Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-02
The COUNTY ASYLUM
Courier Reporters Make an Inves-
tigation Last Sunday.
JUDGE KINNE'S REPORT MISLEADING.

Apartments Found to be as Clean as
Soap and Water Could Possibly
Make 'rhem-DIet ar Good
as Average Family's
From Tuesdays Daily.
The unfavorable report OF the con-
dition of affairs at the Wapello county,
asylum made by Judge Kline recently,
and which has been SO strenuously re-
futed by George Wilson, the steward
OF the institution, has led to thor
ough investigation of the matter by
the Courier. Two representatives of
this paper visited the asylum Sunday,
arriving at the farm entirely unan-
nounced, and after thorough inves-
tigation of the sanitary condition of
the house, and treatment accorded the
inmates, found that Judge Kinne's re-
port, while in some minor respects true,
YET in the main is misleading. Judge
Kline visited the farm October 81. Both
Mr.. and Mrs. Wilson were absent at
the time and during Mr.. Kinne's brief
sta at the institution his inyestiga-
ton was made under the guidance of
Ed Lowenberg, who has charge of
the mems ward. Mr.. Lowenberg says
he told Mr.. Kinne,. when answering
many of his questions, that he was not
certain that the information was cor
rect, Notwithstanding which Mr.. Kline
reported the condition of affairs as
though they had been given by Mr..
Wilson.
The Courier desires it to be under
stood that this paper is not fighting
the board OF control, but believes that
u true statement of affairs should be
made, in justice to both Mr.. Wilson
and the taxpayers of Wapello county.
Mr.. Wilson states, and it is self-evi-
dent fact to those who saw the in
mates of the institution at the time
they were removed from Mt. Pleasant
to the asylum of this county, that
their physical condition has been i'm
proved. This, Mr.. Wilson says, is due
to the fact that in their present quar-
tiers, they are enabled to take more
outdoor exircise, which, in itself alone,
is beneficial to this class of patients.
The Courier's representative arrived
at the farm at the noon hour. The
inmates We're at dinner and when Mr..
Wilson had been informed of the mis-
sion of the visitors. he first took them
to the dining halls Of both the men
and women. The rooms We're perfectly
clean, well lighted and ventilated. The
inmates were seated at long tables, the
tops of which were polished, and, as
stated in Mr.. Kinne's report, did not
contain table cloths except in the
women's dining room, where covers of
red damask are provided. The Cour-
Ter representatives were invited to
dine at the family table Of Mr.. Wilson
and the menu thus provided was very
similar to that set before the inmates.
There could not possibly be any objec-
ton to the amount or variety proyid-
ed, nor the manner in which the meal
was prepared.
After dinner Mr.. Wilson conducted
his visitors through the entire institu-
ton. The first place visited was the
basement in the insane ward, about
which Mr.. Kline made such an unfav-
orable report. He said: sThe base
ment is dark and over one-third in the
ground. Has a cement floor; is damp
and i'll ventilated, and in some OF the
rooms the walls are besmeared with
filth, which it seems cannot be gotten
off. Some Of the beds and clothing
looked filthy, although they are said to
be often changed"
The basement has a cement floor,
but it was found to be scrupulously
clean and Mr.. Wilson assured his visit
ors that it was always kept in that
manner by thorough scrubbing ey-
err day. This part Of the building is
practically one-third in The ground, as
stated in Mr.. Kinne's report, but any
one who will visit it will find thar it is
not dark, nor is it poorly ventilated.
The rooms in the basement are sit
uated on either side Of wide hall.
Each room Is provided with a large
four-pane window, the bottom Of
which is a trife above the ground, thus
aHording very small means of damp
ness from this source. The construc-
ton of the outside walls in this part
of the building especially, was made
with a view of avoiding complaint OF
dampness. The walls are of rock, laid
in cement, on the outside Of which the
thing is laid connecting with the sew
er. At each place where connection
is made with the sewer, trap is
placed, an extraordinary precaution
for this class Of work. he inside OF
the walls are plastered with hard plas-
ter and will, in a few days, be painted,
that work having been already com
menced. Each room is provided with
10x12 yentilator set in the side OF the
wall, connecting with duct that
would carry off any unpleasant odor.
that might arise even after the thor
ough scrubbing the room receives each
day. The same plan Of ventilation is
pursued in each of the rooms in this
wing of the building. The basement
ward is occupied by the men at night
only, as sleeping quarters. Mr.. Kline
sa-s there are two beds in each room.
On the east side of the hall, in both
the men and women's wards, there is
only one bed in each room. The rooms
on the west side Of the hall in both
wards are larger and were built with
the intention Of putting two beds in
them, when convenient and necessary.
In all of the large rooms, except one
in the mems ward, there are two beds.
There are five large rooms in this
ward. In the women's ward, which is