The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-21
CALLS DAVID B. Hill A LIAR.
ANSWER TO HIS ATTACK on MAN.
AGEMENT or THE INSANE.
Samuel y. Shipp. President Of the Board
OF Visitors of the Middletown STATE
Hospital. says INNS Misstat ements
Are satanic IN Their Ingenuity.

NEwBUR1H, Oct. 20 The political n, =
! mo-phere here was warmed Tonight by the
publication in the Newburgh journal Of
communication which. although his
name j. not mentioned stigma'i2es David
Is. Hill AZ an accomplished liar" /, IL
from tho pen Of Samuel +. Ship, a we'll
known business man, who was "A member
~ tie old b ard Of managers and is presl-
dent ot the board OF visitors of the MIDI
diet own State Hospital. lie says. referring
to Mr. Hill.
The distinguished and ACCOMPLISHED
liar. who, purely for party gain, has caused
TO De published and distributed into hun
drod- Of our homes a scare circular at ack-
ing the management of the State insane
must feel proud Of his work. Lies are
inseparabe from all political campaigns,
and a. rule they are accepted a. legii-
mate warfare by both parties as being
harmless and amusing. In this part iGtilar
instance the lie j. of such a vicious charac-
ter a. to demand more than ordinary
attention"
Tn" writer then says that the author Of
the circular Cmcanng Hin "is a master OF
m" art Of romance, for his marvellous mis-
statement, ot facts are positively Satanic
in their ingenuity" He then speaks of the
tells OF thousands of relatives and friends
of the insane in the State asylums / 2bO of
which are in the hospital with which he il
connected, whose feelings Hill il trying 70
work upon, and through them cause "A re-
Vulsion IN favor of his own political party.
Among the most unCivilized and blood
thirsty tribes of -avages," he says. there
- no case on record of an insane persons
nom" having been invaded or its inmates
sturb,d, yet Il l. now the proud distinction
of the leader of great political party 10
claim that he has failed 20 observe the many
instincts which even the untu,ored and
most revengeful savage has always KEEP
inYolate. His statements are that the in
sane patients. by the acts of Gov. Od"l
are suffering and dying from diseases
especially scurvy, and are starved. that
Tho weak minds are still enieebed by lack
OF proper nourishrnent and good air, that
they suffer from exposure and cold by i'm
proper clothing that the stronger ones are
overworked. that they lack good care,
because of underpaid and incompetent
attendants, that the number Of cures has
diminished. and that the whole system of
management Is bad. As the inmates them
selves cannot speak out and give the lie
direct TO these falsehoods their relatives
and friends seek informa tion elsewhere
mus 1t IL that every mail brings TO me
letters, sometimes from a grief-st ricken
mother or father or a heartbroken sister
or wife, anxlously asking If those things
are true
NOW, "a n matter OF fa"f, the condition
Of the State insane has not deteri, rated
one ,oto; il anything II has improved under
the present system. The food furnished
the patients is wholesome and well adapted
70 III" classes II is intended for. The
patients are we'll nouri-hcd. They do NOT
suffer from All insufficient food supply
nor are they furnished with food of ain in
ierior quality. They are all properly fed
nourishcd, comfortable and well cared for
generally. The recovery rate Is practically
the same as IL has been for several wears
There ar" no patients in his institution SUI
ering from contagious or infectious diseases
ana the death-rate for In" year closing Sept
30. 1907. was lower than at any time during
the past twelve years There |, no apparent
reason why this hospital should differ
materially in its management from that
of any other institution of its kind there
lore, IL l. safe 10 assume that what is said
of il il true Of Others
The writer then SAYS that his position
as an old manager as well as member OF
III" new board, gives him ample oppor-
tuni'y 10 compare the workings Of both
-y-t"nls, and he uuqualfiedlv approves
of the new. He then gives the full dietary
for the first week of September and tie
first week of October, which he contends
Is well adapted 20 the class il is intended
for, and Is much better than most poor
families throughout the country enjoy.