Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-02
LO0 KER- ON IN IOWA
FOR the Times-R Republican

&c. b. Mann. night Waterman at the
county insane asylum, had q fierce
struggle one night last week with Nam
cy Fuller. an inmate. She gets to- raw
ing occasionally, and 1t takes heroic eff
forts to control her. In an attempt to
get her quieted Mr.. Mann had one Of his
fingers terribly chewed. He presented
himself to DR.. Wilson for repairs. The
next day he found 1t necessary to again
restore order and she struck him q
fearful blow near one of his eyes with
chamber. Here II sample case that
Mr.. Mann has to encounter frequently
and yet the bright correspondent Of the
MarBhalltown Times Republican thinks
1t q shame that the board of supervisors
does not get q woman to do such work."
sss
This Is from paper that believes in
and advocates county care OF the in
sane, consequently when from such a
source the public gets an object lesson,
1t has additional weight. This night
Waterman, whose reputation is Of the
best, locked himself In the female ward
of the Poweshiek county insane asylum
on the night when this affair occurred.
He had exclusive and entire control of
all Of these women all night, had the
key to each woman's cell, entered any
inmates room, for in fact it is part OF
his duty. During one night he gets into
q fight with Nancy Fuller" She is ey.
identity a bad one. During the fracas
his finger is nearly chewed off. I'm
der the circumstances Mann had right
to defend himself. Probably he did, all
though Nancy's condition is not men,
INN d (v, "a Eel
Perhaps she, too, is laid up for repairs.
The public won't hear that side OF the
story in the columns of the veracious
Montezuma paper. But the fact is.
Poweshiek county is so poorly equipped
for care taking OF the insane that a big,
strong man had a rough and tumble
fight with woman inmate Of the asy-
lum. perhaps carried on for several
minutes. Again, the next day, the sys-
tenn pursued by Poweshiek county In
Its care of the insane made it possible
for Nancy" to again assault Mann,
this time with more serious consequence
es, II the missile had struck him. This
system of Poweshiek county makes an
other case possible. One can easily
imagine that Poweshiek county, with
the economical tendency of today, dis
charges Mr.. Mann because it can hire
Lagree for a few dollars less per month.
Mr.. Lagree Ar ds under his control a
partially insane woman who strikes his
brutal fancy. They are all locked in for
the night and Lagree makes his propos-
al to this half crazy woman, who re-
sents it to the extent of defending her
self by biting his fingers, requiring the
care of the doctor the next day, and al
SO throwing at him anything that can
cause him to desist. Now the writer
knows that Mr.. Mann is not that kind
of man, the public knows 1t and be-
lieves the account of his fight with
Nancy as 1t appears In the Republican,
but Lagree comes to town the day after
the fight he has with the woman de-
Tending her person and tells the same
story that Mann has told. AS soon as
| 1t gets into the columns of the Monte
yuma Republican 1t becomes exactly
true, and the editor of the Republican
being too busy in the postofiice, or In
writing G. O. p. editorials, to interview
the woman In the case, this is all the
public ever hears of 1t. This imaginary
case has happened in all details in q
country poor house in one of the New
England states where man had charge
OF the crazy women of the county, ex-
ceptlng in this case there was no county
weekly to tell the truth. the whole truth
and nothing but the truth The writer
is told that Nancy" is one of the in
curables the state of Iowa dumped back
onto Poweshiek county at the time the
state asylum lacked room to take care
OF all of her insane people; that there is
also another vicious inmate at Monte
yuma liable to chew Mr.. Mann's fingers
at almost any time. Only few years
ago a keeper of the insane in this same
county and place did lose his fingers by
being chewed off by an insane inmate.
There is no question but that Poweshiek
county has several very dangerous in
sane patients.
In the building across the way from
where Nancy and Mann had this fight,
down stairs in the basement lives a
human being so thoroughly without
mind that he observes none of the nat
ural bodily functions. Like hog in a
pen he has to be cared for. At regular
intervals this room is scrubbed out and
the hose turned on this unfortunate
specimen Of humanity. This whole
building is saturated with an odor that
SoAA1Ss' - CAAi tAAehI 4ooiil.
are compelled to live the county unfor-
tunates. the poor. the idiots, and the
mildly insane. AT this time of the year
when windows and doors can be opened
the offensive smell is but little noticed,
but in the winter. when the building Is
heated by steam. sometimes the Their
mometer registers So to 40 degrees, then
the condition Is indescribable. This is
also Poweshiek county's plan for taking
care OF the county insane. Mr.. Gordon
the overseer of the poor, as good man
as the state affords. Mr.. John Moore
the supervisor, who has been reelected
many times as proof of the confidence
OF the Taxpayers, neither Of these men
can change these things. This man
must be kept somewhere. Nancy must
be fed and clothed and have man al
hand when she is in the finger chewing
mood. It's part of the plan OF Powe-
shiek's care OF the insane.
At the close OF the war Col. Cooper
one of Grlnnell's former citizens
brought back from the south colored
man by the name of Butler. For thirty
years he has been an Industrious citi-
zen. always paid his way and frequently
helped others Of his race who drifted in
to town. A few weeks ago he had a