The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-03
NOT MURDER, SAYS WITNESS Messengers Death Is
 Explained. HOSPITAL HEARING RESUMED Ex-Nurses Give Testimony Favor
 able to Asylum. pr. searcy is Scheduled to go On The witness stand Today. Tsur
 Days More the CencHu-
 sions.
HOSPITAL HEARING RESUMED
BY WILL T. STEPHAN

Tuscaloosa, Sept. 2-(SpeciaI Cor. respondence)g Walter Messenger. whose death at the Bryce Hospital for the Insane has been denounced as mur- der by two or three patients and ex- patients. died from heart disease. while In violent struggle with a nurse and . patient Such was the statement of H. Gillihand to the Investigating com- mission at It's sitting held this After- noon
 Mir. Gillihand was discharged from the hospital unjustly, he says. but he bears no il-win towards the manages ment. He was nurse in ward four teen and was present when Messenger died. death which has figured in the testimony and which has been termed murder by two or three of the witt nesses. who, however, did not witness MessenGer's death.
 Mir. Gillihaud said that early ono morning when he had unlocked the doors of his ward, Messenger followed him to his room. He stood at the door and cursed the witness as he was tieing his shoes He started towards the dooF after finishing with his shoes and Mes senger struck him and then sprang upon him. The witness grappled with the insane man hut could not throw him as Messenger was large and powerful man.
 "A patient named Wilcox rushed over to help me-" said Gillihand. in telling the story. "The two of us were struR- giing with him trying to throw nlrA to the floor. He had me by the throat Suddenly he turned loose and threw up his hands winch were quivertng and trembling We saw that something was wrong and let him down on tho floor. He was dead before we could straighten him out"
 GiIlihand said the doctors were lm- mediately notified. They examined Messenger and found that his violent exertion had brought nheart trou- ble. The coroner was sent for, and an inquest was held the verdict being that Messenger died from heart faiI- ure.
 Three former nurses were examinaH at the afternoon sitting of the commin- sion. Judge !. M. Chiiton announced taat 1t had been his purpose to exam inc Superintendent SeRrcy. but no would alter his plans because Of ab- sence of Senators Reese aud Hayes, who were kept away by bad train con nections. pr. Searcy will take the stand tomorrow.
 Ali the aittinga of the Commission. and they will probably continue untn Thursday. will be devoted to hearing testimony from witnesses gummoned by the hospital. The three nurses ex- amined today were Mrs. J. R. BrauIs ley, formerly Miss Hinton; o'Keefe and IT. GiIIihand. Mrs. Brantley and o'Ksefe left the hospital voluntarily. The ex-nurses declared that the stories of cruelty at the hospital were uutru@. On the women's side. Mrs. Brantiey said she had never seen any viofeuce or cruel treatment. The two men gave the same testimony. 7' o'Keefes whom asked if he had ever been ate tackled by patient said:
 q have been struck from behind. have been struck from In front. have been whipped so hard that thought the hospital was filled with ten thousand stars.
 Two of the ex-nurses had served m insane asylums in other States, ana said that the Alabama hospital was held in the highest esteem. They said that the hospital authorities of other States were always glad to get nurses who had served at Tuscaloosa, and would take them without examination.
 The Commission will meet again at the hospital tomorrow morning.