The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-01
David Loynd, Now Under Care
At Reid Hospital, Not Want
ed by That Institution or
The County Jail.
MEREDITH WILL ACCEPT
HIM ONLY IF FORCED.
Conditions Are Due to the Par
simoniouS Administration OF
The County Commissioners
And Council.

David Loynd, a patient confined to
his bed at the Reid Memorial hospital
with straps, has been adjudged in
sane by an inquest board. The hos
pital authorities are extremely anX-
ious to have Loynd placed in the cOun-
ty Jail but Sheriff Meredith has in
formed them that he will not receive
the man at the jail unless he is COM
PEELED to. The sheriff is of the Opin-
ion that there is no law which would
compel him to receive a man in the
condition Loynd is in.
Monday evening Sheriff Meredith
went to the hospital and saw Loynd.
He states that he found the man
strapped to his bed but too weak to be
considered dangerous. The sheriff
says that John l.. Rupe, president of
the board of hospital trustees, stated
that Loynd would not be kept at the
hospital and insisted that he be admit
ted to the Jail. Sheriff Meredith told
Mr.. Rupe that there were already
eight insane men at the county Jail
and that he did not intend to receive
any more unless he is absolutely COM
PEELED to. Mr.. Rupe, according to the
sheriff, stated that he intended to
take steps to have Loynd confined at
the county Jail.
In the inquest report Loynd is de-
scribed as being violently insane.
Sheriff Meredith insists that he is not
He states that the law requires that
any insane man "at large" whose ac-
tions are SO violent as to be men
ace to the community shall be con
fined in the county jail for safe keep
ing. The sheriff states that Loynd is
menance to anyone and that he is
kept strapped to his bed at the hos
pital because the women nurses are
afraid of him and not because he is
really dangerous.
Annex to Hospital.
At the present time the county jail
is more or less an annex OF the East
haven insane hospital The insane
men confined at the Jail require the
constant attention of Turnkey Harris
and Sheriff Meredith. There are no
suitable quarters in which insane men
can be confined. In the case of LO, I'd
he is not only insane but a serious i'll
man and if confined at the count nil
there would be no suitable Quo rs
in which to place him and he could
not expect to receive the attention
that his condition requires. The de
plOrable conditions at the county jail
could be remedied but for the parsim
onious policy of the board of county
commissioners and the county council
who refuse to accept the fact that the
conditions are such in this county that
an insane department at the jail is
absolutely required. Not only do these
county officials refuse to provide suit
able quarters for the insane, but they
refuse to provide an attendant for the
unfOrtunates who are at the present
time confined in the jail Turnkey
Harris has to act not only as turnkey
but as the insane attendant 1t is
true that he receives a small recon-
pense for his services in caring fol
the insane, but at the same time he
has too much work for one man tc
do.
Wayne county has twenty-five pa
tients in excess of her quota at East
haven at this time.