The times., 1898-06-06

Maria BraXtOn, cOloreu paraiyuc, was
carried around this city Saturday night
for four hours in the police ambulance
and could not secure entrance to an asy-
lum or hospital till she reached Provi-
dence Hospital at o'clock Sunday morn
ing, where she was taken in.
AT Freedman's, Homeopathic, Garfield
and the Washington Asylum hospitals
she was refused admittance and was kept
in the ambulance for four hours.
At $3.50 o'clock the ambulance received
a call to come to 32S Wilson Street and
get a paralyzed woman. She was taken
to Freedman's Hospital first, where she
was unce1 enormously refused admission.
The driver was told to take the woman to
the Washington Asylum where she was
sure to be received. The drive from Freed
mans TO the asylum is a long one and
Driver Oliver thought he would try the
Homeopathic Hospital on his way out.
At this institution she was also refused
admission, the authorities stating, it is
said, that they did not receive such cases.
When the asylum was reached the sur
geon in charge would not take the patient,
as the hospital was already too full. he
explained. Not knowing what else TO do,
Driver Oliver communicated with Lieut..
Amis at police headquarters and after
stating the facts in the case asked what
he should do with the woman.
The lieutenant called up the asylum over
the telephone and asked why the patient
was not accepted there. He received the
same answer as had been given Oliver. He
then called up DIR. Woodward and asked
what he should do. DR.. Woodward said
the asylum was the place to take her and
he had talk with the surgeon, but ii is
alleged could get no information from
| him. DR. Woodward then asked the Prov
! idence Hospital authorities if they had
room in that institution for the suffering
woman, but they misunderstood him and
( told him they would take her in the morn
ing. II was imperative that she should get
/ some attention Immediately however, and
Garfield Hospital was asked If they would
take her. On being refused here, also
the driver was instructed to take her back
where she came from.
When the ambulance reached the house
the door was locked and nobody would re-
spond TO repeated knocks and rings The
woman was returned 10 the station and
kept in the wagon A short time when a
message was received from Lieut.. Amis
ordering the woman to be brought 10
headquarters at once and she would be
taken care Of
Hack Inspector Croft had heard of the
case and he volunteered TO get the suffer
er in Providence Hospital The ambu-
lance reached the hospital at about 2
o'clock Sunday morning, where a state
ment Of the facts in the case procured her
prompt admittance.
The case was one that should have
been admitted at the asylum, ii is said
as the woman did not want treatment.
but was in need of the attention given
such patients at q hospital
a reporter for The Times called at
Freedman's Hospital last night and asked
why the woman had not been accepted
there. and he was told that the case was
an old one. the woman having been par
alyzed last summer The surgeon in
charge said that about o'clock Satur-
day afternoon, Maria Braxton and an
other woman had called at the hospital
and asked TO be taken in. The woman
who was with the patient said that the
sick woman lived with her at 32S Will
son Street and that she received a stroke
of paralysis last summer and that she
had been taking care of her ever since.
| The afflicted woman was able to hobble
about the house. but she needed con-
stant care. and her landlady could not
spare the time it took from her work.
The women were told to go to the
Aims House where they have a special
ward for such patients. They went out,
| evidently with the intention of going TO
the asylum. They returned al S o'clock
in the evening, however, with a certificate
from a physician stating the facts in
the case. They We're again told that
the asylum was the place 10 go to- as
chronic cases We're not taken in there.
It was then that they sent in a cali for
the ambulance. No reason was given for
the refusal TO receive the woman at the
Washington Asylum.
There seems to be some doubt as to the
| exact status of the case.
The woman has been at the asylum be
fore. II is said. and she was discharged
from the hospital there two weeks ago.
| Notwithstanding this fact the authori-
| ties say that there is trouble in store for
| the persons concerned in the affair, and
| that it will be thoroughly investigated.