The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-16
REVOLVING STORY
How A. ID. Maxwell Was Killed
at Asylum.
r. H. Farrah, the Gardener,
Tells Details at Inquest.
ATTENDANTS HELD.
Peterson and Neil Refuse t.
Testify Before Coroner.
Won't Talk of the Death OF
Maxwell.

AS NNG result OF the cOrOnerS inquest
held at the asylum Saturday afternoon.
Earl Neil and NJ. ". Peterson. the at
tendants who are accused of killing
Amos D. Maxwell. patient, are in the
county Jail charged with murder.
They were arrested by Sheriff Bert
Lucas and Undersheriff Belts. who came
out to the asylum after the inquest, at
the order of County Attorney Galen
Nichols. who represented the state Al
the hearing
The witnesses who testified in the
/ hearing were DR.. w. c. Van Nuys, as
sistant superintendent of the institution.
who was called when Maxwell was
dying. His testimony brought out moth
ing more than was already known. The
man died SO suddenly that he was un-
able to be of any assistance.
Miss Ethel Bone and Miss Alma
Oberg. who are connected with the
dining room OF ward ;, where the trag-
edy- occurred. were put on the stand,
and both testified that they knew moth
ing Of the scuffie in which Maxwell is
supposed to have been beaten and
trampled to death by the two attend
ants until they were told of the occur
renee afterward.
R. H Farrah, the gardener, who re-
ported the occurrence to Supt Biddie
and whose story caused the investiga-
| tion. was the last witness. and it was
/ upon his testimony. coupled with that ol
/ Dr.. r. E Buckmaster. who assisted
/ Coroner Hogeboom in the autopsy, that
/ the jury found grounds for their Yer -
| dict-that Amos Maxwell had come to
/ his death by reason of internal injuries
received at the hands Of Earl Neil and
! M w Peterson.
The hearing was attended by Henry
! Allen, president of the state board Of
| charities. and J. D. Close, Of the attor
ney generals Office.
On the stand Farrah did not hesitate
to tell what he knew He was not in
/ doubt on any Of his statements, and told
ms story IN straightforward manner .
/ He was closely cross-e examined by At.
! torney Otis Hungate. who had been re
tanned to represent the defendants, bat
made no -retractiOns in his statement.
In answer to questions put by County
Attorney Nichols Farrah told the fol-
lowing story:
I went up to ward five about Z
clock after two of my assistants who
are kept there As / entered the hall I
heard disturbance.-holle Ii
seemed to be calls for help / went on
to the main han where I could see, and
saw the two men, who had Maxwell
) down on his back and were 'stOmping
MN. he was hOller1nE. and could not
hear what he was saying except OH
that way He said that just as I open
ed the door The door was (here Far
where
they We're Maxwell was lying on his
back, with his feet toward me. The two
men were bending over him and thump-
ing him with both their feet and hands
They seemed not to be hitting him with
{ their fists, but slapping him, rather
Z w nile 1 was standing there they quit
and helped him up and put him on j
bench, or settee. He Topped back like
! he was exhausted and said nothing
l did not hear either of the attendants say
anything to him or to each other while
they We're beating him or after they set
. him in the chair"
i Did you know MAXWELL asked At
= torney Nichols.
4 Yes" answered Farrah. He came
/ from the same town [ did,-FrankfOrt
Marshall county, and I used to have
= just a speaking acquaintance with him
there. When he was brought here. d
5 few days ago, / think it was the 9th
went up to him and shook hands with
6 him..
Connected with Deputy Coroner Buck
masters description OF the injuries and
broken bones in Maxwe1I's body Far
rah S story was Of vital Importance, and
showed how. by stomping the man
1at-footed. the two attendants could
have inflicted such horrible injuries
without leaving many external marks OF
violence. In Dr. Hogeboom's list of in
juries, which he had taken down as the
autopsy was in progress only few OF
the long list were of the kind thai
would have been outwardly visible a
slight red mark around the right eve
four small red spots, such as might have
8. been made by finger nails on the righ
i shoulder and a few very small bruise.
on the arm and hip were the extent oI
outward injuries With these few spots
to show for it the mans ribs had beer
broken in about Is places. his breast
bone crushed like an eggshell. and tht
\ lung cavity pUnctured by broken ribs
the puncture in one place going cIeal
: into the lung.
g fha stands r1vrr ~ Iool1- 49,,
black for the two attendants, Neil ane
I Peterson Tt would SEEM from thi:
] case, that they had deliberately tram.
pied upon the man with the intention
of injuring him as much as possible
] without leaving bruises or marks which
would give them away and bring dowT
the displeasure Of the officials of tn,
institution. They slapped limit seems
because it would not leave the mark,
that blow of the fist would They
did not kick the old man with the toe.
of their shoes, because that wOulC
3 leave bruises and lay them liable t,
There could have been no prolonged
aggravation on the part of the patien
TO make these men become wild witt
: rage, because the man had been unde-
b their care less than a week. and wa
= not known to the other attendants a.
an unruly subject. His form of in
sanity was not of the vicious kind, bu
E rather one of inertia and torpor. Th
g man was weakened by age and disease
n and even If he had been a ravin.
y maniac, it would have been unneces
n sary for two strong young men t,
e break his breast bone and fifteen rib
q to sub1ugate hint is supposed tha
this is not one Of the duties of attend
ants at state asylums. The manner il
which he was dealt with leads to
l. suspicion that a studied method 70
/ crushing the breath out Of patient
D. without leaving visible marks hai
;; been resorted to by Neil and Peterson
land that they overestimated Maxwell