The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-30
A TALLY FOR THE ASYLUM Ex-Patient's s Evidence is
 Discredited. MANY AMUsEi INCIDENTS
 E Character of s4 Ex-Nurse Witness
 iAttacked. One With, Talked so Fast That the on sM stenosrapher Nearly SFsinted in Hi. Chair
 of Exhaustion.
BY WILL T. SIBERIAN.


 espondence. IA lean and angular 'Sa- cred Harp muse teacher, F. E. Am thony, at the first Birmingham sitting of the State Commission to investigate
 the charges against the Bryce Hospi- tai, held today in the Mayors office, qualified as an expert on insane asy- luns. The teacher had twice been an inmate of the Mississippi asylum and twice an inmate of the Alabama asy- lum. He did not like either of them. According to his story. he was maimed for life in both hospitals by patients and nurses.
 His evidence was one chain of hor- TOT. Everything that happened to him left him permanently disabled. In the Mississippi hospital he had one arm broken and was injured for all time In the Alabama hospital. he had the other arm paralyzed by the roughness of nurse and because of which he could
 not raise that arm above his head. At, Tuscaloosa a patient struck him back of the head and the blow raised what
 he called blood postules, a pepnnanent ir1ury. In addition to all thts nurse wrapped wet towel aropnd his neck and gave him a case ef hoarseness from which he has neYef recovered. All
 of it formed a terribde story as he told 1t
 The CommissioA was so astounded at
 
 done him thatthey sent him around to Dr. NaborsfFto be examined. The ex- animation was made in the presence of Dr. Partiow, one of the hospital physi-
 clans, but the physicians could find nothing the matter with the physical condition of the asylum expert. He was sound in wind and limb. The doc- tors, however, did not report on his
 mental condition.
 "Were you not given money to get away from the hospital. with the uns derstanding that you would go to Mis- sissippi, and did you not break your agreement, to come to Birmingham that
 yon might testify against the hospitai at request of Hugh Marton, the singing
 school teacher was asked by Judge
 Got Money from HnrtOn. The witness explained, but his expla- nation was an affirmative answer to the question. then he said he had been given $2. 50 by Harton since he had been in Birmingham. He said that at present he was living out in the coun- try eight miles from the city. where he was trying to organize a do ra me" singing school class. The witness was one of the striking exhibits of mental eccentrics with whom the Commission
 has been brought in contact the last few days He had a vivid and enter taining fancy and the Commission in the early hours of his testimony sat en- thralled by the story he was tslling.
 Another mental eccentric -as J. J.
 Bridges, a resident of the village of AVondale. According to his statement he was professional rounder. This statement startled the Commission and the members had to confess their ig- norance of the nature of that occupa- ton, feeling that ne could not make himself clear with that term. he quail fled by saying that ne was n day ld- borer.
 The Commission had considerable trouble to get Mir. Bridges's testimony. When he was ready to testify the Com
 mission was busy with some other wit ness and he could not possibly walt to give his testimony. He would leave to return in the next five minutes. The examination of each witness was in- variably interrupted by the sudden ap- pearancs of MT. Bridges, demanding to be given a chance to testify. Along in the afternoon MT. Bridges and the Commission both met in Ln idle mo- ment and he was able to give testimony and suspend his habit of popping in at the door every five min ltes with the announcement that he was busy man and would not be expected to hang around all day.
 He declared that he had seen, while an inmate of the asylum, case Of brutality practiced by one nurse upon A patient whom he did not know. He
 said furthermore, that he was an in- mate of the hospital when young Hines was killed, and he heard the scufne over his head while the nurses were struggling with Hines. He later went to that floor and found Hines lying | desperately hurt on the floor of the cross hall. Hines. the witness swore, said to the nurses You have killed me :" The witness swore that Hines was so sick and hurt that he could not lift up his head.
 Escaped from Asylum. Bridges said that he had once es- caped from the asylum and was at liberty ten days before he was recap l tured, and the members of the com | mission agreed among themselves that | if he was as elusive at the hospital as
 he was when the commission wanted | him to testify, the hospital authori- | ties were not to blame for his escape. After awhile the witness became So | excited that the stenOgrapher was hard
 pressed to keep In hailing distance of | his testimony.
 Bridges was giving testimony at the l rate of 250 words minute, and grow | ing stronger. The stenographer
 wrapped his legs around his chair, took
 a fresh grip on his pad, and while the
  | hest to keep up in the race, but Bridges distanced him easily. Senator Reese finally arose in the midst of the torrent of words and said that the | commission evidently had all the in formation that the witness could give, and that he be excused. Bridges never lost his stride. and when they opened l a away and showed him how to get to | the front door, he was still talking. The stenegrapher was over In his chair utterly exhausted.
 The habits and associates of Miss Crump, since she came to Birmingham, were the subject of testimony by sev- eral witnesses and the testimony was not at all creditable to the ex-nurse. It will be recalled that the most sem sational testimony yet given was given
 by Miss Crump, a discharged nurse.
 This testimony was denied In detail
 at the hospital. both by nurses and
 by patients whom she named as wit