Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-14
CARE OF 1HE INSANE
Commitment Of Patients IN
der District Laws.
MATTER Of EXPENSE
REPORT BY SECRETARY WILSON
OF BOARD OF CHARITIES.
Reforms to Be Effected Under Opera
ton of Existing Statutes
Changes Considered.


| report of the corporation counsel In refer
| ence to the necessity for amendment of the
| laws as they now exist. George 8. Wilson,
| secretary of the board of charities made a
| statement today in regard to the matter in
which is set forth the work of the board in
| erdeavoring to secure reforms and relieve
| the District of the expense of maintaining
nonresident lunatics and those who are
| able to pay for their own support. Mr.. Will
| son says:
| Most people who are familiar with the
| subject will agree with the attorney that
| there is much room for improvement in
| this direction. There is no doubt that the
| District of Columbia is burdened with the
| care of a large number of insane persons
| who have no legal residence in this COM
| munity and who are not entitled to care as
public charges. Many such persons are at
| tracted here by reason of the presence of
| the national government, but when found
within the limits of the District Of Columbia
| and committed to the Government Hospital
| for the Insane by the District courts, the
burden of their maintenance falls upon the
District.
Need for Amendment.
while there is doubtless need for amend
ment of the laws with respect to the care
of the Insane, it may be interesting to know
what is now being accomplished under ex-
resident insane persons to the communities
to which they are properly chargeable A
law approved January 81, 1885, relating to
this subject contains the following:
Sec I. That 1t shall be the duty of the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia,
so soon as practicable, to return to their
places of residence or to their friends all
INDECENT insane persons not residing in the
District at the time they became insane
who are now detained In the Government
| al f1r thn Vrco hall Io
committed to the said hospital to be tenn
porarily cared for, provided in section
1850 of the Revised Statutes of the United
States, and all necessary expenses incurred
by the Commissioners in ascertaining the
| locality where such persons or their friends
belong and In returning them to such locali-
ty shall be betrayed by the District Of Co.
lumbia
No appropriation was made to carry this
section into effect, however, until the APP
preparation bill for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1901, when $1,000 was appropriated
for that purpose. In that year, by direc-
ton of the District Commissioners the
board Of charities undertook the work of
investigation of these nonresident cases
| and during that year succeeded in having
ten such persons returned to their homes or
delivered to the public authorities at the
places of their legal residence.
1.-The Investigations were continued with
great success during the year ending June
80, 1902, and during that year thirty-three
persons were returned to their homes or de-
livered to the public authorities In the COM
munities to which the persons properly be-
longed During the current year the work
Is being pushed vigorously, and for the
three months ending September 3d. 1902,
twenty persons have been returned The
District is charged at the rate of $500 per
annum for each person chargeable to the
District confined in the Government Hos
pital for the Insane, that the thirty-three
persons returned during the last fiscal year
cd wing n the District of 81 CftO
within a single year; but most of these peo-
pie would have stayed in the institution for
many years, and, of course. the saving an
nually would be $500 per capita until the
patient should either die or be discharged.
Charged to District.
"There are still in the asylum more than
100 nonresident patients charged to the
District of Columbia, and many Of these
can probably not be returned to their
homes, because it is impossible to find any
place in which they have legal residence.
Many of these persons have been In the
asylum for periods varying from ten to
twenty-five years, owing to the fact that
until 1899 no provision was made by Con-
gress for disposing of such cases, and 1t Is
practically hopeless to expect that many Of
them can be returned to their homes after
the lapse of such a period The board OF
charities, however, has succeeded in locat-
Ing and returning to the places of their
been confined for periods varying from
| seven to twelve years. OF course, there is
a much better chance Of getting informa-
| ton concerning a person who has recently
| been committed and the board is now max
| ing investigations Immediately after the
| commitment of non-residents, and frequent
ly succeeds In having the patients returned
| to their homes within few weeks after
| the date OF their commitment
Work of Deportation.
| I'm carrying on this work Of deportation
| the board has had the active cooperation
| OF the state boards of charities and charity
| organization societies in the various states
| and cities to which persons have been sent,
and in several instances where patients
| have been returned to a foreign country,
we have had the cooperation of the repre-
sentatlveS of these countries at the en-
| bassles and legations in Washington. In
one instance a patient was returned to a
| foreign country by the bureau of immi-
grafton, In accordance with the laws pro-
V1dlng for the deportation of immigrants
who become public dependents within a
specified period. The list of states and for
elgn countries to which persons have been
sent includes the following: Vermont, Con-
necticut New York, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey Delaware, Maryland Virginia
Alabama. Mississippi, Florida Illinois.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Arkansas,
Italy, West Indies Azore Islands, Ger
| many, sweden, England.
The great majority of these nonresident
persons come to Washington of their own
| vol1tion, many of them having imaginary
! grievances or claims of one sort or another
to present to the President or other officials
| of the federal government. There are in
| stances, however where persons have been
| brought here for the specific purpose of hav-
| ing them placed in the insane asylum, to be
| cared for at public expense and the board
| has discovered several. instances Of such
| practice.
Instances Cited.
I'm one case an insane man was brought
| into the city by a relative and sent into a
store to make purchase. While the man
| was in the store the relative disappeared,
| and of course the man was arrested and
sent to the asylum. After tedious investi-
| cation the board Of charities learned the
manner in which the man had been brought
here. He was returned to the public au-
| thorities of the county in which he had a
| residence
| Another case is that of colored woman
who was brought here by her brother. The
woman became violent at the depot and
| arrested and taken to the police sta