The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-04
Acknowledgements
wHEELING, OCTOBER =, lsoS'
rhe Insano AsyIam INvestIgAtIOn,


Tho Insane Asylum Investigation.
Tho more matters dSvelops the more
Il becomes apparent to everybody that
the investigation Of the management Of
the insane asylum, ordered by Cover
nor MacCerkle, should be held by a
committee outside the board Of dlrec'
tors. While the public has every con-
tidencs in the sincerity Of the governor
and believes that he has the courage to
prosecute tho inquiry to the end, 1t lie
also plain to the public and should DO
to the governor that, under the circum'
stances, the board is not the proper
body to investigate, becauIe it is itlelf
an interested party, the conduct oil
several Of lite members being involved In
the charges. Under the present ar
rangemeit We are to witness the
anomaly of a board Of directors Of q
state institution inysSIigating itself
Manifestly such au inquiry will BIO
something oil farce.
The Parkersburg Journal, which paper
10 published near the seat Of war and
is in position to know something OF
the state Of affairs, presents three roa-
sons why the investigation should be
conducted outside the board. Briefly
summarized. they are: First, that there
are relatives Of the members OF the
board holding positions Of trust, and
some Of the most serious charges affect
them; second, very serious charges affect
the directors themselves, and especially
the president of the board-it not true
lie should be indicated, and II true he
should be removed; third, at least four
or more members OF the board Of d.
rectorS arc ineligible to conduct n full,
rigid aud impartial invsstiEatton.
The Journal further says: "siuce the
matter has obtained its present pub
licity, and by last nights mail, we have
received an affidavit Of prominent and
wealthy Democrat OF ROaue county, not
an Ox.employe, neither was he ever an
applicant for position. setting forth
acts of brutal treatment (l) that he has
himself witnessed perpetrated by at
tendantS on patients ~ and as to other
acts OF brutality that other parties (who
are named In the afEidavitD saw psrpe-
trated by an attendant This affidavit
was made tho 2Sth day OF September
aud il sworn to. We are further inro'
csipt OF letter from prominent DEM
oeras and physician, setting forth not
ono but numerous acts Of cruelty"
The matter, it thus seems, is too
serious to be trihed with or to DO
passed over lightly, aud tho ISrELLrugS.
cER believes that the gravity Of the
case and all tho circumstances are such
as to warrant tho governor in appoint
ing special commission to conduct the
investigation.
In connection with the subject 1t may
have been noted that, with the sEoop.
ton of the Wheeling Register, no news
paper in the state has brought tho
charge Of partisanIhip, and that papers
insinuRtions arc entirely without war
rant. The charges arc not OF political
nature aud do not involve n reflection
upon tho Democratic party or any
other party. They have simply to DO
with the treatment Of tho uniortunatss
in tho insane asylum. Democratic and
Republican pRporl, ono Of the former
published at tho town in which the
asylum ia located, have joined
in tho demand for an invest.
CATION. A long list Of Democratic
papers sOconding tho demand can DO
given, while tho most serious charges
arc made by Democratic citizens. Tho
Monroe County Waterman, partisan
Democratic papor, charges that tho
death Of a prominent citizen was due 10
his III treatment by tho asylum authorl.
tics and demands IN investigation, not
BY tho board Of directors, but by u
legislative committee. This is but ono
instance. There are oLhOrL
II the governor has authority to in.
vcutigalo the matter through such a
commission as is above suggested, no
should exercise 1t, and In such an
emergency no surely has such author.
ity. And whllo ho is about II hO should
extend tho inquiry to tho WoltOn
hospital. as recently suggested by tho
lErrLLlaESoEh
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Ne, Nyi,,ti,t, st,,,i,s hasa Al IasL a.,