The news & observer., 1905-10-01


or cruelty to patient. Upon whom
the hand of aff1iction is heavily laid,
no one shall with impunity add one
title. If, in the opinion, of this
board any officer, attendant or en-
ployee had been remiss by commits
sion or omission in his or her high
duty to the States unfortunates, IN ms
or her care or keeping, this board
would visit upon that one, high or
low, without fear or favor. the ex-
treme penalty within its power. The
one who by negligence adds to the suf-
ferings of an insane person is a dan
gerous derelict, who Intentionally ILL
uses one, it were base f1attery to call
him a criminal-he is a fiend. Even
the Savage Negro of the African Jun
gle, and the blood-thirsty Apache of
the primeval forest, spare the insane.
Whom the gods have bereft of reason
they fear to touch, lest that madness
fall upon them.
LET the strong hand of the law fall
heavily upon amy VINO are derelict in
their high duty to our afflicted ones.
Those who know the character of
the men who compose the board will
not doubt that they would without de-
lay remove any official known to be
guilty of neglect insult or cruelty to
patient" The high standing OF
John w. Thompson, of Wake; S. 0.
Middleton, of Duplin; l.. j. Picot, Of
Warren w. H Whitehead, of Nash; j.
G. Hunt, of Granville; James M. Par
rott, of Lenoir; John ID. Biggs, OF
Martin; r, H. Stancill, of Northamp-
ton: and Edward Smith, of Harnett-
the gentlemen who compose the board
lis sufficient evidence that no cruelty
will be tolerated by them or condoned
by their action. They cannot, indeed,
know all that transpired in the institu-
ton, but they will not fail to do their
duty, when in possession of facts. Ii
they. or any of them, however, should
apologize for or excuse harsh treat
ment, the people of North Carolina
would rise up and demand their re-
tirement as was done eighteen years
ago when other good men. blinded by
their faith in an unworthy official,
failed to rid the institution of his pres
ence. This paper then, as now, would
permit HO ICEdlu III % Ni' S~NSN -
confidence in his honest motives to
silence it, but as then. this writer
would risk everything for the good of
the insane.
Something like sixteen or seventeen
years ago the people of North Caro-
lima were aroused by charges pre-
ferred against the then superintendent
of the Raleigh Hospital for cruelty to
the patients and conduct unworthy of
preferred those charges, under high
sense of duty to the unfortunate in
sane, performed a service for North
Carolina unequalled in the history of
this generation. The public, the
press, the medical profession, at first
did not believe it possible that the
eminent alienist was guilty, and many
good men rushed to his defense be-
cause they thought. he was unjustly
assailed The only thing that stood
and continued cruelty was the cour-
age and character of John w. Thomp-
son, now chairman of the board of di-
rectors and then steward of the insti-
tuition. who sacrificed his bread and
meat and jeopardized his life to end
cruelty and wrong. In helping that
brave man i'm that fight, the most try
ing and noblest in which he has ever
enlisted, this writer rendered his first
service for good government as the
editor of a Raleigh paper.
The fact that the report of the
board of directors was prepared by
John w. Thompson, who would agnin
risk his life and throw away his sup
port to protect the insane, will con-
vince all who know him that if, to his
knowledge. there had been other in
fractions of the rules forbidding cru
city than those stated in the report,
the public would have been advised
and the Governor urged to prompt
action.
From the investigation in 1889 until
this year there has been no sugges-
ton of cruelty i'm any hospital for the
insane in North Carolina. The temper
of the people is such that it would not
be tolerated and no man who would
apologize for it could hold position
in this good. State. The death of Mr..
Nall, a patient from Chatham county,
under circumstances for which the
coroner's jury say four attendants
must be tried for murder. has prop
erly caused great Indignation
DR.. Mckee who would not practice
or tolerate cruely made a great mis-
take when he did not ask for a coro-
ner's inquest as soon as the patient
Nall died. under the suspicious cir
stances. He made a greater mistake
when he delayed to demand an i'll
vestigation after Mr.. Massey Informed
him of the harsh treatment of Nall
by the attendants. Nobody who knows
him believes he desired to make any
concealment, but with the knowledge
that had been communicated to him
from Caraleigh of the treatment
the Datient had received from the at