The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-10

his ward. He has had considerable ex-
perience in the care of the insane, hav-
ing been six years an attendant IN an
asylum at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. and
a short time in each of the two Missouri
asylums. He said the management of
the Topeka asylum is about on par
with the Mount Pleasant asylum and is
better than the other two in which he
served. His salary is $3.50 a month.
NO BROKEN BONES.
Under state law the unclaimed
bodies of insane who die in the asyIums
can be turned over to medical colleges
for dissection. 1t had been reported to
some of the members of the investigat-
ing committee that broken bones were
found in some of the bodies which have
been turned over TO the Kansas Medical
college. and DR.. A. S. Johnson, who is
connected with the college, was sum-
rnoned TO testify on this point. Or.
Johnson testified that the report was
untrue, and that no broken bones have
been found in bodies obtained from the
insane asylum.
DR.. C. W. Myers. assistant physician
at the Topeka asylum, was questioned
with reference TO the statement of Miss
Tella Knox that she had reported to
him the "sprinkling' OF some OF the
patients, and that he had replied that
it would do no good to report it to DR..
Biddle, as the latter had perfect conf
dence in Miss Houston, the nurse who
administered the water cure" DR..
Myers said he could not remember all
the details, nor what reply he had made.
but he remembered that Miss Knox hau
spoken of some mistreatmeRt of a pa
tient and that he had reported.
DR.. Myers testimony was straight
forward and he seemed anxious to aid
the committee TO learn the truth about
the institution. He said the attendants
are never instructed to use violence but
that everything possible is done to pre-
vent such things, but that things hap
pen in the wards which never reach the
knowledge of those in authority.
What is the condition out there
now?" asked Representative Campbell.
Il believe everything is going along
all right now"
do you believe any good will result
from this investigation"
les. L lllIK the lnNeSliSdIOn is Il
good thing. 1t pays 10 inquire into al
most anything of this sort occasionally.
L imagine if an investigation of this
committee were started, the members
would behave, too. Even an investiga-
ton of the legislature might do good"
THAT applies to the majority side,'
said Senator Gabriel, who is a Demo-
crat
Il move that it be stricken from the
record said Senator Fitzpa trick.
Il second it," said Hayden.
jerks put the motion, and although
nobody voted for it, jerks declared it
carried unanimously.
Miss Minnie Stratton Of Emporia,
who has been matron of the asylum for
the past ten months. and was an at
tendant for three years previous to
that, testified that she knew of no
brutalities towards the patients. She
said that the women attendants take
more interest in the work than the men
do, because it is more of a womans
work, and she thought the women &C
complished more than the men. She |
thought that most of the employees of
the institution are under paid consider |
ing the knowledge and judgment which |
they should have and the work which |
is required of them.
CONTRADICTS MISS KNOX
Mrs. G. A Conant of Oskaloosa tes-
tilted before the board exactly opposite |
to the testimony of Miss Tella Knox. |
When Mrs. Conant was an attendant in |
the asylum her name was Miss Gear, |
and she is the one whom Miss Knox |
stated had taken the clothing from Miss
Emma Nelson, a patient, and had whip |
ped her with strap.
Miss Knox is mistaken" said Mrs. |
Conant emphatically, when Miss Knox's |
statement was told her. Il never had |
any trouble with Miss Nelson. Miss
Knox was afraid of Miss Nelson and |
would be frightened and call for me |
whenever Miss Nelson ran towords her.
Miss Nelson had way of running up |
to a person suddenly. 1t was because |
she would not keep off the floor and |
annoyed the. other patients that she was
removed 10 the violent ward.
1.-The only time 1 ever heard of any |
strapping was that once when I was
off duty Miss Knox herself had strap
BED Miss Nelson. l was not mixed up |
n it, and nothing of the kind ever oc-
cured when ! was or duty. Some pa
TENT reported that Miss Knox had strap
ped Miss Nelson
G. Fl. Mitchell, inside night watch at
the asylum. testified that two attend
ants had abused a patient, the same as
had been told earlier in the investiga
ion. Both OF these attendants had been
discharged.
The most important Information Sc
cured from Mr. Mitchell was that it is
to lock as many as four pa
-ients in a room together at night in
some instances, On account of the
crowded condition of the asylums. and |
hat occasionally one of the patients be-
zones violent and gets into fight with
the others He told of instances Of this i
Kind. AS night Waterman he is supposed /
20 go through each building once an
hour. and between his visits there is
likely 10 be all sorts of trouble in rooms
where more than one patient is con-
ined.