The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1905-06-16
ALL EX0NER
Officials and Employees of Taun-
ton Asylum Did Their Duty
REPORT ON MAD VENUS"

ants Guilty of Misconduct Not
Mentioned In Finding--Miss
Darby Can Stay In Maine
Taunton, Mass, June 9.-The Taun-
ton state insane hospital, located in
this city whose management has been
subjected to the most severe sort or
criticism ever since the remarkable es-
cape on May 4 of the Mad Venus"
Grace Darby, was given complete and
absolute exoneration when the board
of trustees of that institution adjourn
ed after a series of secret sessions, an
nouncing their finding.
Following the extremely sensational
fight of Grace Darby during the early
hours Just preceding dawn on May 4,
when the young woman, placing dunn
my in her bed, crept past her guard,
made her way single handed through
a chain of supposedly impossible eX-
its, walking mile over closely guarded
ground to the main gateway Of the ill.,
stitution, where friends anXiously
awaiting opportunity to assist her were
stationed; then to make her way to the
boarders of the state and into Maine,
where freedom was hers, shudder
was caused to pass over the asylum
city.
Many feared that in the escape of
this woman there lay open, likewise,
opportunity for flight OH the part Of
more violent patients.
Chairman Borden of the trustees
was seen at his home last night. He
said: Our investigation came to "a
close with the adjournment of today's
regular monthly meeting, which ended
at o'clock this afternoon. With the
exception of the nurse who was dis
charged a few days after Miss Darby
escaped, and two nurses, a man and
woman, who left of their own accord
a few days before Miss Darby es-
capped, and whom we have found guilty
of certain violation of the hospital
rules, and whom we believe were in
strumental in the escape of Miss OAR
by, the entire management of the Taun-
ton insane hospital is exonerated from
all blame in connection with the es-
cape of Miss Darby and the several
other charges brought to our attention
against the officers and employees of the
hospital.
From Superintendent Brown down
to the most unimportant attache of the
hospital we find that there is abso-
lutely no ground for complaint on the
part of the relatives or friends of in
mates Of the hospital or others who
have taken it upon themselves to pre-
fer charges.
"-rhe charge of graft and false ex-
penditure of funds of the institution
by those connected with the hospital
we find is not so.
1.-THE names of the three former at.
tendants of the hospital whom we have
found guilty of misconduct will not be
mentioned in the finding.
THE charge that inmates of the hos
pital have been brutally treated or
even mildly ill-treated we also find TO
be absolutely false. Neither is ther-
any truth in the claim that the pa
tients were improperly fed.
That Grace Darby was insane dur-
ing her confinement at Taunton. we
have only the word of the expert alien.
lists who committed her. This we
deem sufficient
I'VE have gone into every phase of
the case of Miss Darby, and as far AZ
we could learn we know the manner
in which she made her escape from
The hospital. The only information
that l can give out on this point is that
tie patient was given a key by a GER
tain employe of the institution SIn
used this key in effecting her escapo.
AS long as the state of Maine ar
any other community is willing to care
fol this woman we shall make no ef.
fort to again obtain her custody.
over dozen witnesses have baaD
before us and examined II
is from that we have the evidence upon
which we have based our decision. We
have gone into the whole matter thor.
oughly and completely, and, in a word
We have found the institution and
those who run it all that they sbould
be and all that we can EXPECT them
to be-