The Washington times., 1906-05-09

Testimony in the special Compression.
al committees investigation OF the Gov.
ernment Hospital for the Insane took
sensational turn today. Edgar Ball
formerly an attendant IN the asylum
testified that he had beaten and chokec
patients. and that other attendants die
the same thing ali over the hospital.
He declared that on one occasion ne
had been ordered by Supervisor Burct
10 fog a patient with q strap and thai
he did it
Asked whether this was the usia.
thing ne said Il Occurrssl nearly every
day IN the ward in which he worked
He declared that the board OF visitors
Inspected his ward only cnce in FIVE
years when the patients were in the
ward He had orders. he said, to take
the patients over the hill out of sighi
Of the building the days that the board
y visitors was expected 70 visit the ir-
stitution. be resigned his job voIun-
tarily
Dr. J. Ramsay hewitt, District cor
oner, testified that the STAFF at the asy-
lum is too small and that there should
be more physicians and more attendants
TO look after the patients. Testifying
in regard 10 the death of man named
Brown he said that this was a case in
which the coroner should have been
called IN when the man died, but this
action was not taken Referring to SUI
cides at the institution he said he had
Investigated several and had suggested
70 Dr. White that some Of them could
be prevented by putting smaller graf
ings at the windows This suggestion,
he thought, had been followed.
Saw Nothing Wrong.
Miss Omie CadeH, the first witness.
employed the last i've years in the Iaun-
dry. said she had never seen Mr.
Maenche. foreman OF the laundry, drunk
or drinking She had never seen Maenche
mistreat any asylum inmates.
Miss Katie Butler, employed in the
laundry since last summer, said she had
never seen Foreman Maenche drunk He
was always respectful 10 her
s. Dawes Shuster said he was a pa.
tient at St EIizabeth's from June 19of.
20 November. 1895. as he had been suffer
ing from nervous prostration- He was
persuaded to go there by his brother and
his physician. After he got there. he
said. he could not get out
He thought the attendants at the asy-
lum the worst imaginable" He char
acterized George Thorne as a partlcu-
larry rough attendant. ThOrne, he de-
clared. had sworn at him and. on one
occasion. had pulled him partly out OF
bed when he was sick. Another time
ThOrne had caught him by the throat
and sworn at him.
A brother Of Thorne. he continued.
also treated him roughly.
The food there" said Mr.. Shuster,
lis the worst 1 ever ate. ard I hope
III never have 20 eat anything Ike II
again"
The witness voice was tremulous and
he exhibited marked emotion
The butter they gave us, he said.
I'VE called aXIe-grease- The beans they
fed us were as hard as raw chestnuts.
Saw Attendant Abuse Patient.
AIr. Shuster said he lost some prop
erty while IN the asylum. a gold collar
button and penknife- At one time ho
saw an attendant push downstairs a
patient who had softeuing of the brain.
The attendant became angry when Mr.
Shuster protested against such treat
ment-
District Coroner Nevitt told how he
was requested by the Health Officer last
March TO inquire into the manner OF
"sith o. o4ie Ge1A sc broNh' q oN EIl1a-
beth patient. VINO was reported by q
hospital physfCiFn as having died OF
heart disease The Health Office had
been Informed by Attorney Richard p
Evans. Of the Medico-Legal Society,"
that Brown had been cruelty scalded a
few days prior 10 his death which
ought 10 be Investigated
DR.. hewitt %sen read a letter he had
received FROM DIT. J. Ford Thompson.
who had examined Brown. saying he did
not think Browns injuries from the
scalding sufficient TO cause DEATH
DR.. NevitC then read a letter he had
gotten from Superintendent White OF
ST. Elizabeths. saying Browns being
1 Scalded had been an unavoidable acct
dent impossible 70 foresee-
The coroner then read his report OF
| his investigation OF the scalding o8