The herald., 1896-02-27
Brutality to Lunatics at
Highlands
AN EX.PATIENT'S STORY
Kicked and CIubbed by the At
tendantS
CRUEL MODES OF PUNISHMENT
Men Almost Cboked to Death With q
Wet Towel
Jumped On and Kicked At the Slightest
Provocation
J. A. csitsr Of Los Angeles Olives His Per-
senal Experience While m Inmate Of
the Asylum -I;Isgrant Abuses

1895. while walking along Spring street
between Third and Fourth he suddenly be-
came insane. He was removed to his
home, from which place he was taken on
the following day to the comfy Jail. Here
he remained until the Monday morning
after, when he was examined before a su-
perior Judge and was committed to the in
sane asylum at Highlands. On the 22d of
January, 1896, he was released on parole,
and returning to this city on Tuesday last
he received his final discharge and is once
more free man.
Mr.. Golfer was interviewed yesterday by
. HERALD reporter, and from him got q
story which fully corroborates the rumors
of cruelty and mismanagement at the
Highland asylum, which have been cur
rent for months past. Mr.. Golfer is man
Of more than average intelligence, and he
gave his statement fully and freely and
without the slightest trace of malice; 1t
was . simple narrative of his actual exper-
fences in the asylum as patient, and it
the state Of affairs is one-half as bad as he
states there should be an immediate inves-
tigation by commission appointed by the
governor with view to the immediate sup
preston of the abuses which are alleged to
exist. OF course there is general disposi-
tion on the part of the public to pay but
little attention to what is said by dis
ums. or for that matter any
public institution, but the results Of the
investigations of the Bloomngdale and 9TH
or eastern asylums have demonstrated that
abuses do exist in asylums, and that the
poor irresponsible creatures arc fre-
quently subjected to the most brutal treat
ment at the hands of ignorant and vicious
keepers, death on more than one occasion
having ensued from the violent ''disci-
pline' to which they had been subjected.
This being the case, the charges made by
Mr.. Golfer are worthy of more than pass
ing notice, and they should be sifted to the
bottom, to the end that if they are sub
stantiated the abuses complained of can
be corrected, and if not, then that the
officers in charge can be exonerated. At
any rate, the public is entitled to the truth,
and no good citizen can afford to go on
record as opposing an honest, fair investi-
CATION. Mr.. Golfer talks like man telling
the truth; he does not spare himself when
he 10 to blame, but gives the facts. whether
they are for or against him. He is in full
possession of all his faculties; he is an
American citizen, and, as such, in the in
terest of common humanity, is entitled to
hearing. Not only has Mr.. Golfer
grievance as to his treatment by the asy-
lum officials, but there are some matters
at this end of the line which call for an ex-
planation at the hands of the officers at
the county Jail, which will come out in the
course of his story.
AT THE COUNTY JAIL
"f was walking along Spring street,
think between Third and Fourth, on the
2Sth of September last" said Mr.. Golfer,
"when suddenly fell to the sidewalk un-
conscious. I was overworked and nervous
at the time, but was on my way to attend
to some business when this occurred. l
partially recovered, when l told two men
who picked me up where l lived. and was
taken home. l was very violent Mt home,
yelling and screaming, and alarmed the
neighborhood. Later became again par
italy conscious, but toward evening again
lost my reason and knew nothing until the
following day, Sunday, when the patrol
wagon came for me. l remember tnat
Sergeant Jeffries was with the wagon. Be-
fore leaving dressed myself, with the aid
of my wife, in new suit of clothes which
had cost me 500. l also had new So
hat and $3.50 pair of shoes, and was
clean and respectable. even my undercloth.
ing being new. have learned that l was
very noisy and boisterous during the day
at the county Jail, but remember nothing
until came to my senses in the padded
cell. My hands were in mufflers, and
was consumed with burning thirst.
called for water, and after some time
man opened the door, but instead OF giving
me water, cursed at me. telling me to be
quiet, and saying that did not know what
wanted. I begged him to release my
hands, that might attend to myself and
keep clean. but he paid no attention to my
request. merely showing me back on the
floor and telling me to keep quiet. Later
asked for blankets and was told to hunt
around the cell and would find some.
This l did, and. rolling them up for a pill
low, laid down and Isuppose went to sleep.
~ remember nothing more until the next
morning, when l was taken to the court
house for examination. [ suppose that l
was boisterous at the court house, but do
not remember much about that.
THE START FOR THE ASYLUM
"That afternoon 1 was taken to the
Santa Fe depot" continued Mr.. Golfer.
s'My wife came to see me off, and noticed
that my new clothing and shoes were miss
,overalls and jumper. My hat was also
missing. At the depot the officer was very
impatient, and swore at me several times.
also believe that he struck me, but of this
am not certain. 1 was very weak, and on
the train tried to lie down, but the officer
in Charge would not allow this, and roughly
jerked me up every time l attempted it,
cuTsing at me.
AT THE ASYLUM
ment received, and when got to the asy-
lum was almost wild. made fight in
the car and it took four men to get me into
the asylum, as fought all the way up the
steps. Once inside was taken into a
room and stripped. my hair was clipped
and they tried to cut off my beard, but
fought 80 hard that they finally desisted
After cutting off about half of it. l wac
frightfully maltreated and fearing that l
would be mutilated for life screamed in
agony, begging them not to kill me. After
the bath was taken to the sick dormitory
in B ward, where was put to bed. / re-
member nothing more until next morning
when one of the attendants, whose name
afterwards learned was Mcdonald, came
In and asked me il knew where was.
told him that did. that was in the High
lapds insane asylum. He then asked me
what brought me there, when replied that
was out Of my mind.s mo-, he replied,
you are here because you are q -
hobo; you have been exposing the secrets