Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-15
THE ASYLUM INQUIRY
TESTIMONY TODAY ALL FAVOR
ABLE TO Oh. WHITE.

Testimony highly favorable to DR.. White
and the general administration of affairs
at the st. Elizabeth asylum was brought
out today before the Oicott special commit
tee at the morning session Physi-
clans. local meat dealers and asylum en-
ployes were among those heard. At noon
the committee took a recess until O'Clock.
All Testimony Favorable.
Mrs. Charles F. Mills, whose husband
was at one time an inmate of st. Eliza
beth, had observed no cruelty In the
wards. The food was excellent The
physicians got the best end of the bill of
fare.
B. Frank Wright OF the John R. Wright
Company. undertakers; Dr. w. F. Hemier,
employed in the District health Office and
formerly a medical inferno at the asylum
under DR.. White; DR.. George T.. Vaughn,
local physician and one of the consulting
surgeons of the asylum; Charles j. Caller
local undertaken, all gave favorable testi-
mony. ]. 8. Carter, one of the supervisors
at St. Elizabth, was sworn. He is now
in charge of the Richardson group of build
ings, and has forty-one attendants under
him. The care and treatment Of patients
tigated many charges made by patients
against attendants. Once-five or six
months ago-he had discovered that an at
tendant named Otis Wilson had struck
pdltcIt w llSOu ldQ lIulu6Qldt6ly Deen QiS-
charged. That was the only complaint of
any consequence that had been borne out
by inquiry.
II think the food is very good said
Mr.. Carter in reply to Chairman Olcott.
The supervisor thought there were suffi-
cient attendants at the asylum to care for
the patients and he did not consider that
the hours of labor of the attendants were
too long.
Dr. Sterling Ruffin local physician. told
the committee that he occasionally visited
the hospital, being a member of the con-
sulting staff He had only been there
twice since DR.. White become superintend-
ent. He thought the care of such patients
as he had seen was most excellent Prior
to DR.. Whites incumbency he had in-
spected the food at the asylum and found
1t to be very good
Frank NJ Finatti record pension and
general clerk at the asylum, was sworn.
He had been an employee at the institution
Tor twenty-one years, the first ten of which
ne had served as an attendant. For the
past SIX years he had had charge of pen
sion matters at the asylum. He went into
cetail at the request of the committee con-
erning the treatment and handling of the
pension funds
No Cases Of Cruel Treatment.
David M. Allen, for the past ten months
an attendant at st. Elizabeth. was the next
witHess. He had never seen Head Attend
ant Teats who testified yesterday abuse
broken-legged patient named Butts. An
other witness previously testified that Teats
used to lift Butts broken leg in the air and
let 1t drop in order to make Butts squeaI.
he had never seen any patients abused
witness considered that the food at the in
stitution was very good. The hours, how
ever, he considered very long.
And SO fresh from the farm, too COM
mented Mr. Smyser, the joyous memberN
from that dear Ohio
Henry G: Brown, another youth from
ha ic ut
tendant at the asylum, had never seen
Teats or any other attendant strike or
otherwise abuse patients.
j. A. Whitfield a local wholesale meat
dealer, told the committee that during the
past year he had furnished the asylum,
under contract, all bacons and hams used
by the institution. The goods were all of
number one grade Some of the meats sent
by him to the hospital had been returned.
At times he had considered that the in
spection of meats at the hospital was en-
tirely too strict and severe.
rs the inspection elsewhere as strict as
at st. Elizabeth" Inquired Chairman Oh
colt.
Eat the Soldiers Home" replied Mr.
Whitfield, they cut the meat strings out
of the bacon before they put it on the
scales. The hospital hasn't got that bad
yet
Charles Etzler, the local meat dealer who
supplies the asylum under contract with
fresh meats, was sworn. Some of his deliv-
cry of meats had been sent back. He
thought the meat inspection at the asylum
was very rigid. There had also been COM
plants of beef being under weight and some
had been sent back on this account. Re-
ferring to the testimony of former at
tendant Burroughs that beef had been
received at the hospital weighing less than
400 although the contract weight was
Co.. the witness exclaimed, He didn't
know what he was talking about"
Well how could be come to make a
statement like that" inquired Mr. Smy-
MAY Be He Lied"
Maybe he led suggested the witness
breezily.
Mr.. smyser asked concerning Mr.. Etz-
ler's business how 1t had been affected
by the talk about Packngtown.
1T hasn't done us any good" replied the
witness, and he and Mr.. Smyser exchanged
long, lingering winks
DR.. D. X. Shute, consulting oculist of
the asylum, gave the institution a send-off
for management, cleanliness etc. The food
had impressed him wholesome, nutri-
tious and especially good for an institution
of its size.
Il have high opinion of DR.. White,
said DR.. Shute, both as a man of honor
and a skilled alienist
DR.. Shute said the regular medical socie-
ty of the District had recently elected DIR.
White, and he thought it proper to state
in this connection that an injustice had
been done to Dr. White In the bringing of
charges against him by a committee whose
membership was anonymous.
DR.. Cornelius De Weese, now medical d.
rector of the Laurel (Md.) Santarium,
until year ago a member of the asylum
staff, spoke highly of DIR. White and of the
institution in general. He did not approve
of the plan of having the business admin
istration Of hospital In other hands than
the superintendent.
Miss Butler a nurse In the hospital ward
of the asylum since 1885, was sworn. Pa
TENTS were well treated and general condi-
tions were good. Miss Butler said Dr.