The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-15
DEATH CAME FROM
HEART DILATI0N
That is the Evidence of Experts Examined in the
Matter of the Death of Insane
Patient Nall
VICTORY FOR Or. M'KEE'


Doctors W. |. Royster, Hubert Royster,
A. w. Knox, r l.. Miller and Others
Say That The Blood CIot On Brain
Had Nothing to Do With Nails
Death. Dr.. McKee's Diagnosis and
Treatment Endorsed. Hospital Board
Adjourns, to Meet Thursday, the
21st. No Evidence of Cruel Treat
ment of Patients.
n half-dOzen of the most promi-
nent physicians in the State yesterday
testified before the Board of Directors
OF the State Hospital that i'm their
opinion Thomas III. Nall died from
acute heart dilation caused by violent
muscular effort and that the blood
cIot found in his brain was not of a
character to causc his death.
These physicians were Doctors w.
1. Roystei, Il. w. Knox, Hubert Roys-
ter, Henry Mckee Tucker, II. S. Me
Geachy, OF Raleigh. and Drs. f. IL.
Miller. Of GoIdsboro, and Robert S.
Young, OF Concord.
They agreed that the symptoms of
compression oil the brain given in the
autopsy as the cause OF death were to-
tally different from those testified as
having been exhibited bv Nall when he
was brought into the hospital before
hii death.
The result will be in all PROBABILITY
"a Justification OF Doctor Mcikee's dag
nosis and failure to order an imne-
date autopsy and the release from
jail of the fOur attendants now held
on IL charge oil having caused the
death of the patient.
Drs. w. III. III. Cobb. of Goldsborp.
S. ID. Booth. of Oxford and George
Long. of Graham. had also been
summoned by the Board but found 1T
impossible to attend.
The investigation being coRducted
by the Board of Directors of the
North Carolina Hospital into the con-
duct of the institutions, and. partlcu-
larly, with reference to the attitude
of the management with regard to the
death after capture of Thomas II.
Nall, ended late yesterday afternoon,
so far as the taking of testimony was
concerned.
The Board went last night into
executive session and will meet again
this morning before adjournment for
the purpose of arriving at the nature
of and possibly drafting their report,
both as to the Nall matter and the
general conditions obtaining at the
hospital.
The character of the report may be
re-shadowed with almost absolute
certainty from the evidence which was
adduced at the hearing. AS TO the
general management of the institution.
care of patients and kindness of treat
ment by doctors and nurses, it will be
favorable to the Superintendent and
his assistants; and in the Nall mat
ter. the diagnosis of Doctors MckRe
and Jenkins that the death of the
patient was caused by acute dilatioh
of the heart resulting from long sus-
tanned physical eXertion undergone IN
his attempt to escape ana MS struS-
giles after capture, Will be unqGallf1ed-
ly ~ndorse1.
The findings outlined above as those
extremely probable, will be pased on
esa,nony OF half q dozen cf the
leading physicians of the State who
positively asserted their belief after
hearing the testimony of Doctor Nc
Kee and DR.. Jenkins as to the symp-
'ars r~hibitnd by Nall unon his being
brought to the Hospital after MS
capture and after perusing the repof'
wi b"ar'ng the testimony of DR. ray
lor, of Chatham, as to the autopsy
Toll 70, hi
by reason of heart d:lation instead OF
compression of the brain, as dedueed
bv DR.. Taylor, but. also, that the
blood clot disclosed by the autopsy
could not in the nature of its size OF
location. have contributed in any man
ner to the patients death.
These physicians unanimously ap-
proved the treatment prescribed by
DIR. Mckee at the time and justified
him in deducing his diagnosis as he
did without an autopsy.
Outside of the testimony of Dr. Tay-
Tor who stated that in his opinion
the death of Nall was caused by the
clot of blood. and that Of Coroner Jor-
dan who stated that he believed that
the death resulted from a conibina-
ton of all the circumstances of chase,
capture. struggle and blows with pos
sible conclusion of the brain. there
was but one bit of testimony tending
to show want Of caution on the part
of the SUPERINTENDENT.
This was a statement embodied in
his own evidence - the effect that
on the night of Nails death he was
telephoned to by one Young, who had
stated that Nall had been violently
treated and that he was sorry to hear
of his death. as he was "afaid they
had killed him
In explaining his failure to further
investigate the case, or to order a
-mortem on this information, DR.