The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-03-17
Trustee Ballard Tells Of In
necessary Expenditures
AT THE STATE ASYLUM.
Also Says That Superintendent Hutchin
son Exceeded His Authority DR..
D. D. Grout Says Institution
Was Well Conducted.

The special commission which is in
vestigating the management OF the state
asylum for the insane at Waterbury
finished up It's work in Montpelier last
evening and went to Waterbury, where
arrangements were made to bring be-
fore the board today such patients as
could be relied upon, that is, those pa
TENTS whose minds are normal ON all
matters except some single mania. These
witnesses will be depended upon to a
large extent to substantiate or refute
testimony concerning abusive treatment
OF patients which was taken at Mont
pelier yesterday as presented by former
inmates and officials. After hearing
these witnesses for part Of the day
The hearing was adjourned 70 later
date.
Orriee Ballard, a trustee Of the insti-
tuition from 1899 to 1900 was on the
stand at the close Of the hearing last
evening and had not concluded He tes-
titled there was so much friction be-
tween DR.. Hutchinson and the heads
of departments that soon after he was
appointed a trustee the board divided
the administration into four distinct de
partments. Dr.. Berry was made super
intendent Of the medical department;
p i. Lyons, superintendent OF buildings
and construction; J. r. Shipman, farm
superintendent, and w. J. Redmond, SUI
perintendent Of the electrical depart
ment
Mr.. Ballard said DR.. Hutchinson, the
superintendent, at one time raised the
pay Of an engineer without consulting
the trustees, which lie had no authority
to do He said DR. WI. M Platt of
Shoreham, one OF the trustees, never
was ii his right mind whole day at
time He was evidently under the
influence OF some opiate or drug MIR.
Ballard said DR. Hutchinson was ineom-
petent and useless as business admin
istrator AZ an example Of this Dr.
! Hutchinson sold to him for 81 a wagon
cite that cost SIPS, and could have
been sold for $50 or $50. Mr. Ballard
shipped this to a man III St. Adams
and made him present Of it. The
man used it for several years. Ballard
also bought Of Dr. Hutchinson for SO
three-seated sleigh that cost not less
than $3.50.
An Extravagant Superintendent.
He testified that Or. Hutchinson used
about $3.50 per month IN putting up
permanent buildings which the trustees
thought could not be done without
special appropriation. a piggery was
needed at the hospital and the trustees
got out lumber from the hospital farm
10 build it. Dr. Hutchinson did not
like this and built the piggery Of brick
against the express orders Of the trus-
tees. He used 10000 brick and paid
$3.50 per thousand when they could have
been bought in the open market for
$3.50. He used 200 barrels Of cement
in building this piggery, paying $1.S5
per barrel for it, when ii could have
been bought for $1.20. In that one
4 year the superintendent run the insti-
tuition in debt $5,951, and expended Id
4 buildings $4,000. for which there had
not been an appropriation. They lost
\ 70 or 80 hogs in the new piggery because
I of poor ventilation.
MIR. Ballard said that Dr. Hutchin-
son testified in Lamoille county court in
will case that in year and half
he had visited every ward in the state
hopital once and some Of them he bad
visited twice When the trustees heard
Of this they issued an order that he
should visit every ward in the institu
tion at least once a week.
James Williams for the past six years
painter at the institution, testified as
TO the excellency Of the administration
Of DIR. Hutchinson He had never seen
anything out Of the way.
Dr. u. ID, Grout Of Waterbury testified
he believed DR., Hutchinson was fully
competent to manage the Institution.
He had been called there to perform
several autopsies and always found ev
erything in good shape.
Dispositions Of Former 0fHcials.
Attorney General Fits has received
type written copy of the depositions
taken February 10 at Young's Hotel
in Boston Of Patrick 4. Lyon, formerly
superintendent OF construction at the
hospital, and DR.. Frank w. Page,
former superintendent at the institution.
Mr. Lyons deposition covers over 85
type written pages and some Of It criti-
cises very sharply the methods of Or.
Hutchinson Mr. Lyon said among 9th.
er things that he reduced the pressure
in the boilers enough to save 10 tons
Of coal in a year and to pay the men
in the boiler room and could thorough
" heat the building With reduced press
ure, but after DR.. hutchinson arrived
he had orders 10 change It back TO the
full pressure Of 60 pounds.
Dr. Page Is now superintendent of the
insane asylum at Danvers, Mass. iii his
disposition he said that had be known
in what condition the Waterbury asv-
lum was before he went there he would
never have taken charge of it. He said
the institution was untidy, the admins
tration Of affairs could not have been
worse the patients were poorly feF and
inattentive, the attendants were ezseless
and Indifferent and the patient were
neglected He had found It necessary
to discharge l7s nurses tbe FIRST wear
he was tAave