The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-14

I
1 in an investigation.
DIR. BIDDLE'S STATEMENT
Last night superintendent Biddle
said These Two attendants have
not, to my knowledge, been told that
/ their original story of the scuffIe with
the patient has been supplemented. I
don't want them to know that they are
under suspicion. as an investigation by
/ the coroner will have to be made, and
/ it Will not be expedient to arrest them
tonight They will be kept under sur
veilance pending the order of the cor
oner- The men told a straightforward
story, and the bruises do lot have such
q great significance because the body
was laid out for several hours before
the discOloraions appeared, and may
/ have been a settling of the blood in
/ the back The man was affected with
/ pareSiS, a disease which DESTROYS the
bones and tissue of the blood vessels,
and was liable to die suddenly at any
i time. The boys may not be guilty, but
I want to know. Both men have borne
4 a good reputation, and not long ago I
put them on the fifth or receiving
ward, because I thought they were cool
4 headed and good men for the place.
/ Neil has been an attendant for over
year. and Peterson for the past six
months
BAILEY WILL PROBE IT.
Governor Bailey conferred with Dr..
Biddle and County Attorney Nichols.
and told them to sift the matter to the
was thorough. There shall be no
whitewashing in this case" said Gov
ernor Bailey.
A coroner's inquest is being held at .
D. m to determine whether a murder
4 Of any degree has been committed. and
/ whether Neil and Peterson shall be held
I for it.
Amos L. Maxwell the man who died
came from Frankfort. Marshall county,
+ in charge of the sheriff, January 9. Be
ing new. he was kept in the receiving
ward, pending q decision as to his phys
4 ical ability. and he had not shown any
violence. He was about SO years of age,
and was a subject of paresis, brought
/ on by alcoholism. His wife Mrs. Mar
garet Maxwell. was notified by tele-
gram, and an answer signed LLOYD Max
well was received later, saying that he
would come to Topeka as soon as pos
sible-
IS THIS TREATMENT USUAL?
John Thin who recently sued DR.. T.
/ G Biddle, the superintendent of the To-
/ peka insane asylum, and others for false
! imprisonment in the institution. gave
some testimony regarding the treatment
of patients in the institution.
He said that he was ordered by the
attendants to work by sweeping and
running heavy floor polisher. Thin
/ refused to work He said he had been
/ in the penitentiary where he was forced
! to labor and that the law did not com
! pei him to work a the insane asylum
and that he did not intend to. The at
4 LGn1dll4S hHOEkGQ MN QOWn ana KICK
4 ed him. he said, and when he got UP and
still refused to work they repeated the
abuse and knocked him down again
After such treatment he decided it
would be safer for him to worK-
RULES WE'RE VIOLATED.
1t is a violation of the rules said
+ DR.. Biddle last night, TO force a patient
+ to do any work whatever. Most of them
are are giad TO get something TO DO and
ask for work. Tbs rule was made on
/ the theory that a man could not be
forced to work without danger of hurt
ing him, which would be practically an
assault. If a patient becomes unruly. it
is the instructions of the attendants to
never strike him. but to call assistance
and place him on a chair holding his
arms to prevent him hurting himself or
anyone else. I don't know that these
men assaulted or kicked Maxwell, neith-
er do know of any reason why Farrah,
the gardener should wish to injure the
men il they had not. Two lady attend
ants, Miss Alma Obergh and Miss Ethel
Bone were in rooms adjoining the scene
Of the trouble, and they both say that
they heard or saw nothing of it. They
may have been engaged in some work,
preparing breakfast, which was noisy
and prevented them hearing the scuf-
I fle."
SON OF DEAD MAN ARRIVES.
George Maxwell, the son of the man
who was killed arrived in Topeka this
morning, and made arrangements for
the removal of the body to his home
Frankfort, Kansas.
An autopsy was held at Palmer's un-
/ dertaking establishment at IL o'clock
this morning The coroner's illrv was
sworn after viewing the remains. and
then adjourned to the asylum, where
the inquest began at O'Clock.
The two attendants, Neil and Peter
son, who are under suspicion, retained
Attorney Otis Hungate to represent
them at the inquest. They We're not
placed under arrest and were on duty
when called upon to attend the inquest
BREAST WAS CRUSHED.
Coroner Hogeboom, assisted by Drs.
Buckmaster and MCGUIRE, made a post
mortem examination of the body of
Maxwell. and found in addition to a
few small embrasureS of the skin on
the arm and chest. that the sternum or
breast bone had been crushed. No large
bruises were found
DR.. Hogeboom said after the post
mortem:
I'VE found external injuries slight.
A few small bruises were all. some on
the forearm and one on the hip. There
was no fracture of the skull The post
mortem showed that the sternum. or
breast bone was fractured between the
fifth and sixth ribs On the right side
all the ribs between the third and
ninth inclusive. were fractured in one
or more places, and the lung cavity
was punctured correspondingly. The
left side showed all ribs from the fifth
to the eighth fractured in the same
manner. ard the broken points had
also punctured the lung cavity.
About a quart of free blood was
found in the lung cavity, which had
settled from the internal wounds
According to this list of injuries, in
which the patients entire chest was
crushed in, his lung cavity pierced IN
over a dozen places by the points of
broken ribs and several small bruises
inflicted. it would seem that to say
Maxwell had been handled roughly
would be putting it too mildly.
The following jury was chosen to
hear the evidence: L. M Coulter. H.
"A. Hodgins. F. H. Jewell. VIM. Switzer.
J Fl. Baker and H. J. Bevelle-
GOVERNOR HELPS AT INQUEST
There is only one thing TO be done
and that is to probe this thing to the