New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-02
POLICE ANGER HOSPITAL
PERSECUTION CHARGED,
Ballington Booth Complains of
Interference zcith St. Gregory's.

The officials Of ST. Gregory's Hospital, at No.
S3 Gold street. are greatly incensed over the
actions OF the police whom they charge with in
terfering recently with their ambulance sur
geons when responding TO hurry calls. General
Ballington Booth, head of the Volunteers of
America and also president of the board of
directors of the institution in a statement yes
terday strongly censured the heads of the Police
Department.
Referring to the alleged action of the police.
Colonel Bryant. superintendent of the hospital,
said yesterday:
"On Sunday evening we received hurry call
from citizen to send an ambulance to Vande-
water and Pearl streets. A man had been in
jured by falling down flight of stairs. When
DR.. Payne, the ambulance surgeon. arrived there
he saw a policeman walking away with his
patient. The policeman refused to allow the
surgeon to attend the injured man. The mans
face was covered with blood and he appeared
to be seriously injured. Several attempts were
made to get at the patient but the policeman
threatened the surgeon, told him not to inter-
fere with his business and said that he would
call an ambulance from another hospital.
"The doctor reported this to our registrar.
Mr.. Aitken. who went to the Oak street police
station and told Sergeant Glynn what had oc-
CURED. The sergeant said that he would look
into the matter and shortly afterward a police
man came TO the hospital and apologized for the
actions of the other policeman. He said that
the policeman had been the force only five
days and was not acquainted with the methods
of hospital cases"
The policeman, it was learned had the injured
man walk to the station house. where an ambu-
lance was summoned from the Hudson Street
Hospital. DR.. Stewart found that the man had
received lacerated scalp and face wounds. He
went home after receiving treatment
Although this not serious one"
continued Mr. Bryant, 1T might have been
case of depressed fracture of the skull. where
immediate medical aid was necessary. In a
case like that few minutes means life or death.
THE police have done this several times. Our
doctors have 10 fight for their patients. II
person is seriously injured even block away
from our hospital. the police frequently send
for ambulance from the Hudson Street Hos
ptal The directors of st. Gregorys made
application to General Bingham for a district
three monthc ago There is not hospital from
the Battery, east or west to Duane street. and
there are more than a million people right in
the heart OF the city with only one hospital
taking in the whole territory. That is the Hud-
son Street Hospital. three-quarters of a mile
northwest of the Brooklyn Bridge entrance"
When General Booth was seen yesterday at
the national headquarters Of the Volunteers OF
America he said:
Three months ago I wrote "A letter 20 Police
Commissioner Bingham. requesting him e grant
us an ambulance district / explained to him
the necessity OF having one In a district con-
tanning many people. When the Commits
sioner OF Charities approved hospital we
at once got a charter. we then Immediately
made an application for a district month
later DR. Quigley. president OF the Board OF
ferred by General Bingham mad, a superficial
inspection of the hospital and Immediately we
received letter from the Commissioners Of
fee stating that the public interest would not be
furthered by granting district.
"In other words, the Commissioner Of Chari-
ties wrong in granting n charter. No
one knows better the equipment Of the hospital
than the State Board of Charities for after a
most thorough investigation of the personnel
of its visiting physicians and Of the methods
and treatment Of the large number of patients
that daily apply they granted a charter"
When asked for his opinion of the action of
the police toward the ambulance surgeons from
st. Gregory's General Booth said:
1T doesn't rest with the policemen them
selves. but with orders that come from headquar-
ters compelling the to ring up Police
Headquarters. which then rings up the Hudson
Street Hospital. We have established the fact
that the public needs us. We have established
our rights. and we are going TO have our
rights.
II haven't gone to the Mayor yet, as don't
care to create any friction with the Police De-
partment. There is some powerful influence be-
hind this that is unjustly keeping us from get
ting the district that rightly belongs 10 us
I don't understand why we we're turned down
when business men by the hundreds all through
this district have united fn hat
be granted the privilege OF taking care of them
and their employees in case OF necessity.
THESE are the head Of large business inter-
ests who have had opportunity I'm an impartial
way Of seeing the treatment of hundreds of pa
tients that are daily treated by us Our visiting
physicians cannot be excelled by those Of any
other hospital in the city. Among some of them
are DIR. William Todd Helmuth professor OF
surgery OF the New York Homeopathic Medical
College; DIR. Palmer. executive officer of the
ophthalmic Hospital: DR.. Edward Tuttle. secre-
tary Of the faculty of the Flower Hospital and
Dr George Stewart, superintendent of the Met
ropotan Hospital
Commissioner Bingham turned Mr. Booths
letter over to me for investigation" said DR..
Quigley last night "A month later sent my
report to the Commissioner stating that the
Hudson Street Hospital which has been cover
ing the lower end OF Manhattan Island for thir-
ty-Hve years, had been able to handle the dis
trct without complaint They are now spend
ing s5OOO0 to enlarge their Institution and to
equip it with better facilities TO carry on the ir
work.
Colonel Bryant said:
when the Hudson Street Hospital authori-
ties heard that had applied for a district
they then went to work To enlarge their hospital.
They didn't do It before. The petition that con-
tained the signatures of nearly two thousand
business men, merchants. bankers and manu-
facturers. was ignored by DR.. Quigley. who said:
TIL do the right thing
DEMENTED MAN VISITS WHITE HOUSE.