The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-04-10
Fort Supply for Oklahoma's
Insane Asylum Embraces
Some LOO Acres.

The action Of the house Of representa-
tivcs I'm passing tho Fort supply BIN by
a unanimous vote makes IL seem proba-
bic that before long the oklahoma insane
asylum will be removed 20 the historic
location from whence Custer. Sheridan.
Lawton. Captain Charles King and other
noted Indian fighters Of the early days
set forth on their campaigns.
It was in 1902 that congress FIRST poss-
cd the bin donating che Fort Supply
property to the territory OF Oklahoma
for use as an Insane asylum. and the
Oklahoma legislature in 1908, hy resolu-
tlon accepted the gift. but decided not
TO locate the asylum 'here until a rah-
road should be built to Fort supply. In
1905 the Legislature took further action.
and decided to put the buildings at Fort
supply IN condition for occupancy at
once a board Of trustees was appointed
to prepare the buildings and arrange for
the transfer Of the insane patients from
Norman where they are now cared for
under contract at private sanitarium.
Their preparations. however, were sud-
denly blocked on July g by a restrain
ing order issued by Judge Bayard a.
Hainer. at the request OF +. H. Mcclure,
county attorney OF Logan county. the
sanitariunl company, which now has the
care OF the insane, and the receiver OF
the Capitol National bank which holds
"a majority OF the san!tarium stock.
Tnolr contention was that the act OF
1908 was unconstitutional. In that IL was
contrary to the act OF congress which
prohibited the construction Of public
buildings In Oklahoma before statehood.
This contention was sustained by Judge
Hainer. Attorney General Simons APP
pealed to she supreme court, where the
case was argued at the January term,
but no decision has been handed down
as yet. Delegate McGuire's bin merely
ra lies the action of the oklahoma Leg
islature Of 1903 IN providing sor the re-
pair and occupancy OF the Fort supply
/ luidings,
The present buildings at Fort supply
with comparatively few changes. could
be admirably adapted 70 thG care OF the
insane on the cottage plan. wlieh Il
now the one approved by experts In tIidi
line OF work. There are nearly 100
buildings all told on the reservation. OF
this number about forty are in Il fair
state OF preservation. Ready for oc.
cupancy are: The commandant's house
containing twelve rooms and supplied
with baths: the officers row, on which
are nine cottages OF sixteen rooms each.
| twenty-six cottages. an entertainment
hall. 35xi50 feet, and a hospital. 3Ox5o
feet IN dimensions. In addition TO these
are seten barracks and fifty cedar houses
which could be made ready for occu-
pancy at small expenditure. II Is
claimed that thA buildings which can-
not be used could be sold for enough
to repair the others. The water Is Of
the very best. and is carried into every
house on the reservation by a system
OF water works which the government
constructed OK an expenditure Of $780,
900. Both this ana the sewer system arg
/ IN good repair
The reservation embraces LOO acres,
OF which 400 acres are covered with TIM
Der. n Is said that this timber would
( furnish a fuel supply Tor an time to come
Much Of tho remaining land is fine ng-
riculturai land which would in Itself ale
most support the institution
/ Fort supply WAS so named because fo'
many years II was used as repository
for military stores from which Other
posts. farther ont on the frontier. wcr,
supplied. TIE fort was established bs
\ General Custer IN 1885, after one OF his
Southwestern campaisns. Il had been q