The San Francisco call., 1899-08-24
DR., SPONOGLE IS
DISMISSED FROM
AGNEWS ASYLUM
Lunacy Commission
Removes Him.
CONSIDERED UTTERLY UNFIT
DIR. ]. n. CRANE APPOINTED IN
HIS STEAD.
A Number of Scandals Resurrected
to Bring About the Down
fall Of the Superin-
tendent.

DR.. f. NJ. Sponogle, the medical super
intendent of Agnews Insane Asylum, re-
ceived a full swing of the political ak
yesterday morning at a combined meet
ing of the Lunacy Commission and board
of managers of Agnews, and his head now
lies in the basket. DR.. J. II. Crane of
Santa Ana, Orange County, was elected
to succeed him soon after the first part
of the political programme was COM
pleted.
The meeting was called by the Governor
and the place fixed was the Palace Hotel.
OStenSibly the convocation was the Sc
quel of the adjourned meeting of July 13,
when the Lunacy Commissioners and the
Agnews board Of managers investigated
the Chaffers case The evidence taken on
the 18th and 18th of July was transcribed
and forwarded to the Governor, who has
promised many of the Agnews positions
to his political friends. Armed with a
typewriter report he attended the meet
ing yesterday morning and gave the di-
rection to it's proceedings. The report
filed with the investigating commission is
a most peculiar document and shows to
what extent the Governor has gone to
get rid of Sponogle, who is called a moral
leper There is hardly crime in the cal
sndar which III m is not ha charged against
indecent assault, fraud, brutality and
other crimes were recited, and the
displaced physician was pictured as
which the report was founded were gath
cred from a variety of sources, all of
which the writer claims is susceptible or
proof. The conclusion of the report is as
follows:
The following is the concluding portion of
one Of the reports to me of a gentleman of
high standing, who was also employed to in
Vestigate matters respecting DIR. Sponogle He
says: THE career of DR.. Sponogle from the
time he first located in this State or at Vir-
gnia City, New, to the present be traced
by a crooked trail left behind him. Wherever
he has located he has left evidence of duplic-
ity, OF his worthlessness as a man, of his
venality and of his utter disregard of chastity
and moral decency."
All of the foregoing is reported to me as
II in your judgment you think it wise to put
the State to the expense of bringing the wit
nesses here for that purpose, 1T shall be done.
But the evidence at hand demands the i'm
mediate dismissal of DR.. Sponogle.
IT, under the circumstances. you think re-
moval of the other two physicians would be
ineXpedient at the present time, that matter
may &c Jver for future consideration.
And in the order of removal which may sub
sequently be entered in regard to Drs. Stock
ing and Christal. would suggest that you
do them the justice to recite that they are not
dismissed on the ground that they are lacking
in integrity or morality, but because this in
iuuity arose while they were assistant ply
sicians OF the institution and are by the Board
of Managers held responsible on account OF
their lack Of information in reference to the
sad condition of this unfortunate woman
At the meeting yesterday morning there
was a full attendance with the exception
of Isaac Upham. Dr. Curnow was in the
chair, but Mr. Hale of San Jose acted
as spokesman for the board of managers.
DR.. Curnow inquired of the commission
what their pleasure was Mr.. Hale arose
and said after thorough investigation
he and the rest of the board could not
arrive at any conclusion as to the guilt
of Dr. Sponogle, not having known of all
the facts recited in the report. Hale
then moved that the recommendation of
the Governor. the discharge of Sponogle.
be adopted This was done and in exec
utive session DR.. Crane was appointed 10
fill the vacancy. Removal was recon-
mended In the case of Stocking and
Christal, but that matter rests with the
new medical superintendent
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23-Dr. Julius A.
Crane, appointed by the Governor to sue
ceed DIR. Sponogle as medical superintend-
ent of Agnews Asylum, is a leading ply
sician of Orange County, of which he has
been resident, excepting for year or
two, since 1876 He graduated from the
Charity Hospital Medical College of Ohio
on February "a 1876, and also obtained
diploma from the medical department of
the Western Reserve University, Ohio, in
1882 He lives now and has lived for many
years at Santa Ana, and enjoys a high
standing among people who know him,
and who declare that notwithstanding his
alleged brusQueneSs of manner and blunt
ness of speech, qualities which have di-
minished his practice of late years, he
possesses ample ability to fill the office
assigned him. He is between So and 60
years old and is a member of both the
Orange County Medical and Southern
California societies. His name has not
ment He has been active in the politics
of his county. He is Nine. Modjeskas
physician when she is stopping at her
ranch near Santa Ana.