Arizona republican., 1906-04-28

In it's final report yesterday the
 grand jury dealt vigorously with the
 management of the territorial asylum for the insane. At the beginning of the
 session the attention of the jury was directed by the court to the affairs of of the asylum as d proper subject for an investigation. The jury took the matter up and almost everyday tes- timony relating to that institution was heard. A part of it was of very high | ly sensational character, which has ! been only partially reflected in the report of the grand jury, though that document is strong enough and full ] of meaning.
 It was brought out by witnesses that 1 it had for some time, been the prac- tice of attendants who desired a night | off or did not want to be disturbed, to inject morphine into patients like 1 ly to be troublesome. Enough of the
 drug was used to leave the patient in
 a quiescent state until the attendant got ready to look after him.
 ] Horrible stories of cruelty were told | It was related that in one instance an | attendant had broken the arm of pa I tient and that thereafter the patient | was kept in sort of a straight jacket, l per attention, had got into such a con-
 dition that amputatiOn became neces- sary. It was also related by witnesses | that former Steward Vinson of the | asylum, used the supplies of the asy- | lum as if they had been bought for his own use and table,
 The following is that part of the re- port relating to the asylum:
 we have discovered many lamenta- | ble derelictions in the discharge of
 duties on the part of the authorities in | charge of the territorial insane asylum | under the administration of pr. W. H. Ward, and under his administration | found many abuses which. if they exist
 at the present time should be correct l ed. We find:
 First: That it was the custom of the late steward, MT. Vinson. to divert | from said institution various supplies ! belonging to the territory and intend | ed for the use of the patients, to his | own use and the use of his family, | said supplies being in the nature of | milk ice, meats and provisions be- l longing to the territorial institution for | the use of the patients incarcerated | therein;
 | Second: We find that in the past | it has been the custom of the atten- l ister to patients iHcarcerated in the 1 asylum. fypodermic injections of nor phine and other quieting drugs, with out the direction and under the su-
 pervision of the superintendent or Of any physician, and we condemn said ] practice as an unwarranted and care l less exercise of a physicians preroga- | tive by said attendants and one likely
 to lead to physical injuries to the pa | tients incarcerated in said institution,
 and We recommend that if no such rule 1 has heretofore been established by the | board of control of the territory of
 Arizona that said board of control 1 make and place in operation a rule | that no attendant shall administer any 1 hypodermic injection of morphine or
 any other quieting drug to any patient incarcerated in the territorial insane | asylum, unless by the direction and | under the supervision of the superin i tendent of the said asylum or some | physician having power and authority
 to make such direction;
 Third: We find upon examination 1 of sucn witnesses. that many of the patients of the insane asylum Confin- l ed in what is known as the violent 1 ward have been treated by some of the | attendants in an extremely brutal and harsh manner; that more force has
 been used with them than was neces- | sary for their control We find es- l pecitlIy instances of harsh and cruel treatment committed by Robert Brickley and William Hayes on
 various occasions, and we recommend to the board of control of the territory of Arizona the immediate investigation
 of the said conduct of said attendants
 toward said patients, and if it is dem
 onstrated that they have been guilty
 of mwarranted harsh treatment, that