Delaware gazette and state journal., 1895-12-05

for the Insane, at Farnhurst were
arrested late Wednesday evening,
charged with tho murder, on October
9th last, of Leon Pisa, alias Leon
Lewis. patient in that institution.
The arrests were made on the strength
of warrants which were sworn out by
DR.. Paris Il. Carlisle and Thomas b.
Smith, trustees of the hospital, and
issued by Squire Sasse.
Messrs. Carlisle and Smith, Deputy
Attorney General Cooper and Hugh q.
Browne held conference in Mr..
Brownies Office early in the evening,
when it was decided to swear out the
warrants. David M. NAPLES, patient
at the hospital, was sent for and,
under oath, made statement con-
cerning Pisa's death which confirmed
an affidavit previously made by David
Oakes, a former attendant at the hos
pital.
The arrests were made by Detectives
McVey and Witsil, Police Captain
Kane and five patrolmen. The ac-
oused men made no resistance and were
brought to the police station in this
city. They were taken before Squire
Sasse Thursday evening and held with
out bail for further bsaring.
Pisa is alleged to have been MUIR
dered because he refused to go to a
bathtub. His remains were taken to
the hospital morgue. where post
mortem was held. and a certificate OF
death from heart disease, caused by
shock, was made out. The post
mortem examination was made by Drs
Hammond and Clayton. The corpse
was buried in the hospital plot and
marked No. 18.
The story of the alleged murder was
first told by Oakes. On October 25th
he related it to George Wisely Symonds,
areporter of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Symonds was detailed to investigate it
and went to New Castle, where he
claimed to be Lord Delaware, " was
adiudged insane and sent to the hos
..r,pital. The statement which Oakes
q 1made to Symonds was as follows. "For
r alllthe past three months have been an
mai attendant in the State Asylum for the
ntat Insane at Farnhurst, Delaware. | was
a N discharged from there this morning by
naJDr. William II. Hancker, the superin
,at Itendent. 1t is fearful place, and on
,,coj jthe morning of the 9th OF this month
Iain There was patient murdered there.
He was an italian, think, and was
known to us as Leon Lewis. He re-
'~ y, fused to go to the bathroom, and be-.
Ycause Of this refusal was then and
murdered by Michael Lynch,
ari9 Daniel Brown and John j. Swan, who
were my fellow attendants in Ward @.
'os IA patient of the name of Harry l..
Clayton was present when the murder
'ou,pwas committed, and two other patients,
'nu David M. NAPLES and Robert Kenyon,
4partially witnessed the murder. The
Phi9man was killed between the hours of Z
Wand 8 o'clock in the morning, and
CleySupervsor Lynch had the body re-
Hocynoved to the morgue, where, late that
Dr. Hammond, the resident
Brn1physician, assisted by ii. l.. Clayton,
willwho is a graduate in medicine, made a
Is hpost-mortem examination of the body.
said that the body was all
inside. The man was in per-
genfect health prior TO this assault.
Lynch reported to DIR.
that Lewis had had chill. -
thisSymonds' investigation led to the ar
lrairest of the accused men.
n o, Oakes resides in Trenton. Inquiries
him were made there and il
falliwas ascertained that he had resided in
quefhat city for 43 years and that he has
as Railways borne good reputation. Sy-
fionmonds came to Wilmington with let
ter of introduction to Mr.. Browne, be-
Phnfore whom he laid the matter Subse-
frequently he saw DR.. Carlisle 10 whom
preshe related the story He also saw
nenKenyon and NAPLES The latter told
nanhim story similar to that related by
as fOakes Last Friday Thomas Moore OF
philadelphia and Mr.. Browne secured
ous Symond's release from the hospital.
in tOakes came to this city last Monday
tentand told the story TO Attorney General
fionWhite.
VOL The accused men have engaged Wal
ter II. Hayes as counsel and are en-
deavoring to also secure John Biggs.
Symonds became famous by exposing
brutal treatment at Bockley Asylum
and by tramping through Philadelphia
sewers. He also wrote serial story
about the du Pont explosions.
Plsa's heart is in the hospital
museum. When the post-mortem was
held the heart was saved by DR.. Ham
mond to show to DIR. Hancker, the
superintendent, when he returned from
Norristown, where he was when thu
death of Pisa occurred. The heart i!
said to have been examined yesterda,
by two prominent physicians, who sale
bat the death of Pisa was due to hear
'sease.
Or. Hancker made statement Thurs
d. He said he was not at the hos
pital when Pisa died. He had gone Il
Norristown. DIR. Hammond was il
charge of the hospital during DIR
Hancker's absence, and all the lattel
knew of the case was the report made
\ by DR.. Hammond, until the arrest o.
the attendants on Wednesday evening.
Dr. Hammond's report of the death o.
Pisa, corroborated by the result of tn,
post mortem examination, was SO ir
accord with DIR. Hancker's own knowl
edge of the case, that it was accepted
without question, and the death Of the
man was recorded and reported to- The
board of trustees in accord with thu
report. Dr. Hancker said he knew
nothing of the new developments of thu
nase to cause him to change his opin
ion.
In regard to the charge of rough anC
sruel treatment of patients DR.
Hancker said he that had not received I
complaint of that kind about any o
The attendants for two years.
In the report of the circumstance
attending the death Of Pisa it appear
that the man refused to accompany th
attendants to the bath room. The rul
pf the hospital is that all patients mus
bathe regularly. These rules are en-
lorced by the attendants in charge O
The wards, and at times it is necessar
10 use force to compel the patients b
,bey the rules. This appears to hav
seen the case with Pisa He refuse,
70 go with the attendants and resistel
their efforts to take him to the bait
ioom. DIR. Hancker did not know hoy
fiolent the struggle was between tn
l.,.k Ia. hi