The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-11
SEVEN RIBS BROKEN
Insane Man From St. Paul Died Of
Injuries Received at Roches-
ter Hospital. t.~>
Inquiry Before a Jury Of Six Bust.
ness Men Startling Disclosures
Made at Autopsy.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Rochester, Minn...I NOV. 81 11.-Coroner
Mosse and County Attorney Fraser began
an investigation yesterday Of the alleged
violent death at the state hospital of a.
patient George Hahn of St. Paul. A jury
regularly tmpanelled and consisting Of e.
A. knowlton, H. r. 2Hymes, Walter Hurl-
put, G. F. Massey, A. T. Stebbins and J..
A. Wagner, all leading business men,
heard much evidence yesterday and will
finish the case Tomorrow. An adjourn
ment had to be taken for the reason that
Superintendent Kilbourne of the hospital
was called to st. Paul to- day by the
death of a relative. u"
: ~ 1T Came From St. Paul. =.
When Hahn was brought from St. Paul
ABOUT TWO weeks ago, he was in such a
frenzied condition that it required the
united efforts Of three deputies to control
him. Prior to his arrival he was kept in
jail for three days in St. Paul, where he
had been employed by the Standard Oil
company before his attack Of insanity
He was SO wildly ,demented that he re-
quired. almost constant attention, and it
was said, to be almost an impossibility to
keep him in bed. $780,.
On Friday night Hahn died. just as Dr..
K1lbourner returned from the meeting of
the board of control In st. Paul. Coroner
F. r. Mosse at once was notified, and on
autopsy. The jury was then 2empanelled,
viewed the body and was excused until
yesterday, when the taking of testimony
began. DR.. R. M. Phelps was the first
witness. '-.--'< '-%.s%f'H :. ~
/. Last evening all the nurses from the
ward in which Hahn had been confined
were on the stand, and in the main their
testimony was In substantial agreement.
Stories Of the Nurses.
). Their story is that on Thursday of last
week Hahn had been quiet until about
$3.50 p. M, when he began to grow violent
and threw cups and 'saucers at the at
tendant. In the struggle that ensued he
was thrown upon the bed. He seized the
nurse, Cav by name, and undertook, &C
cording to CaW's testimony, to- draw him
down to bite him. TO defend himself
from this attack the nurse threw his
knee across the man and either pressed
on his chest with the knee or sat upon
him. Calling for help he was reinforced,
and for three-quarters Of an hour a Sc
we're struggle ensued, during which time
Hahn was placed in the restraining sheet
or jacket, a garment of canvas, with
arms and legs laced down the back with
straps with which to fasten to- the bed.
Just here comes the discrepancy in the
evidence, for some of the nurses assert
that Hahn made desperate resistance to
being placed In the Jacket, and laid the
nurses in heap on the floor before be-
ing overpowered. Others testified that he
made very little If any resistance when
the Jacket was applied, but was }edocile
after the first tussle with Cav. During
the night he was unusually quiet and the
night watch had no needlf for the customa-
~ dose Of soothing syrup. He made no
complaint. but in the morning, when his
breakfast was brought .hea refused to eat
complained of feeling sore all over, and
it was noticed that he was more than usu-
ally coherent and rationale He was taken
to the washroom and then back to bed,
where he was found later by Dr. Phelps,
breathing quicks} and hard: :, lie told a.
rambling, incoherent story of how he had
been thrown down and trampfed upon and
kicked.3 He pointed out firstrthis one and
then another as being the one who had
injured him. but nothing could be made
Of his story, &c., ~. =
; What the Autopsy Revealed. i
The autopsy disclosed the fact that
the sternum had been bent inward
and was fractured; i: that four ribs
on. the left side. had been broken, two of
them being broken twice in two. One Of
the slivers of the bone had penetrated the
lung very slightly, making a puncture
through which the air escaped very slow
ly into the cavity of the thorax. bringing
on gradual rsuffocation and DEATH.
Inree rlDS on the rlSnC size also were
broken; but the lung, although much con-
gested, was uninjured. Except for the
penetration of the left lung, the injuries
were not Of a fatal nature. The nurses
in this ward hitherto have borne an ex-
cenent reputation for the care and pa
thence they have shown in dealing with
difficult cases like that of Halm's, but
it is evident from the condition of the
body that Hahn must have undergone very
severe treat ment by some one.