Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-06-27

lposteffice in the American town. OF
IJuly 13 the Mexicans will incorporat,
ltheir portion of the place as a separate
town. The Americans have alread,
incorporated their side under the
name of Las Vegas, and the Mexican.
will have to be content with West
Las Vegas, or some other title. This
as much as anything else, has caused
considerable wrangiing.
When the incorporation takes place
the town officers will be elected anc
a high time will follow. Don Marga
rito Romero, the strongest political
leader among the Mexican faction
will elect himself mayor There arr
not ten men who will oppose him
He is one of the chief persons having
a grievance against the asylum man
agement.
Volume Of vituperation.
The New Mexico Insane asylum is
nest of rottenness and corruption
from top to BOTTOM came the charge.
Inmates are being subjected to fear.
ful and inhuman treatment. The in
|stitution is crowded to overfnwina
land men and women are being killed
to make room for others. There are
Irregular death chambers in the violent
wards of the asylum, where patients
are confined, and these horrible crimes
committed. Inmates are being
starved, beaten and subjected to fear
iful atrocities. They are thrown into
Iice-cold baths, and their heads fore
libly submerged until death is pro
duced. The bodies of these victims
are desecrated by the attendants and
physician, and afterwards destroyed
or secretly buried. The people demand
an investigation
Thus the charges.
An investigation was given, and
promptly, too.
The board of directors of the asy
lum hastened out TO the institution
and at once began sweeping exami
lnation of the entire place and the
methods Of the attendants and those
in charge. They went at wholly un
Expected hour, and Immediately
launched into the work, forestalline
any attempts that might have beer
made to right things for their com
ing. From garret to cellar the place
was gone over. The medical attend
ant, at whom the most lurid charges
of crime had been hurled, was giver
no chance to explain anything con
nected with the work OF the institu
tion or to defend himself Neither
were his assistants. The board hele
q meeting and declared the charges
against the asylum management utter
ly unfounded. They dropped the mat
tier.
And then a howl arose. The ives,
side, or Mexican portion OF the town
cried out in rage.
Charge Of Bribery.
The board of directors has beeer
bribed,' was charged. "They are hid
ing the wrongs Of the asylum man
agement. A great injustice is to be
done for lack of fearless investiga
ltion.'
The Advertiser leaned backward Ii
its denunciations of the unfair inves
ltigation' The editor burned the mid
night oil framing attacks upon the
rival paper and everything In general
He denounced every one connected
with the asylum and then went bach
and hammered at them again TO make
sure he hadn't forgotten the first ones
That was when his paper was a daily
before the citizens had boycotted
his sheet and reduced 1t to weekly.
With these walls against the insti
tuition continuing. the board Of direc
tors decided that perhaps there really
might be something in the matter that
had failed Of being brought to light.
They held another investigation. and
this time entered into the matter still
more fully than before.
But the result Of the investigation
was the same as in the first instance.
They could find no fault with the
conduct Of aRairs at the asylum.