The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-07-11
AN INSANITY TRUST,
MOST PECULIAR FORM OF CRIME
AT INDIANAPOLIS.

Persons With Alleged Normal Mind
Have Been Arrested, Examined and
Coufined, So That Physicians nnt
Others Might Profit thereby.
A novel form Of criminal offense is I'm
der investigation at indianapolis. Ii il
believed that an insanity trust" exist!
there. through the operation OF whicl
lunacy proceedings are brought agains
sane persons and are conducted in sucl
a way as to deny TO the subject the full
rights given bv the law.
The belief is based upon the fact tina,
70 per cent Of the insanity inquests held
in the Hoosier capital are before GER
\ tain justice of the peace. that the wit
nesses in these cases are nearly always
| the same, that the physicians also are
the same, and that these inquests have
cost the county many hundreds Of dol
| lars, these fees presumably furnishing
| the motive for the operations of the per
| sons concerned. Interest i'll the disclos'
ures has been heightened by the fact that
the proceedings in many cases are taken
In secret, and that many of the persons
who have been committed to the insane
hospital did not know that their sanity
was questioned till the officer placed
them in custody, and. by authority from
the commission, hustled them off TO the
insane hospital. Some cases. it is true,
were not followed by verdicts of insani-
ty, but. as the county pays the fees
whether the person under suspicion
proves to be insane or not, the ends Of
the trust We're accomplished just the
same.
The particular case upon which the
Attorney General is acting is that of a
domestic who had been working in a
family for several months. Her mistress
never noticed anything peculiar in her
actions. The first the girl knew of in
sanity proceedings against her was when
the sheriff called with a warrant to take
her to the asylum. She protested that
she was not insane and the sheriff said
he knew nothing about the facts, but
must execute the judgment Of the COM
mission. The employer Of the girl then
appealed to the Attorney General. All
the facts so far adduced go to show that
the girl was not insane, and the Attorney
General is convinced that grievous
,aong has been done. He declares he
will prosecute the witnesses against the
girl for perjury and will sift the in
sanity trust to the bottom and hold all
implicated in it to rigid accountability
for their acts.
Another case in which charges are to
be preferred is that of John Ross, which
presents the salient features of those Of
many who have been adjudged insane
without proper compliance with the
law. The justice did not examine Ross
as the law requires. nor was the subject
given an opportunity to summon wit
nesses in his own behalf or to make a
statement for himself. He received an
injury some time ago while at work in
the packing department Of Kingan's
porkhouse, and went TO the city dispen-
sary to get some medicine. The next
thing he knew he was dragged away
from his work to the hospital and inves-
.igation shows that he was adjudged In
sane. and that the witnesses who testi-
led against him were dispensary internes
who had given him prescription for
when he called at the dispen-
'ary for treatment.
DR.. w. B. Fletcher. an insanity ex-
bert and for many years superintendent |
II the Central Hospital for the insane. |
n q recent investigation developed the |
tartling fact that 20 per cent, or one |
'ut Of every five persons sent to the asy-
ium during the year was discharged |
oOn after reaching that institution. the |
xpert examination there showing that |
hey We're sane. But, Notwithstanding |
his, the physicians who testified or act
d as examiners got SO in every case,
nd the justice and witnesses also got
ees.
Describing the procedure, Dr. Fletcher
ays: This is the way the law Is fol-
owed: Let us suppose that man is an
pileptic. For a short time he has men-
al confusion. He is picked up by the
olice and is considered deranged per-
on because he has had fit. Some one
the dispensary physicians or others in
he business files q complaint. In my
acOrds the name Of the matron figures
yer and over again as witness and as
,e one filing complaint. The justice
selected and he in turn selects the ply
cian who sends for him. This is kind
endless chain concern, in which all
re assured of their fees. The fact Is
lie statute makes it the duty of the off,
ers to call as the physician the one who
as been attending upon the alleged luna
C, but the physician who attends on the
lse writes himself down as the attend
e physician. though he has never seen
le person before. and for this he gets q
.e Of ST."
The record Of fees received by physi-
ans. justices and witnesses in insanity
quests since Jan. shows that to one
.rson was paid $3.50, to another $299,
Id TO others. S191, $50. and various
inns down to $50.