The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-05-02
BADLY ABUSED.
Horrible State of Affairs in a
District Hospital.
CRUEL TREATMENT
OF the Defenceless I;.matcs o: a Govern.
ment Institution in the City of
Washington. People Not Insane
Confined in the Bull Pen,
A Typical Case.

An investigation Of st Elizabeth'E
hospital, Washington D. c., the home
OF many afflicted government employ
ees, army and navy tf6cers and mem
bers Ct the marine corps, by the house
committee on the District Of Co,uu'
bia, has disclosed horrible state c1
affairs.
Speaking OF the discipline at this
institution. the committee in its re-
pert says: "It would appear iron,
complaints and statements made to US
that strait-jackets, handouts, etc.,
are In frequent use; that the feeding
tube has been upon occasions thrust
down the throat as q method and dis.
cipline, as well as OF alleged necessity
that wiring out by wet towels and
'toweling' with dry towels placed
about the patents neck and twisted
from behind until the patient falls
over semi conscious sometimes with
soap in the moutb) is not an uncom.
mon practice; that the saddle" has
been used at times, contrivance upon
which refractory patients are said to
be placed in a reclining position, fas-
tened, hand. foot and neck, and so
that no movs ment is possible except
to roll the. eyes around circumscribeo
area OF tee ceiling, and thus left for
hours.
Kicking and cutting By attendants
for failure to ohey orders OF do work
properly, or for taking an extra spoon
iul # beans at table, etc., is aisse..
An incident is told Of an attendant,
disturbed st night by a soDonameuis-
,ic patient, striking him In the nou n,
and knocking him down, and carrying
nis own hand Ia a bandage for several
days in const quence; and OF another
attendant breaking a PATIENTS leg IN
diciplining him.
''rhere are different ways OF train-
inc a horse-5ut one attendant made
the statement that he was intructed
to make patients fear him as be would
a horse, ETC., and be commenced doing
80 bis first day on duty, by knocking
a patient down and checking him: al.
ter which be had no trouble With that
one.
MANY OTHER like occurrences are
reported, but these are more than sui
fcient, If true, to present a vivid con-
5rast to the methods Of gentleness and
sympathy carried out In other instl-
tutions."
Many attempts have been made re,
Gently by inmates Of the hospital TO
8 clre the services Of attorneys to ct,
feet their releacs, such attempts have
Invariably been followed by brutal and
inhuman treatment. Que case IN point
Is that OF an old man named Willis
who was not insane and wanted to be
released. o. this case the committee
says. The Willis case Is no doubt ex'
ceptiona,,; this is a briet OF Its history:
An old man, but vigorous OF body and
intellect, was prevailed upon to deed
valuable property to relative. he
was drugged in New York, taken ], 900
miles to soldiers home at MilWau-
kee, Wis, from there to ST. Elizabeth;
there regarded as insane, and ms
statements taken as proof positive OF
''perst cltory manila" Hs was punish
ed in the hospital for his attempts TO
secure l5gal release; his pension OF
sl2 per month used by the hospital;
mis- pension OF $50 per month for life
as an old employee Of Arnold, Consta'
Die s. Co., commuted and released by
the reletive to whom he had decided
uhe property for a cash payment; he
is now penniless and triendless, and
his prospects for escape from lie I'm
prisonment from among the insane
are exceedingly small.
"A woman. believing this mans
story secured a writ OF habeas corpus
for him and the case came before JUS
tice Wright, Of the supreme court OF
the D. strict OF Columbia. He held the
commitment unconstitutional and ille-
gal, and said one might as well argue
that a policeman could be authorized
to arrest q citizen, charge him with
murder, pronounce him guilty, and
hang him to a lamp post. Willis was
then discharged after having been helo
in the hospital two years and Wasseat
out Without one penny.
In the Shaffer case, 1t appears be
was too religious to suit the taste CT
an Official in the hospital ward at the
soldiers home, who commanded him
to stop praying with the SICK inmates;
his refusal caused immediate trans
fer to St. E lzabeth. Tnere be show
ed no signs OF insanity, but bis re.
quests for discharge we're refused and
his release by habeas corpus resisted
Finally be managed to have his case
brought into court and he was found
perfectly sane in every respect and or
dered to be discharged.
There are about 500 INDECENT pa
tients at St. E.izabeth's, and these
the committee says, are confined II
the bull pen.
1.-The bull pen is a triangular encl S
ure Of about three acres, OF which
ahn,,t one.haif is occupied by build