The times., 1899-08-16
TROUBLES OF AN ATTORNEY.
He Objects to the Restrictions Gov
erning an Insane Asylum.

Glen w. Cooper, an attorney, appar-
emily has had considerable trouble in
securing the admission of an insane pa
tient to the Government Hospital for the
Insane In letter to the District Com
missioners a few days ago Mr.. Cooper
asked that he be instructed as to the for
malities he would be compelled to go
through with in order to get friend ad-
mitted as patient TO the asylum
Mr.. Cooper alleges that he applied to
the Health officer for a commitment for
his friend two weeks ago and was told that
in order to have the commitment made out
he would have to submit aftidavits to the
effect that the person for whom the COM
mitment was applied was afflicted with
homicidal mania and that he was indi-
gent Mr.. Cooper states that he could not
conscientiously do this, as his friend could
afford to pay for his care and he was not
homicidal. The writer then applied TO the
Secretary of the Interior for request from
him to the superintendent OF the asylum
to admit the patient as pay patient, tenn
porarily. This request, 1t is alleged, was
also refused
The refusal in this instance is said
to have been based upon recent
decision of Justice Bradley, of the
Supreme Court of the District If Co
lumbia. in a case of the same kind, where
in the patient was able to pay for his
maintenance, but was unable to get into
the asylum. No such request had been
made OF the officials in charge of the in
stitution since this decision and they did
not desire to establish precedent for 9TH
er cases of the same kind. 1t was stated
that the Government asylum was not con-
Quoted as pay institution, but for the
benefit of the INDECENT insane of the United
States and for those who had served in
the Army or Navy.
Mr.. Cooper then applied to the superin-
tendent of the hospital in person, and re-
quested that the patient be admitted un-
der section % and "a of the Revised Stat
utes Of the United States, which provides
for the admission of pay patients to the
hospital He was told that the hospital
did not take pay patients at all. In con-
Guiding his letter Mr.. Cooper states:
THE situation, therefore, is that no in
sane citizen OF the District CT Columbia
can get care and protection if he can pay
for il while those who are INDECENT and
certain old soldiers are alone admitted to
this hospital. The only relief for such
citizen is to be sent to a hospital in
some State at distance, but where he
cannot be visited By his friends except
occasionally at a great inconvenience and
expense II seems to me that cases such
as this, to say nothing of my own case,
deserve some consideration on the part
of our authorities, and / take the liberty
of calling your attention to existing con-
ditious, and VIII be thankful for any sug-
gestion that will relieve me of the care
Of this insane person. citizen of the Dis
trict for thirty six years, and one who can
pay for his support.
This letter was referred to the Superin-
tendent of Police for investigation,
and it was found that Mr.. Cooper had ap-
piled to Sanitary officer Frank, of the Po-
lice Department, for commitment to the
asylum, and that he had been told that
as the party who sought the commitment
was not INDECENT there was no law under
which the District would be liable for his
expenses Mr.. Frank, therefore, recon-
mended that Mr.. Cooper file petition in
the Probate Court for the commitment of
his friend, as that was the form required
by law The Commissioners. therefore
directed that reply be made to Mr. Coop
ers letter to the effect that the suggestion
made by the Sanitary Officer at that time
was the only method they could recon-
mend for having his friend committed.