The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-12
NO ROOM FOR THE POOR!
The Orange County Jail Does Double
Service
A RECENT CASE RECALLED.

Some Pertinent Points by a Cor
respondent Concerning the
Management ofThe Hospitals
For the Insane In the State
Of North Carolina.
The following Communication
recalling o case with which
Orange county people are fa-
miliar, is but another illustra.
tion, that the poor man enjoys
few privileges and gets but
little of the thing called justice
in this much vauifted but sadly
inflated land Of the brave and
home Of the free.
HILLsBoRo, n. G., Sept. II, 1895.
EDITOR REcoRi Elk:
Atthe meeting of the County
Board OF Health in Hillsboro last
week, DR. Paris, rs a member of
the medical board Of Orange
county, recommended water works
for the Jail, which lie said was in
very bad sanitary condition. He
described an awful state Of affairs.
Maj. Hamilton said the COM
missioners could do nothing for
want Of money. DR.. Jordan, Of
Caldwell institute, seemed to
think in such an extreme case as
this il was the commissioners bus
mess to find the money. He
mentioned a case where an inno-
cent man from his section Of the
county was put in jail--suca =
jail--he said such a place was not
fit for the worst Of criminals,
much less an innocent man.
Within the past two years there
have been II men incarcerated in
this disease-breeding hole at one
4
time. Among the number was
one Lockley Ashley, innocent in
the sight Of men, but who had
been touched by the hand of God.
This poor man, whose friends
were too poor to keep him at
home, laid in a common Jail more
than two years. Application was
made for his admittance TO the
State Hospital time and again,
but there was no room for poor
Lockley Ashley. In the mean
time, however, those in better cir
cumstances than the friends Of
Lockley Ashley, gained admit
tance for their afflicted. No
money, no friends, no home had
this poor unfortunate but a COM
mon Jail, unfit for man or beast,
declared 50 by the Superintendent
of Health Of Orange county.
| n. w. BRowS.
This is only the old, old story
The recital by Mr.. Brown of
1.-THE wrongs inflicted upon the
unfortunate man who was 50
Iinhumanly treated is but
locking the stable after the
1.-THE horse is stolen.
| Yet Mr.. Browns statement,
leyen at this time, Is not at all
Tout of place, but on the contrary
lis manifestly in order. No
lone knows how soon or when
some other poor citizen Of
lorange county may be bereft
Iof his reason. And when he is,
unless custom changes, the i'll.
starred creature will laugh but
smile no more, in the foul and
frowsy Jail, until Death, In kind
ness, receives him TO his bosom.
4 And It is just such citations
as the above which cause the
universal unrest among the peo-
pie Of America. In other words
1.-THE treatment e the victim
named above shows that the
power Of gold is absolute. Ii
was unnecessary for Mr.. Brown
TO write that the rich peoples
demented friends can find q
place in the hospitals for their
Insane at almost any .ime.
rha noor man or hia wife or his
child, who is non compos men,
tis, must lie in the filth Of the
nearest dungeon, denied the
benefits Of trained nurses or ex-
perienced medical aid.