Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-25
A PUZQ|NG PROBLEM
State Board of Control Does
Not Know What to Do
With Insane Baby
CHILD STILL AT MT. PLEASANT
No Special Provision Made for Accept
ing Insane Children, and superin-
tendent at First Objected to Receiv-
ing This Child Into the institution
Wright Encourages Meetings.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Nov. 25.-The state
board of control visited the state insane
hospital at Mount Pleasant yesterday
on the reguler semi-annual visitation,
and one of the matters which they con-
sidered was what to do with the one
insane baby which is now kept at that
institution. The case is a peculiar and
sad one. The child's name is Homer
Thompson. He was ordered sent to the
state hospital from Muscatine county
last spring. At first the superintend-
ent objected to accepting the child and
tried to induce the Muscatine authori-
ties to make provision for its care other
than in the state hospital, at the same
time recognizing that the law makes no
distinction as to the age of persons
committed to the hospitals. The Mus
catine people refused to take any action
other than to denounce the superin-
tcndent. The child was finally placed in
O. ward with other insane persons.
There is no provision at the hospital for
the care of infants tho insane and the
child was given the same attention as
mature persons and no more. In fact
the child HAS been allowed to roam
about the building with no such care as
a child should have, because it is inn
possible for the state to do so. AT the
time he went to the hospital he was less
than years old and will not be 5 until
rext August. The state board has had
correspondence with the childs mother
row living at Atalissa. She is unable
to care Apr him. She has been sepa-
rated froTh her husband, who is a disso-
lutte man and now lives in Illinois. He
will pay no attention to letters sent him.
The board would send the child to the
school for ifnbeciles at Glenwood, but
the law does not allow caring for per-
sons there until they are years old 1t
Us probable that the child will be left to
lander among the insane wards at
Mount Pleasant until old enough to be
committed to the imbecile asylum; but
the state officials feel that some special
provision for his keeping should have
been made by the county authorities in
Muscatine county to meet such an ex-
traordinary case.
NJ. L. Temple, of Osceola. who was
employed to assist in the prosecution of
w. H. Clark for murder at Leon. Deca-
tur county, is firmly convinced that the
i state will have to take charge Of the
defendant in that case and that he will
be hopelessly insane before three years.
Clark was tried for killing Dr. Duff at
Garden Grove. No act could have been
more deliberate or open. He borrowed
a shotgun and went into store where
the doctor was and killed him. But he
was acquitted. "The defense made one
mistake" said Judge Temple in speaking
of the case afterwards. They should
have pleaded insanity of a permanent
nature and not emotional insanity. l
take very little stock in this notion that
men become insane in moment and
then get over it. They may display un-
governable temper. but 1t Is wrong to
call it insanity. But in the Clark case
firmly believe that he is insane in fact.
l was employed to prosecute him. but
now that it is over say his acquittal
Tel
cause of resentment at supposed wrongs
committed by DR.. Duff against Clark S
wife. as is generally supposed. Duff
treated Clark when he had severe
case of the grippe some years ago. That
grippe left him mentally and physically
ruined. He suffered from the hallucina-
tion that DR.. Duff had given him medi-
cine to unman him and destroy his hap
piness in life. He had harbored that re-
sentiment a long time. / do not believe
that DR.. Duff planned to elope with Mrs.
Clark, but he was good man and
meant no harm to tine man who killed
him in cold blood. But the case was a
most interesting study IN insanity and
Illustrated the danger OF permitting
those who have hallucinations to con-
tinue at large. Clark will be in the in
sane hospital or in his grave in three
years time"
The members of the bar of Dallas
county today set a good example for
the LAWYERS of other counties in that
they presented to the county for hang
ing in the new county court house--one
of the finest in the state-several por-
were portraits of Governor Kirkwood,
Governor William NJ. Stone, Judge
George G. Wright, John A. Kasson, Ed
win H. Conger, Judge William FL. Nc
Henry and Judge John f. Dillon. All
these men were well known in Dallas
county. Kasson and Stone frequently
spoke in the county when they were In
public life. Conger was county treas
urer before he became state treasurer,
congressman and a diplomat Judge
McHenry held court in the old court
house many time when he was on the
district bench and travelled large
circuit 1t is the intention of the Dallas
county people to add to these portraits
the faces of men distinguished in the
annals of the county itself, from time to
time, and thus secure a collection that
will be of great value.
There is a fair prospect of Des MONIES
being able to do business with the Iowa
Central almost directly in the near fu-
| ture. 1t was the plan of l.. M. Martin,
when he was general manager of the
Iowa Central, to bring that line into Des
Moines from the east by an extension
of the branch which runs from New