The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-21

Montgomery. August -tSpecal)-The legislative committee, appointed to lf- ouire into tho charges of cruelty tp 1'i7 t'entg,, at tho insane hospi8tl 1'is fuSS~- loosa. met this ait'fnon at o'clock in the council chamber at the e,ity hall and examined number of witr iesses.
 The following members of the commit tee were present: Repi sentative King, ohairman Senate" Hay s and Represen- tatives Gunter and Arnoltl. Judge J. M Chiffon was present as counsel for the asylum.
 The first wianess exam, ined was G. A. McWillams o,' Prattvile. MT. McWn- Hams said he was farm, CT having been al one time he sheriff of his county He said he was sent to the Ii ospital for re- lief from dI dnkenness. ana that he was in the asyl1m from Nove imber, 1906, to January, 1g7 MT. McWil Hams said he had not be there long enough to sec many cases of cruelty, but that he re- membered 1tnessing one or two cases which he fught were CT uel. He said on one occ sion he was a. slSed 10 take some medic ne to q patient. The patient however 'used to take the medicine. and MT. Williams then went to the nurse of nat ward, raa named Co., burn. H, said he saw !, nurse thrust the mans mouth open andf pour the medi- cine dow, the patients tn oat. He said he saw c burn then place nis foot on the mans st mach. saying th It the patient deserved to die.
 Mr M,Williams testified 70 seeing an- other m n kicked by the a ltendant, and In othe ways mistreated.
 MT. Rice Testfi ca.
 The ,ext witness examine d was J. T. RIoe ,ao said he lived at Prattville.
 Mr 2ice then being swoi rn. said that bls ociupation had been tn at of schoo teach. and that he had been sent tc sc.loosa to be cured of the morphln, bahit which was brought n by his US, of te drug to get relief rom rheuma tiet MT. Rice spoke of | number of ca. of cruelty, though he was unable in we any names.
 speaking In general of [ he condition, at the hospitals, he said: "I nave seen tn, n.irses throw patients dow n and bea tielr heads against the foo IT," Continu ilg, he said: "I have never seen so muci 1. .ardship shown to any ind lvlduals as the patients at Tuscaloosa wei @ compelled [, ceceive.". Witness said he never had st title to eat in his life as he had whi
 tho hospital, and that he was alway hungry when he left the table
 Witness was then crosf s-examined b. Judge Chiffon, and his tatement wa about the same as given in his origina testimony. MT. Rice said is greatest diff ficulty was in his inabilit to remembe names and was not certa in In regard L any names or dates.
 J. l.. Scott of Prattville was next sworr who said he was in the Il imber business Mir Scott said he was p ay patient, an that he was at the hospitf il to get cure of drinking whisky. Witnei ss said he wa there from the 7th of Ser jtember to tn 8th of October. 1906 Whel I asked by Nil King If he had seen any acts of cruelty witness replied that he h ad seen a nurs hit a patient one or two times over tn head with a broomstick. Witness test fled that the food was p GOT; that 1t wa badly cooked and that It was in ever way unsatisfactory.
 Judge Chiffon asked witness a fe questions, his answers be- ng substantial the same as those given in hls first te, timony.
 Patient is Be- ,ten.
 The next witness exam ined was J. Weeks of Ozark, who bet lng sworn sal { he had been at the hospita Il at Tuscaloos part of one year. being sent there lSg7 Witness said he ha d seen a ma named Smith of Montg somery near ] beaten to death by an att endant name Stepps. Witness swore tha { he had sec l Stops kick Smith in the stomach ar mistreat him In other wa. gs He Sd l Smith had only lived abe ut five da. | after his severe punishment j. Upon cross-ex amined, wlti ness admit,
 that he had Illusions while at the ho