The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-27

found not insane. In the year 1900 ninety
persons charged with being insane were
found not insane. and in less than one-half
Of the year 1901 seventy persons were found
TO be not insane who were thus charged
with being insane; or, putting 1t another
wefe en- ISy. d PER In $500 is". s 81 p sn0S cen acc we're
found not insane. and for the year 1901 to
June %, "A per cent. were found not insane.
Not only this, but the number OF cases has
suspiciously rapidly increased.
Il call your special attention, however.
to the fact that the employees OF the City
Dispensary filed ffty-one afidavits of in
testifying in favor of the insanity of the
accused was present and testified. yet there
were but thirteen mmitt and thirty
eight discharged; SO that IN the year 1900
but one-fourth of those accused by City
Dispensary employees were found to be in
sane. In the year 1901, from Jan. l to June
%, the employees of the City Dispensary
fled ffty-ive affidavits alleging insanity,
and of this number but fourteen were COM
mitted and forty-one discharged, showing
that but one-fourth OF those accused by
employees OF the City Dispersary were
found to be insane By the various justices
sitting in the cases
CRIMINAL RECELESSNESS.
You will further observe from the report
that for the five months ard twenty-five
days. from Jan. l to June 25. 161 afidavits
of insanity were fled. or al the frightful
rate Of 80 per annum.
Il call your further attention 10 the fact
that four more atidavits OF insanity were
Iiled in the five months and twenty-five
days OF this year BY the City Dispensary
employees than were filed by such employees
during the whole year 1900. Further. il
appears that of the nfty-one cases fled in
1900 and htty-iye cases fled In the first six
months CT this year by said DispensaTy
employees, in no case does the record show
that any Witnesses testified other than en-
ployes OF the City Dispensary, and yet but
one-fourth of all those accused of being
fnaan0 urara found inean. l- Tho -,a+;.-
sitting in the cases.
This report, if true. shows an utter
wanton, reckless. criminal disregard of the
rights of the citizen and a wiliful violation
of not only the letter but the spirit of the
laws OF Indiana.
I'm the year lsC0 and the first five months
and a half Of this year the employees of
the City Dispensdry alone have %wrongfully
accused seventy-ninc persons of being in
have any knowledge whatever OF such "a
charge. To be committed to the Hospital
for the Insane when not insane is a most
heinou5 ofrense and most unjust. Not only
does the Individual suffer while he lives.
but his children and children's children
after him. To be wronsfully accused of
being insane. although not committed,
leaves "A stigma upon the individual that
will last as long as he lives.
Il urgently request you To make a thor
ough Investigation of the charges, all the
records concerning which are in the clerks
office OF Marion county, Indiana. at your
disposal, and If these facts are found true,
every person participating in these wrongs
should be peremptorily discharged and dis
missed from the city's service.
Liberty must not be cheapened by an
utter needless disregard of the rights of
the citizen by the wanton recklessness OF
incompetent and unworthy public serv-
ants"
COST SIS. 600 A YEAR.
In his report Mr.. Hadley, after describ-
ing the loose method of charging a person
with insanity and trying him for it that
has prevailed in the county. says:
Il found in my examination that. in the
year 1900, of the pa cases examined. Jus
tice LockTnan appeared in 245; Justice
Smock. 1856; Justice Stout. So; Justice Nick
erson. q; Justice Shepard, y. and a few
cases were distributed among the justices
of the outlying townships.
In 1891. of the l6l cases examined. JUS
tice Lockman appeared in 49,: Justice
Stout. s.; Justice SnIock, S; Justice Nick
ersOn. D; Justice Shepard. 3.
num-.
Il found that the insanity inquests costs
for the year 1900 were s9.O47.7S. and for the
year 1901. ending June -. S7.175, or at the
rate OF $4,000 a year.
1T is also a fact that I'D 10 June 25. 1901.
affldavits were being fled at the rate OF
Us per month. that from June ! TO June -
thlrty-one afidavits were filed and exam
nations had. or At the rate of thlrty-seven
per month; that at that time the agitation
IN regard TO the insanity Investigations
1esah ana since that time TO the present
date July % there have been only three
affidaNits fled and three examinations had,
and this during the hottest season of the
century.
II also learn that the emploves of the
City Dispenssry had entered into a pool
or combination. whereby the earnings OF
the whole Dispensary force IN insanity pro-
ceedinSs for each month were divided
among the members thereof. without re-
gard to who had been called as witnesses.
number of frivolous afhdavits filed by the
employees OF said Dispensary."