The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-01

IL Is evident that the agitation regarding
the operation OF the insanity inquest law
in this community did not come any too
soon. FOR it has already resulted in the ex-
posure of practices which can only be htly
characterized Us outrageous. The fact that
they have not transgressed the letter of the
law does not make them any less censur-
able. Because a law admits Of abuses is no
reason why they should exist. On the con-
trary. IL should be the aim OF those in
whose hands the execution of a law Is
placed 10 close the doors of abuse and as
far as possible TO cure the defects of legis-
lation By wise and careful administration.
In the present case this has not been done
Indeed. IL looks very much as If a deliberate
attempt had been made to utilize the de-
fects of the law in the interest of fee grab
bing and in utter disregard of personal
rights and liberty. The idea of a sane per-
son being deprived OF liberty and confined
in an insane hospital on frivolous, irregular
or ex parte proceedings. or without a full
and thorough investigation, is one of the
most abhorrent that can be conceived, and
Is OILY Tess SHOCklIS lIdl int lucd VI ldlSS
Imprisonment or premature burial. Yet it is
plain that under our present law it may be
done, and there is reason to believe that
1t has been done. The case Of John Ross
might furnish the groundwork OF a startling
chapter of fiction. An honest, hard-work-
ing man. who has the entire confidence of
his employers and who has never shown
any signs of mental errancy TO his ac-
quaintances, friends, fellow-workmen or to
the woman he was soon to marry, is in
duced to visit the City Dispensary under a
preteXt and is there subjected to a series Of
and regarded as impertinent. The next
thing he knew he found himself in the in
sane hospital, where he is still confined
under a legal commitment. In a published
statement he says:
The first l knew that a commission had
investigated my mental health and de-
cided that | mus be put in the hospital
was when the sheriff came to me, day be-
fore yesterday. with a warrant, and told
me that ! would have to accompany him.
No one of the men who claim to have ex-
amined me ever intimated that my sanity
was being questioned. > | do not
know what | shall do 10 get out. | can get
to no one from here and all l can do is TO
depend on my friends on the outside to try
and get me out of my difficulty.
The law requires that before an inquest
can be held an affidavit of insanity shall
be filed by some respectable citizen. Pre-
sumably this means some person who is
cognizant of the facts and interested in
having an honest inquest held. In the case
of Ross the affidavit was signed by a
woman attache of the City Dispensary.
who never saw him but once, and that
was when he came to the Dispensary. She
knew absolutely nothing about his mental
condition, and the so-called inquest by
the justice of the peace and two physi-
clans elected nothing. The woman who
signed the affidavit against Ross says she
has filed many other cases. The same
Justice of the peace and the. same ply
s.cians who acted in his case have acted
in many others. all of them getting fees.
The police surgeon. who has served on
more insanity inquests than any other ply
stefan in the city, says it is often deemed
advisable to have the affidavit signed by
some disinterested person in order to avoid
subsequent trouble. In this case the dis
interested person was one totally ignorant
of the facts, and no interested person
could have been induced to make the af-
fdavit. In reality, no inquest was held, as
no effort was made TO ascertain the truth,
and no opportunity given Ross to rebut the
affidavit. The whole proceeding has an air
of official jobbery and gross injustice, and
it calls loudly for investigation and re-
form.