The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-11
The Grand Jury in Its Report, How
ever, C%ensures Them and Says
LAW Has Been Abused.
WILL NOT BE DROPPED
GRAND JURY ASKS COURT OFFICERS
FOR ETERNAL VIGILANCE
The City Board of Health, Ii Is Under
stood, VIII Now Begin an
Investigation.

Inc MARION county BIdnu jury yesterday
submitted its report TO Judge Afford. of
the Criminal Court, but no indictments
were returned against members Of the al
legged insanity trust for the reason that
the laws Of Indiana are not applicable
TO the offenses committed. While no in
diotments were returned a report of the
investigation was made that points out
clearly the abuses of the law at the hands
Of justices of the peace. the police sur
geon and Dispensary physicians. The
practices of the trust are condemned IN
strong language and the fact that the law
cannot reach the offenders is deplOred.
Following is the report submitted by Pros
ecutor Ruckelshaus and the grand jury:
I'VE. the grand jury. beg leave to sub
nit to the court the following report in re-
lation to the insanity inquests, as referred
TO US by your Honor:
'It has been our purpose to thoroughly
sifJ this matter TO the bottom on the the
DRY that there might have been SOM vio-
lations OF the law TO perjury, suborna-
ton of perjury, extorting fees from the
county and conspiracy to extort fees from
the county. With that end in view we
have examined all the inquests, forty-six
in number. which have been filed since
nv dAANBliiltliNo II OIQ law oNhb AAAO
effect, and some inquests which were held
under the old law. We subpoenaed TWEEN
ty-four witnesses 10 appear before us to
testify. We especially investigated the
cases OF John Ross, William De Poy and
Lillian Parks.
LAW ABUSED.
w are Of opinion that there has been
no violation OF the laws of the State of
Indiana. but we are also Of opinion that
the law has been abused. We feel that
Or. Christian, police surgeon, and William
LockInan, justice of the peace, deserve
censure for their conduct in this matter,
for the reason that they are trying to
control all the inquests possible in Marion
county for the pecuniary interests IN
volved.
1--WE are of opinion that the superintend-
ent of the Dispensary and the Dispensary
internes deserve some criticism for several
reasons.
Il. 1t is the custom of the internes to pool
all the insanity and other fees they receive
and divide the amounts so received among
each other. We believe this TO be wrong
for the reason that they are overzealous
in appearing as witnesses in each case.
~. They judge a man to be insane from
his own statement and their observation
of him without inquiring into his family
and prior history, and that they too ire
quently fail to notify the friends and rela-
tives of the parties alleged 10 be insane TO
appear as witnesses.
D. III AdGll0 IL lAlC III c VI
calling on the matron of the Dispensary, the
sub-internes and the ambulance driver to
,ook at the party alleged TO be insane and
have them talk 10 said party and from that
make the affidavit believing said party in
sane, is a bad precedent and should be in
vestigated by the Board of Health.
I'VE are OF opinion that the law is de-
fective in some ways. 1t permits unscrupu-
lous men to obtain money from the county
and still not violate the law. In our opinion
there should be some way devised by which
a ward could be set off at the City Hospital
or some other suitable institution where
the persons supposed TO be insane could be
detained and held for a certain length OF
time before a commission could sit upon
them. We believe that this would remedy
some Of the evils now existing.
We wish the court TO understand that if
there Is anybody who can throw any light
on any OF the violations of the law con-
nected with any of the insanity inuuests in
any way whereby an Indictment might be
returned against any one violating the law,
that they are earnestly requested TO re-
port the same to the next session of the
grand jury"
WILL o DROP 1T.
While the grand jury has returned no
indictments against any members of the
trust at this session it does not mean that
the investigation will be dropped. Prose
cutor Ruckelshaus says the matter
will be watched and that if any opportunity
presents itself or violation of the law comes
~ 49, - III WI 49, tN1I tllOlL u
bring the offender before the courts. The
looseness of the insanity law makes il pos
sible for persons choosing to take advan-
tage OF IL TO obtain fees that in any other
department would make them liable to
criminal punishment. 1t is said that in the
reform measures of the last session of the
Legislature the insanity law was over
looked and not amended so as to head of
the evil of fee grabbing.
The result of the Investigation. how
ever, will lessen the insanity trust evil
TO a great extent. Since the investigation
began the number of inquests has been
fewer and since il was announced that
the grand jury would probe the matter not
one inquest has been held. This is now
the third week since a commission has
sat" on anybody. which is unprecedented
beginning with the operation of the trust. -
and those conVersant with the facts re-
gardinS the present system under which
lunacy commissions are held that the
suspension of inquests since the investiga-
ton is in itself evidence that insanity
commissions were held irregularly.
The Board of Health. according to a
recent statement, will now begin an inves-
tigation. 1t was said that the grand jury
would be allowed TO proceed and the board
would work upon its developments. The
board has the power of removal of internes
from the City Dispensary and If the
charges against some of the physicians are
sustained that power may be exercised
The present set of DisDensary physicians
longs 10 the recently retired internes, who
were as much in evidence in insanity COM
missions as these. but are now out OF
reach of all DISCIPLINARY measures.