The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-10
IOWA
Wall FROM lNEeRlATE ASYLUM
Richmond. Committed From Des Molnes
-7 Alleges Vile Treatment. l!a a

| Richmond. Committed From Des Molnes
Alleges Vile Treatment. Z:
DIES MONIES, IOWA-A letter from w
s. Richmond, a prominent character In
Des Moines, until recently general man
ager Of the u, s.. A. Mutual Insurance
| company with offices in the Equitable
| building, denounces in bitter terms. the
| conditions at the Mt. Pleasant hospital
for inebriates. Richmond was lately com
mitted there for. three years by the dis
trict court. Richmont's letter was car
ried to his wife by a patient who escaped
from the hospital. In It, he says he Is
forced to clean cuspidors through the day,
that he Is i'll fed, that he is forced to
Keep company with jabbering maniacs,
that his clothes have been taken from
him and he is compelled to sleep in a
i nude state, and that he is receiving no
| treatment calculated to better his condi.
| ton.
Chairman John Cownie, of the board OF
control, in reply to Richmond's charges,
declares the new inebriate law is most
unfortunate, that, tt lis demoralizing tc
the state hospitals, and the insane re-
sent the presence Of the inebriates and he
does not blame them for it, and that some
thing radical will have to, be done to
| change the situation. He thinks the law
should either be repealed or separate IN
stitution for inebriates established.
So far as Richmond's charges Of i'll
| treatment are concerned, he says the
DRINKS, 1nebriates and morphine fiends IN
the inebriate hospital are the worst liars
on earth and cannot be believed. He
declares the~board of control would well
come an investigation. He says efforts
| have been made to get the board to adopt
| a liquor cure. ..'
I'VE have no experts in the treatment
Of inebriacy in the state hospitals said
! Mr.. Cownie. mo provision has been
made by the legislature for that. Many
persons who are sent to the hospital for
inebriates think they will get some spec
ial treatment, like some of the gold cures,
| the Kelley cure, or something of that sort
| There Is nothing Of that kind. All the
physicians do is to give the inebriates
tonics and wholesome food to build UP
their systems. The board has not adopted
any cures and doesn't intend to-
Trials Of Levich and Walker.
The trials Of Harris Levich and James
Walker, charged with the murder of Isaac
Finkelstein, will be held this week. The
| trial Of Levich will be first and VIII be
| begun Wednesday.
| The state has new and important testi-
mony which it will present. >. A part OF
| this. it is said, will be presented by an
East Side real estate man, who will testify
| that between and o'clock on the nigh,
| of the murder he saw Ley1ch coming Ou'
! of the alley from the rear Of his store with
whiefletree in his hand. This was neal
the scene where Finkelstein was killed
and where his skull was crushed with 6
blow from a whiffletree identified as ont
belonging to a wagon that stood back Of
Levich's store. Levich and Walker will
endeavor to prove alibis.
Lacey Does cummIns Justice
Congressman Lacey has sent Governor
Cummns a warm letter Of congratulatior
for the governors efficient campaigning
in the sixth district prior to the election
The letter is the more significant in view
Of Lacey's well-known antipathy to- Cum
Minis, so far as political matters are con.
| cerned The governor has also received
cordial letters Of thanks for his efforts II
the third, tenth and eleventh district:
from Judge Birdsall and Congressmer
I Conner and Thomas. 49,"