The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-23
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
SOLDIERS WHO HAVE BEEN MADE
DRIvELLING IDIOTS.


They. Are at the st. Elizabeth Asyl-
um in the District of Columbia.
The Institution Has a Choir of In
sane Men-It Is Said That Upwards
Thousand Crazy Soldiers Have
Been Sent From. the Philippines.
One of the show Places of the Dis
trict observation-disclosures as a Cure
for Insanity-Other Points of Gem
eral Interest.
Washington, D. c., June 2.-One of
the saddest results of our present war,
but comparatively unknown to the nation
at large. and entirely unreckoned in the
glories of expansion" is the large num-
Der OF once promising young men made
hopelessly crazy by it, who are now worse
than dwelling idiots, compelled to spend
the remainder of their ruined lives in
them-just how many is a secret, care
fully kept by the Powers that be-are
incarcera ted in the government asylum
for the Insane, called "St. Elizabeth's, s."
which is situated just inside the district
line, between the river and the Maryland
hills. On last Decoration Day, the graves
of more than eighteen hundred insane
soldiers, most of whom died at st. Eliza
beth'S since the beginning of the war
in Cuba, were strewn with flowers; and
if tears were she'd heaven knows they
were not for the poor fellows at rest be-
meath the sod, but for their Infinitely less
fortunate comrades whose living trag-
edies are hidden within the gloomy walls
of the asylum. The little Gods-acre
with its rows of plank-marked graves
occupies a shady dell al the foot of the
hospital grounds. There a speaker
stand had been erected, festooned with
bunting, conspicuous among which were
the flags of Cuba and the Philippines.
About four hundred of the less danger
Gus soldier-patients took part in the pro-
ceedings, with veterans from the Wash
ington Grand Army of the Republic post
named John A. Logan" There was
a choir. composed of employees of the in
stitution and insane inmates, who have
their lucid intervals" besides the St.
Elizabeth's Home Band, of fifteen pieces.
which may generally be depended upon to
do excellent work. though now and then
some daft performer forgets his score and
goes off ON a rag-time air of his own.
The asylum authorities, by the way, en-
courage music at all times among the
patients, believing that 1t has a benefi
cial effect upon the mentally unbalanced.
voices, especially among the females,
and it was noticeable that the most rest
less became quiet while the singing was
going on. But OF! 1t was pitiful. Mean
while at barred windows, pallid faces
overlooked the scene, with gibbering lips
and eyes that had mo speculation" on
them; wild yells were occasionally heard,
subdued by the thick walls of padded
cells, and the keepers watched with the
at temporary liberty. 1t seemed like
horrible travesty when the speaker thank
ed the Lord that so few had been removed
by death, and the band played HE
Giveth His Beloved Sleep"
There Is no doubt that everything pos
sible Is being done to relieve the condi-
ton of the wretched wearers of Uncle
Samuels army and navy uniforms who
are imprisoned in the various govern
ment asylums, but their grim walls con-
ceal horrors of which the world knows
absolutely nothing, and beside which
Dante's hypochondriacal visions of Infer
no fade to insignifcance 1t is said that to
st. Elizabeths alone upwards of thou
sands crazy soldiers have been sent from
the Philippines; but for some unknown
reason the exact number is withheld by
the authorities and a complete list of
them cannot be obtained. Even their
names and real condition are carefully
concealed from the public. People who
have relatives and friends in the asylum,
and have tried to find out something
about them, say they might as well be
dead and buried, for all the information
that can be gained. Thus men drop out
and are forgotten while yet in the land
of the living. Perhaps there is good rea-
SON for this extraordinary policy VI SC
crecy; but if so, it is not apparent to an
unenlightened public. The majority OF in
sane soldiers at st. Elizabeths are young
men. some still in their twenties who
volunteered enthusiastically at the first
call for troops. Most of them came from
the rural distrfcts-from farms and work
shops; and the sudden great change from
the even tenor of their quiet lives to that
of camp and field, unsettled their minds.
Many OF them never went into battle at
all, or left the United States, but lost
their reason during weary months OF
camp regime-under unexpected hard
ships, severe discipline. sickness, unac-
customed food and above all, disappoint-
ment in their romantic ideas OF what a
soldiers life would be. Others succumoed
to the torrid sun of the Philippines, TO
long marches through the sands of Cuba
and Porto Rico, to sufferings in the
trenches around Santiago, to grief and
terror at seeing their comrades torn by
shot and shell. to inconsistencies in for
eign lands; and-with shame and sorrow
it must be confessed-that during the
first year of war, brains were wrecked
as we'll as lives needlessly lost, through
the incompetence and neglect OF the mil
itary and medical authorities.
Speaking of the government insane asy-
lum: st. Ehzabeth's is one of the snow
places Of Washington-at least the out
side of it is. The group Of vine-covered
buildings, with their dark red towers,
walled in like fortressed castle from the
gay world of the capital-rising above
the eastern branch of the Po-
tomac, just beyond the suburb called
Anacostia, are conspicuous landmarks for
miles around. Five years ago there were
only about LOO inmates; now the NUMBER
is trebled, and less than 500 are women.
So much for what war has done. 1t is
beautiful place to look at. Broad acres
of green grass enable the harmless luna
tics to spend much of their time in the
open air, where sunlight, flowers and
trees delight the eye. Those conversant
with the physical and mental makeup
of the demented say that the weather mas
a considerable effect upon them-that
cloudless summer days have most sooth-
ing and happy influence; while DARK
damp, chilly, rainy weather fills them
with gloom and awe, let's loose their wild
est whims and fancies and brings to the
surface whatever evil is in them. Crusoe,
III - 49, MD lar oaa between