The evening times., 1896-10-22
NALTREATED his PATIENTS
superintendent of Vermont In
sane Asylum ArreS.ed.
WOMEN BRUTALLY BEATEN
Deprived of AL Clothing and Locked
Up In a Bare Room All Night.
FloSged With Heavy Strap and Cune
and subjected to Other Crueities.
Vassar Student "a Victim.

Montpelier, Vt, Oct. 22.-The arrest of
Dr William IL. Giduings. superlnteuueut Of
The Vermont state Asylum tor The Insane.
iuGated at " Waterbury, has CAUSED one OF
"i" greatest SENSATIONS ever known in this
! state
| There are fveseparatei eiDdictments al gainst
hiih. all wOrded similarly with the exception
of The name OF the victim. though the
ontuai nature Of the offense charged varies
'h each instance. The uIfUruunates whom
't Is Charged tnat Dr. Gidtilnls abused III. st
hhmeiuhy and horribly are all women.
lbey are Emma Hoys. Lucy w illiams, hattie
i-dck"y. Grace WrightaEd Emma Swe G tland
| Tile Hoyt and Williams W omen DR.. Gid
oihss Is CHARGED with stripping stark naked
| anu locking up In roCm with out urnturc
or Covering OF any kind and leaving them
| there over night. This Is said TO have
occurred frequently during the past year or
| more. whenever these unfortunate patients
! were. from the nature OF their malady, more
| than usually troublesome.
BEATEN WITH A STRAP
The other three women DIT. Giddings is
accused OF having beaten and otherwise
most unmercifully punished. One Of them
| ne is said TO have stripped and then beaten,
first with strap and afterward with
cane. lie is charged with having struck
them all with his list in moments of anger
and punished them in almost as many ways
as cruelty and all unSovernaDlc temper coulc
devise
Much of the time DR.. Giddings is said
tD have been very indugent and Kind
To the patients in his charge, but on other
days he would get in a passion and ap-
peared to always wreak vengeance on the
insane and defenseless patients in the
asylum. Another way of Furnishing in tine
institution is alleged to have been to re-
EIuye the patients clotHes AMI dip them In
cold water. and sometimes to leave them
there for hours.
The state asylum at Waterbury. where
these atrocities are said to have been
practicei, is Comparatively new institu-
tIna. and was completed only last June, at
cost of about half a million dollars
one wing of the building was finished in
1898. ami a few patents were taken there
that yea--
The number has been steadily increased.
and since its completion last summer all
the insane who are dependent on the State.
In number something over 500, have been
taken there.
VASSAR GIRL A VICTIM.
DR.. Giddings became superintendent about
two years ago. before that being prautic-
ing physician in the village of Bakersfield
The matter is said to have been brought
10 the attention OF States attorney Stan
ton by the Rev. j. Edward Wright. one Of
the leading clerg ymen of the city. who has
taken an interest in the Hoyt woman, one
of The insane victims Miss HOyt was for
merly one OF the brightest girls in this city,
and was educated by Mr. and Mrs. Wright.
She graduated from VaSsar College near
the head OF ncr Cla>S, huI ovcrstudy there
brought on disease of the brain. from the
effects Of which she became insane, and 1t
was necessary to confine her in IN asylum. =
She is a ward of James W. Brock, Of this
city. president OF the Union Mutual Fire
Insurance Company.
In addition 10 the social disgrace. the ar
fair is liable TO cause a political scandal OF
no small magnitude. as the trustees are men
Of prominence in the Republican party or
this State