The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-29

two of them were struggling with him the three fell over a bench, the corner of which struck Hines In the side. A verdict was brought in, m accordance with this testimony.
 But in the hospital hearing a patient came forward and swore he saw a nurse named Curry kick Hines in the stomach while he was quNtly sitting in the, window. He described the kick as an awful blow. Hines, shortly after this was dead. The Commission leaned forward and listened at this. 1t was one of the most important bits of tes- timony the commission had secured, al- though 1t was given by patient. So the man was carried over his story again and again. for the commission wanted to satisfy itself of it's truth.
 G. M. Cornelius. a Tuscaloosa man, swore that nurse told him one morn ing; afternoon according to the statement of Cornelius. Montgomery came to him and said: Well, I got my man. Ills is up there in the cross hall"
 Cornelius said he went up there and found a dead man on the floor. He unbuttoned the mans shirt and found heavy bruises on the mans stomach.
 This evidence looked important to the commission, because it was in the na- LuES OA QlNCtt lGStA4hOnJ Vh Inc charges and the commission had not had not much of this testimony. Cor nelius said, however, he did not know the name of the dead man. It is un- derstood that the grand jury of Tusca- loosa county will ask for further in- formation from MT. Cornelius. and Montgomery, the nurse in question, is now living in Texas
 A Bibb county patient swore to his hat hA CnI ma train conductor, was killed by the nurses. His room was next to the cross hall, he said, and one night he heard Messenger quarrelling, and fight ing with the nurses. The next morn ing he was told that Messenger was dead.
 Struck Dr. searcy.
 Each of the patients, who were sup posed to have died suddenly were vio- lent and maniacical patients. Several years before his death, Messenger who was very strong and powerful man. attacked Dr. Searcy in the yard of the Hospital. He struck the Superin- tendent a stunning blow under the ear, from behind and while the super intendent was summed and prostrate on the ground, Messenger was only prevented from doing greater harm by the nurses who rushed up and seized him.
 The men who died belonged to the class of patients who were accustom- ed to make attacks on the nurses, for the nurses were subject to frequent at tacks
 John Wilson, an ex-nurse, who was on the stand and who had been sum- moned by the commission in answer to an anonymous request was asked:
 Did you ever see any cruelties at the HospitaI?"
 "Yes, sir. many time" was the prompt reply.
 What were they?"
 "Why I've seen those crazy pa- tients jump on the nurses many a time and beat them down to the ground"
 Upon the sensational charges made by early witnesses before the commits sion, of patients done to death, the evil dence that has been set down as the only direct and tangible evidence which has been secured by the com@ mission at Tuscaloosa.
 On the other hand much of the evil dence has been flatly denied. It has been denied by witnesses who were expected to prove its truth, by wit nesses who were alleged by the first witnesses to have been present and to have witnessed the murderous cruelty.
 These witnesses, ex-patients and ex- nurses who testified unfavorably to the Hospital management. in other re- spects denied witnessing any of these violences. Patients in the hospital who were described as having been beaten or pulled about the hall by the hair swore that the statements were not true.
 There undoubtedly have been in- stances of nurses beating patients. Ev- idence to establish this has been fre- quently given. But the same witnesses swore that the nurses who were guilty of this violent treatment of patients, were immediately discharged. It was shown that the hospital authorities never tolerated any such conduct on the part of the nurses. It was shown that as soon as the physicians learned of any violence to the patients the re- sponsible nurses were immediately dis charged.
 Nurses Were Discharged.
 The nurse who choked the Montgom- cry patient in a fit of anger lost his position. The nurse who struck the
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