Evening journal., 1895-12-14
THEY HAVE A DEFENSE
Ex-Attendants Brown and
Swan Say They Can Disprove
ALL TESTIMONY AS TO BRUTALITY

Deciate That It Was Simply a Struggle
for Life Between Brown and Pisa at
Farnhurst-hwan Never Saw "a Man
Kicked In the Hospital and Knows
Nothing OF the "Asylum Trip"-Keny on
Dangerous and Dlssgreeable Patient.
stan Correspondence Evening Journal.
NEW CASTLE. Dec IA In bare and
gloomy cell-No. % on the second tier
Of the county prison-an EVENING
JOURNAL representative saw two iutelli-
gent aud spectable-looklng young men,
with pleasant, well-shsven faces and
neatly dressed. They we're Daniel Brown
and J J Swan, in jail awaiting action
by the grand Jury on the charge entered
against them-that OF the muir
der Of Leon Pisa, alias Pisa Louie,
patient in the Delaware State
Hospital st Farnhurst, on Ootober 25.
Both men are cautious In speaking Of
the Delaware state Hospital troubles as
IL Is generally known that they Intend TO
make a stronge defence and are about to
retain Senator George Gray aud other
eminent counsel OF Wilmington They,
therefore have studiously avoided men
tion Of the unfortunate Italians case
until they concluded to give the EVEN
ING JOURNAL the first statement Of
their side of the case that has yet been
made public.
Both Swan and Brown seemed re
markably free Of sulmus-a thing 80
common and obvious ia the minds OF
every prisoner, especially after witnesses
have so deliberately sworn against them.
The men have the highest regard for
Superintendent Hancker and Resident
Physician Hammond whom they speak OF
as scientific snd conscientious officials,
with the interest OF their constituents
and patients at hesrt.
DR. Clayton, they say, Is also man OF
intelligence and skill, and hSd long since
been discharged from the hospital as
cured patient. absolutely sound In mind
Robert Kenyon, they claim is one of
the most troublesome inmates. Nothing
seemed 20 suit him and when he was
seized with an epieptic ft 1t required ths
main strength OF two men TO hold him
and. II be could have gotten hold OF any
blunt instrument In his rawlings, he
would have Drained the attendant as well
as himself David WspIes, the other
witness patient, was altogether different
aud seemed to be a quiet man whose
mind was either heavy in thought or
complete blank He was 10 about the
same state Of miud as when committed
BY three doctors IS a man dangerous to
be at large
About Oaks, the discharged sttsche o
the hospital neither prisoner would
talk.
Browns stor- OF His Life.
Il was born in the northern part OF
Ulster, Ireland, In March. 1870. said
Brown ia response to numerous CUES
tions from the reporter. Have had
considerable experience under some Of the
best teachers in the care Of the insane
Wac in Biockley sixteen months beiore
coming TO Farnhurst on April 1895.
There wonld be no 1ss in my talking
about the care OF the insane because the
general public-whieh knows nothing
OF what that special study In itself
means. cannot realize the peculiar situs
tion In fact ths general public knows
nothing about it,
ION October 25, last, was an attea
dant Ia the violent ward OF Farnhurst
tue most undesirable position a man can
hold on earth The men under my care
we're not put in there ss patients, many
Of them, but as holplass maniacs, who
would murder with fendish glee To
lot one get the advantage OF you meant
certain death, for even the weakest OF
them could summon supsrhumsn
strength when they meant fight
"Of all the stubborn end dangerous
men 10 this ward Piss Ionic was one He
was ssistrong Rs an ox.snd.it was like pull
ing your own teeth to make this mau ido
anything that he didn't want 70 Beside
this, he could hardly speak any English
and while he had seasons Of good nature,
yea never knew how to take him, as hs
jabbered away In his own language an
you could not tell whether he was
threatening your life or wishing you
luck
II had less trouble with the man than
any Of the other attendants and. when
wss away from the institution the
previous week, he missed his bath This
was because be always protested against
taking bis bath and the attendants
dsmurred about forcing him.
The bathroom Struggle.
"On this day, when IL came his turn 70
bathe be had not been In the water for
two weeks 1 went TO him, bsckoning
and pointing TO the bathtub He at
once skulked towara q corner aud began
to growl fercely. Pisa Louie was a man
OF 165 pounds. solid and agils.
81 called for Oaks sndiwe walked him 20
the bathroom. Here Oaks very csrelesslY
lot 90 the madman who turned on me
with a shrek. Brown weighs about 150
pounds
''Witn his one free hand Pisa grabbed
my throst this way illustrating on bis
throaD Il seemed that no hand was
raised in my defense for some time.
know we fell heavily at least once. but l
kno " little else of what happened
My friend, did you ever have crszy
mans fingers tearing at your windpiPeY
The reporter acknowledged his good
fortune in thnt line Well, II you ever
do, you will not be conscious Of much
else that is going on In the world
1.-The next thing /. remember is Dr.
Clayton and Swan freeing me from the
mans clutches was almost gone from
the effects Of tbs struggle. choking aud
fall while Pisa seemed altogether used
up / saw no other violence used aud,
% for brutality, there was never any
apparent to me while In the hospi-
tai.
Swan Never Saw Patient Kicked
ttmL, o,,Iv Fnraa r,uad an Pisa I,oufa -