Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-10-30
Waterbury Asylum Investigation
examination of Witnesses Begun by the
Legislative Committee.

A ""uoh OF witnesses Begun by the
Legislative Committee.
. The legislative committee appointed &c
II Investigate the charge against Superlntend.
ent GiddiDgs of the Waterbury insane
asylum, began taking testimony Wednes.
day at Montpelier. DR.. Giddings. Mr..
wing, Mr.. Hobson and DIR. Plat, the trus.
tees, were present. w. b. G. Stickney of
Bethel appeared as attorney for DR.. Gid.
dings. The only statement DR.. Giddings
would make to the reporter was:
II The grand jury has found charges
against me. l hope that the people will
latve investigation"
The only witness was Mrs Amanda Per-
~, about 80, who was formerly an attend
ant in the asylum. The woma rs husband
is patient in the asylum and she was dis
charged as an attendant last December for
shaking and tying handkerchief over the
mouth of patient who persisted in keep
| inc window open. She told how Emma
\ Hoyt and Emma Fletcher were confined i'm
their rooms at night without clothing or
/ without beds because they would DESTROY
BOTH The Hoyt woman had blanket, but
the other only straw on the floor. Mrs Perry
said she once saw DIR. Giddings choke the
Fletcher woman, he being out of patience
when the straps were being put on her.
The witness testified at length about
Sally Towne, a deaf and dumb patient who
had child in the asylum. The Towne
woman Immediately died and was buried
in the COW pasture, where some others
we're buried, without funeral The child
was also dead. Mrs. Perry told about
some physical examinations, IS in number
OF the woman made by DIR. Giddings, which
she thought brutal and harmful.
On cross examination the witness said
that DR.. Giddings told her that he was trv-
ing to determine whether the Towne wom-
an had tumor. Once when the woman
cried out from pain caused by the exami-
nation Dr.. Giddings slapped her. The
witness knew Mary Galbraith and saw DIR.
Giddings kick her. She did not like him
and flew at him one day and kicked him.
and he said, 1.-Two can play at that game"
and kicked her on the leg. Then she
kicked again and he.caught her foot. She
fell over backwards on the floor and
bumped her head.
patients sometimes refused to eat"
she said, land then have seen the doctor
open their mouths with wooden wedge
between their teeth and run tube down
to the stomach and force the food down. |
once saw him jam the wedge into Emma
Sweetlands mouth so that a tooth was
broken and piece flew out and struck nv
hand. | saw the doctor choke Mrs. Wells.
a woman about so years old, at the time he
tried to make her stop talking. He was
enraged. He often got mad when he
could not control his patients. | knew
Grace Wright. never saw him strike her
with strap, but | have seen the strap
marks on her legs. DR.. Giddings said in
my hearing tn t he did it in selfdefence.
/ knew Mary Quinby. She spit in the doc
tors face and he struck her with his hand
once. Her face was black as a result. |
saw DR.. Giddings strike Flora Mayo, and |
the next day her eye was black"
The straps referred to are those used to |
confine the hands of the patients at the
waist to prevent them doing mischief.
Several women who had worked at the |
asylum were called as witnesses Yesterday.
Mrs. Bidwell of Montpelier testified that
DR.. Giddings fiogged Grace Wright with
large strap, so that the blood ran on her
legs. Other testimony showed that women
who tore their clothes were put into their
rooms naked