5 100 patients. and when he took them GU
for exercise he. had to leave fifty o
e shoes. This state of affairs continued 70
/. three months during which time man
Of the patients did not leave the ward
DR.. Wallace was acquainted with thes
facts.
Witness testified as other witnesse
in regard to the clothing. food and bath
ing. He had never seen the lift" per
Y formed. though he had heard of 1t bein
| lone.
He described the case of a patient T.
his ward by the name OF Kane, who wa
:, | grossly neglected by Dr. Wallace. "A
-, passed through the ward" said tn
witness, my attention was attracte
e % Kane ny his pallid appearance an
: by great drops Of Precipitation on h!
. forehead. ! went TO him and discovere
U hat his thigh bone and several ribs wer
s Nroken. He had received the injury b
e icing thrown on the floor by anoths
i patient. ] called Or. Wallace's after
o ion TO the patients condition. but h
/. appeared not to believe me, and did nc
examine the man. The POOR fellow r.
= nained ir that condition for man
hours. He Is now in the hospital"