The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13
Mike Sweeney, Asphyxiated by
Gas, Experiences Mans
Inhumanity.
LIFE SAVED BY THE POLICE.
But for Fortunate Circumstance and
Timely Aid He Might Have
Died.

The officials of the Receiving Hospital
are responsible for turning suffering pa
tlent out upon the street early Friday
morning, while, according 20 police cap
tains and City Prison officers. he should
have been carefully treated and watched.
Instead, however, of giving the unfor-
tunate fellow the attention his case is
said to have deserved, he was elected to go
where he pleased. The police interested
themselves in his case and succeeded in
having him taken in at the City and
County Hospital
About o'clock IN the morning the po-
Hceman on duty at Mission ana Eleventh
found man lying on the ground and to
all appearances in a complete state of col
lapse and suffering intensely. He was
taken to the Receiving Hospital in a
patrol-wagon. at that institution the
man on duty refused positively to take
him in or to alleviate his sufferings.
THAT fellows been on a tare, and ALPS
the matter is d. t's," said the worthy.
Throw him in a cell; the City Trison is
good enough for him."
The patrol-driver and policeman re-
marKed that at least the sufferer should be
given dose of medicine, the usual
remedy known there as "a. t. mixture"
bat they were told TO hurry the sick man
to prison. So the wagon moved to the
other side of The City Hall and it's occu-
pant was helped into Jail. Sergeant Bid
viii was in charge of the prison and he
protested against taking the man.
Il never saw such bad case of de-
linum, sara the sergeant. He was
shaking and shaking all over, and I saw
he was no subject for the prison. He was
not in fit condition to be thrown into a
cell, for the man was sick and needed
medical treatment. So l ordered him
taken back to the Receiving Hospital. He
was sent back TO me a second time, and
then Sergea Mt Hou ghIaling heard of the
case. We talked the matter over and con-
cluded that We could not take him into
the prison, for he was SICK and suffering.
"A bout S o'clock some thing like an
hour later, Captain Aealy found a sick
man lying upon a plank near the coping,
Just beside the Receiving Hospital. He
notified US, and, to our great surprise, we
found that 1t was the same poor fellow.
The captain said, Why, this poor man
is shaking to pieces, and should be in the
hospital l told him that Mike Sweeney
for that was the name given by the sick
man-h ad been taken into the hospital
but ten minutes before.
They turned Sweeney out OF the hos
pital Immediately after he was received.
They put him out on the fence and left
him there. Even then he was shaking
terribly, and we thought he might die if
not given prompt treatment.
Captain Healy made an investigation
on his own behalf, but could get little sat
isfaction. so he sent Sweeney in the wagon
to the City and County Hos Dital. Now
Sergeant Houghtaling and myself will
have to make report OF the matter to the
Chief
The physician in charge at the time
Sweeney was turned out of the Receiving
Hospital is DR.. Fitzgibbon, and the
stewards name is Fogarty.
sad feature OF the case is that Sweeney
had no home or friends and found himself
a castaway until the humane police Off
GERS went even beyond their duties to save
his life.
Sweeney was examined at the City and
County Hospital and the doctor ordered
him put to bed Immediately. Instead of
delirium tremens it was ascertained that
the hapIess fellow was in dangerous con-
dition from the inhalation of gas, and to
all appearances delay might have caused
his death.
He was considered worthy of special
treatment, and the doctors worked over
him for some time, with the result that
he is now convalescent. He is still very
weak and likely Will not be discharged
from the City and County Hospital for
some days to come.
The story he tells is that he was in
room Friday morning and the gas es-
caped, but he woke up in time to struggle
out of the place to the fresh air. A few
minutes later he was discovered by
policem an on the street in an unconscious
condition and prostrated. 1t is believed
that he had been drinking heavily and
made mistake with the gas in his room
after retiring Thursday night or Friday
morning. The doctors at the City and
County Hospital say he showed no signs
of delirium tremens; and this makes the
election from the Receiving Hospital all
the more difficult to explGin.
For some time past there has been
trouble about the care of insane patients,
but anyhow Sweeney's case could not
come under that head. The police authori-
ties will make this test case.