Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-05-26
MAT TIERS INTERVENE
Governor Otero Expresses BE.
lief in Rectitude Of Board Of
Directors and Management.
NEW MEXICAN ON DA COSTA

Press of other court matters has,
temporarily. shouldered the investiga-
tion by the grand jury OF sensational
charges made gainSt the management
Of the insane asylum out OF place The
investigation aas not ye. advanced far.
Several witnesses who had charges to
make have been heard. and several
who knew nothing about present condi.
tions there have testified. The prose
cution or persecution which ever Il
may be. seems to be having hard
time to secure evidence with which to
bolster up its grave charges Of cruelty
to patients An evidence OF this is
furnished by the much paraded in
strument OF torture" which was sub
mitted to the grand jury. 1t turns
out that this apparatus was manu-
factured ten years ago, before the
days Of the present management, and
was occasionally used at that time to
silence patients who made a specially
OF yelling at night. Ii was used also
to curb patient who had mania for
bitinb its cff the end OF hix tongue.
What this instrument Of torture" has
to do with the present case is more
than a grand jury can determine. How
the asylum matter is viewed from the
outside may be judged by the follow
ing from last nights New Mexican.
Da costa's Record.
In official circles, the fact that DIR.
Da Costa has seemed to be respon-
sible for the charges has rather tend
ed to weaken them His military rec
ord in the territory shows that he has
tried 20 push himself forward without
regard TO the rights of others. He
was commissioner captain Of the com
pany of infantry in Las Vegas and
three days after his commission was
issued wrote TO Colonel Borradaile,
commanding the regiment, asking
that he be appointed major The let
ter was sent TO headquarters and d
reply was sent that In the event Of
a vacancy there were other captains
who had long been In the service AID
whose claims were entitled to prior
consideration Soon afterwards his
resignation was sent In and when 1t
was about to be accepted was with
drawn. Later Captain Da Costa did
resign and the resignation was ac-
cepted. He was an unsuccessful ap-
plicant for appointment on the terri
torial board of health, on the Las We.
gas armory board and on the gov
ernor's staff. He again made appli-
cation for commission as captain and
the exlgencies Of the situation caused
the application TO be granted. His
resignation Of this commission is now
at headquarters, but no action has
been taken on II. His appointment
as assistant medical director was
made by Dr. Upton.
Gov. Otero's Position.
Governor Otero has not had any re-
ply to his communication In regard
to the charges. my letter was only
sent on Saturday" said the governor,
and II would scarcely be possible
for me TO have a reply before this
evening or In the morning | do not
know whether or not the board will
deem II necessary to make another
or merely submit TO me
the findings from the investigation al.
ready made. | have the utmost con-
hdence In the members OF that board |
and there Is no institution In the ter |
ritory that has q better board or one |
hat would inspire more confidence
han The one In charge Of that Insti. |
luton. They have taken great pride |
n the institution, and IL the legisla-
ture had given them one-half what |
hey asked for, no better institution
,f the kind could be found in the
country. | have visited that institu-
ion and have gone through It more |
lines than have all the other terri.
.orial institutions put together, and
have never seen or heard Of any.