Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-06
LEGALLY COMMITTED.
Patients IN Insane Hospital Now Pu,
There According to Law.

Most of the patients in tha Ine.n.
hospital in this city are now being put
back there legally. The process of re-
committing them has been going on ia;
three weeks and it is expected that
the work will require at least another.
Week.
Ever since the decision of the Si.
rEcihe court some time ago whereby il
vas ruled that a patient should BE-. Civ
on "a h"urS' notice to personally appear
at the hearing OH the question of his
sanity, otherwise ii was an ahridg-
ment OF his constitutional rights it has
appeared that more than two third: Of
the inmates of the asylum here We're
within the gray walls without any
sanction of rirhtful authority This
is Il circumstance that has proved not
little uron the mind of Suprrintrr-
dent Sanhoril, who has ever been
! "atchiul of IN" proper conduct OF the
! institution. ard he has sought various
ways to remedy the situation
'ofhe months ago Superintendent
Hahporn with one of the trustees. APP
! ptared before the Augusta board of
| aldermen with the suggestion that they
| visit the institution as municipal,
"fIccrs as the statute provides and in
| connection with tn. physicians. 60
through the process of rccommitt ing
the patients, but this plan was finally
abandoned as being too expensive
This idea had first occurred to Superin-
t.ndent Sdnnorn as being far more
practical than scouting all the patients
| back to their respective homes all OYER
no tLo,x
About this time the question was SUP
nitted 10 Attorney General Scidcrs who
replied that there might be some uues-
ton as to whether the law did not con-
template sending the patients back to
their respective homes for recOmnit-
ment.
superintendent SanbOrn finally had
recourse to Section 39 and 40 of Chap
ter IA of the Revised Statutes which
provide that in the event of any uues-
ton of the legality Of the commitment
the Judge of the municipal court. with
the aid of the physicians. neither of
whom can be connected with hospital.
can go through the form of recOmmit-
ment. Superintendent SanbOrn appears
in the role of the complainant with A.
G.. Andrews as the judge. Deputy
Sheriff Morse as the server of the
papers and two doctors who gave evil
denre of the mental condition of the
ratient Thus it will be seen that Just
six persons. including the patient. are
conc erncd in the process of recommit-
mrnt.
There is an immense amount of red
tape in the process, great many
y,ape,.S n 70 nc made ont and signed.
ana the name Of every patient is given
II times in the different documents be
fore they are legally installed in the
institution Every patient is served
with a notice Of the hearing "a hours in
advance and most of them take 1t
rood-naturedly and without any
sp.cial demonstration. although now
and then there is an exception. like on"
from Richmond. Friday morning. who
declared that ne would not go on with
the hearing till nc procured cnunsc
and he was given until Saturday morn
ing at 9 o'clock to secure his lawyer
All the patients are given an ol'por-
tuuity TO speak for themselves II theE
desire. but comparatively few desire t"
gay anything.
Judge Andrews goes through tht
form of opening court III HIS oii,' ~
III. city building every morning ana
then adiourns to the hospital where
the actual hearings are cohdu' tea
around in the different wards. Ih1r''
are some 500 patients now in the nos
ritHl that We're committed after the
la,y relative to the hearings went INTO
effect and az the md OF last Week
about 80 had been recommltteh-
About % :, day are rec"mmit'ed. JuS'
how much this operation will cost does
not appear. but the expense Of the re-
commitment will fall. according t" the
statutes uIon the several persons ana
towns liable for the support OF the re-
spective patients. The papers are no"
being made out for the same process
70 be enacted at the Eastern Maine
Insane hospital in Bangor.