The record-union., 1899-08-24
Governor Gage Creates Quite a Stir
at the State Institution.
Or. SponogIe Will No Longer be the Medi-
cal Director.
The Chief Executive Makes Serious
Charges Against the Doctor,
and Removes Him From Office
DR.. j. HI. Crane of Santa Ana
Appointed as His Successor.

DR.. j. HI. Crane of Santa Ana
Appointed as His Successor.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 23.-The
State Board of Lunacy Commissioners
met in this city to-day to hear the re-
port of Governor Gage on the result
of the Investigations of the board into
the conditions existing at the Agnews
Asylum for the Insane situated near
San Jose, in Santa Clara County
Governor Cages report is doubtless
one of the most startling papers of it's
kind ever presented to a similar board
for its consideration. It is based prin-
cipally upon the career of DR.. Spon-
ogle, medical director of the asylum,
before he was installed as such. DR..
Sponogle and two of his assistants at
the asylum Drs. Stocking and Chris
tai, We're summarily removed, the as
sistants not being charged with any
thing beyond incompetency. The pre-
amble to Governor Cages report is as
follows:
Executive Department, State of CAL
ifornia. Sacramento, August %, 1899.
ITO the State Commission in Lunacy
and to the Board of Managers of Ag-
news State Hospital--Gentlemen l
have carefully considered all of the
testimony taken before you on the
10Th and 18th days of July of this year
relating to the investigation of affairs
at the State Hospital at Agnews, es-
pecially having reference to the unfor-
tunate female patient known as Mrs.
Chaffers, and have reached the conclu-
sion therefrom that DR.. Sponogle is
and has been culpably negligent in the
premises, and from the testimony al
ready taken and also from investiga-
tions had, [ have reached the further
conclusion that he is and has been a
person of immoral character for years,
and should be dismissed forthwith :;
should be deposed upon the ground of
incompetency, and also on the ground
of immortality of character and general
unfftness.
Such startling and Infamous out
rage as has been permitted to fall upon
this helpless patient is also just cause
fer the dismissal of both of the other
physicians, at least on the ground Of
insufficient care in the conduct of their
Offices There is, however, nothing in
the testimony which reflects upon the
moral character of either DR. Stocking
or DR.. Christal, but for the better pro-
lection of these public institutions,
am constrained to insist upon the posi-
ton that no such outrage should, under
any conceivable circumstances, be per-
mitted to occur in any asylum for the
insane; and if they do take place all
of the physicians in the institution
must be held accountable. The unfor-
tunate patients themselves and their
heart-broken relatives have a right to
/ feel secure against every possible
wrong of this character. Neither DR..
Christal nor DR.. Stocking is able to To-
cate the author of the crime which has
been perpetrated upon Mrs. Chaffers.
Where such a condition arises, and
when no complaints have been made to
the Board of Managers by the assist
ant physicians as to mismanagemen
on the part of the superintendent, the
assistant physicians in such case must
themselves also be held responsible, in
order to prevent similar occurrences in
future. Whenever such things happen
and no physician is able to locate or
properly account for it, then every
physician in the institution, in my
judgment, should be dismissed for neg
ligence and incompetency.
eff all physicians and employees of
the various like public institutions of
this State are made to know that such
conditions must never occur, else dis
satisfied that we will always have a
of 40;
"Now as further hearing upon the
character and status of DIR. Sponogle
I hand you herewith digest of some
of the matters reported to me by those
who have investigated the affair for
the State"
Governor Gage incorporated as part
of his report the testimony of various
people, tending to show that previous
to his appointment as Superintendent
of the asylum DR.. Sponogle's career
was one of gross immortality and
crime.
Governor Gage asserts that in Fres-
no, in 1893, DR.. Sponogle was accused
of criminally assaulting a woman pa
tient. The charges against the doctor
were dismissed, and he left Fresno the
following night The Governor also
states that DR.. Sponogle is accused of
Intentionally causing the death of a
Mr.. Thurman at Fresno Young
Thurman stated that Sponogle owed
his father money, and assigned that as
a motive for the alleged crime.
Governor Gage, in his report, accuses
DR.. Sponogle of attempting to swindle
a Philadelphia insurance company out
of $4,000 Sponogle was examining
physician for the company, and it is
alleged that he conspired with Mrs.
Skinner, a Fresno woman, to insure
her husband, who was old and sick, for
$4,000. About the time that the first
payment on the policy had been mailed
Skinner died, and the President of the
company visited Fresno to investigate.
The Governor states that Mrs. Skinner
confessed that there was conspiracy,
and agreed to turn States evidence
against Sponogle. The President
of the company, after securing advice,
concluded to let the matter drop.
In connection with the statement of
the alleged criminal assault upon Mrs.
Linberger of Fresno, the Governor
states that he called upon the ex-
Deputy District Attorney of Fresno
County, who conducted the prosecution
against Sponogle, and that this attor-
ney told him that while he had no