Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-22
Some of the Things Which Asy-
lum superintendent Have
to Contend With
CRAZY PATIENTS WILL WRITE
Often They Make Charges of Extreme
Cruelty on the Part of the Heads of
the HospitaIs-When Published With
out Explanations They Give Wrong
Impressions.
Times -Renuhlican.
Impression

o. the way in which stories sometimes
Iobtain circulation to the ietrment OF
worthy state officials and institutions
appeared here this week. a local news
paper published letter from Rossland,
/ B. c., signed by Mrs. j. r. Baxter
which purported to tell of the horrible
/ things done at the state hospital at
| Clarinda. and contained j demand for an
many others that have been written
and a few OF which have been pub
lished. but this one was by woman
of good education and capable of writ
ing good English. and some parts of it
We're in such good temper az 10 carry
conviction. The letter. however, went
on in this vein:
The people of Iowa are being taxed
year after year to- great extent for
the maintenance and improvements of
these institutions and yearly The num-
bers increase within their walls. The
greater their capacity the greater num-
ef the attendance at such places the
mort urgent the necessity for additional
space. hence the more chance for
boodeism The whole thing is gigan
tic steal. People who have absolutely
nothing wrong with them are sent 10
these places and kept there for months
against their wishes. One her step
Children had put in in order to get pos
session of the small property lett her
by her husband. Another had Gomes tic
trouble with his young wife, sent her To
Ciarinda. ana he gets divorce. Still
another because his wife was about
suing for a divorce has her sent TO linn
DO. Parents want to give their daugh-
ter a lesson for some misdemeanor and
they ship her off. Anty enc can be sent
to these state insane asylums and then
the treatment while there! Legs
broken. teeth knocked down the throat,
ribs broken. thumbs forced back. chok-
ings every minute in the day, black
eyes, cuts and scratches. and as for
telling patients TO the floor, that is SO
common that even became prudential
II cautious about remarking upon their
frequency, for after l was served the
better part of valor. why was that
Woman sent there l asked OF one
woman. the wife of one of the doctors
who draws q nice salary and whose
husband was conspicuoBs by his never
failing absence when he should have
been attending to his diIty on account
of taking a post graduate course in
some law branch. I fail TO discover
wrong with her. oh, she has
shown temper a couple of times re-
marked the calm isag.sd dispenser of
comforts"
Mrs. Baxter is the wife Of the pgesi-
dent of the Iowa State Bank, a former
resident of Ida Grove and one of the
wealthy men of the city. She became
insane about a year ago. They live In
4 magnificent house out on Grand ave-
nue., and were surrounded with luxury
but she became raving maniac and
has remained SO to this date. Her hus-
band took her to British Columbia 10
see IL change OF climate might not be
beneficial. and she is in a private sani-
tarium. While she was at Clarinda she
was not allowed TO send out letters
that We're not seen. but since going to
her friends, and her letters vary her
wild and wierd stories III never ending
change. The letter from which excerpts
were taken above shows plainly that
she is still utterly sponsible. on one
occasion. when the chairman of the
board saw her at Ciarinda, she wanted
to take him TO a room where there
were forty corpses. fresh ones, ready to
be sent to medical schools. and adj had
been killed the night before! a short
time ago she wrote to Governor Cum
MINIS q long personal letter, for she en-
joyed his acquaintance. in which she
detailed the horrors and fortunes of an
Iowa hospital and demanded an investi-
cation. In a letter to another she de-
clared that many who were in the state
insane hospitals We're sent there by
Governor Cummins and that he had q
way of sending all his political oppo-
nents to the hospital, and that was how
he managed to be elected! In view of
the fact that she is known to be vio-
entity insane her statements will proba
bly, not have weight among those who
know this fact: but her accusations
have been published without any ex-
pEanallon ana III al SERIOUSNESS ~ Is
true that there Is not state |
n the union where the superintendent
Of the hospitals come so near to dis
earding all physical restraint for the
patients as in Iowa. They have been /
sharply criticised by some because of |
the numerous escapes Of insane per- |
sons and because there is no restraint, |
but results are proving that the new
system is good. Messrs. Apologize, |
Voldeng, White ana Crumpacker, the |
Jour superintendents who are alone re-
,ponsible for the management of these |
Institutions, really need no defense
out If the incoherent mutterings of /
,razy people are TO be given weight |
hey are indeed monsters.