The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-30
A TALLY FOR
 THE ASYLUM
(Contlnued from rage one.l

commission told Judge Chiffon tfat his point had been made and that it was not necessary to examine any other witnesses on the character of the ex-nurse.
 Two men who were ex-nurses spoke in the highest terms of the manage ment of the hospital. One had Leen discharged. He denied, however, u at he had been cruelty or mistreated at the hospital. He had never known of any unnecessary violence in the con- trol of patients. The second nurse en- dorsed the hospital as the best-man- aged institution of its kind in the country.
 A second sitting of the commission will be held tomorrow at the city hall. and the members hope to get through with the days testimony in time to take the afternoon trains for theif homes.
 Met Tn Mayors Omce.
 The commission undertook to have it's Birmingham sitting in the council chamber. in the city hall. but the com missioners found the room so warm that they were glad to accept the hos- pitality of Acting Mayor Parker, who invited them to use the Mayors of- flee. The commission therefore held it's sitting at an oak table, in the May or's office with Chairman King at the head.
 Because of the limited time at the disposal of the commission a relay of stenographers was worked through the day. The report of the commission must be filed under the law with the Governor by September 9. The official stenographer was directed to write out the testimony already taken, amount ing to 150,000 words, while two Bir- mingham- men were put on the job of recording This was done in order that the commission might have before 1t the written testimony when it came to make up its report in the closing days allowed it under the law. For the Birmingham sitting thirteen wit nesses had been summoned.
 The two witnesses on the stand were ex-nurses, one who was discharged and one who left voluntarily. Both gave the hospital a good name. They were not merely satisfied with a statement that the hospital should->be vindicated from the charges but they said, as well, that the system. discipline and treat ment were excellent.
 One of the ex-nurses, J. D. Majors. went out on the strike with twenty seven other nurses. He had one critt- cism of the hospital. He thought that the food in the wards where the State patients were confined was not neatly served. They put all the food on one plate, he said. and 1t all often ran to- gether.
 As to the quality of the food there was no complaint to make. There was enough for everybody. Still he said:
 T consider the grub served to the State patients very sorry."
 ''Did you ever see any cruelty or any mistreatment of patient?" he was asked
 Never, while I was at the hospital" said the witness, q heard of 1t from patients and I have heard of several nurses being discharged for mistreat- ing a patient. The doctors always in- vestigated a case where a patient com plained. I saw a patient who had a bruise on the side of his head where he said a patient struck him with a gas stick. The nurse was discharged" :" Struck by Patient. The witness had heavy scar on his arm where he was struck with an iron 1 bar by a strong and violent man. The | patient had Killed a man before he was sent to the hospital The witness was assigned to take this man out for a | walk. They passed through an old | brick yard where the patient, covertly | picked up an iron bar and struck the nurse a heavy blow with the iron. The nurse grappled with him and they | fought for ten minutes. Majors said l he finally conquered. because the pa-  l exercise.
 Some of the patients were accustomed | to growl and grumble, when they had no cause.
 Majors said he had made one of the | afffdavits submitted to the Legislature | by Hugh Harton. He had seen the wit l ness several times and was active in | working up evidence against the hos l pital management.
 High praise of Supervisor McDun was spoken by w. A. Scarborough. MT. Scarborough was equally compli- mentary to the hospital and its man agement. MT. Scarborough said with out doubt 1t Is the finest place in the world to send young man who Is ad- | dicted to whiskey or morphine" Mir. Scarborough was for several | months a nurse at the hospital. He was in charge of Ward IA. He is now a travelling musician and lecturer. He left the hospital because he thought a man would go crazy if he stayed there | long enough.
 "They have got some nurses there that haven't got as much sense as the l patients" said the witness. Praise for McDuff.
 Of Supervisor McDuff MT. Scarbor- ough said:
 He deserves more credit than any other man in the institution"
 He knew Miss Buck, the Supervisor of the Women's Department, and said she was strictly business" He bes lieved that no other woman could dis- charge the duties of her office as well as she could. She was deserving a great deal of credit
 He never saw any of the alleged 1 cruelties. although he had seen pa tients carried to the cross halls with the nurses holding them around the ] neck.
 What kind of a man was Hugh liar ton2' the witness was asked. When he was in my ward, I made 1 him walk a chalk line like the others. l At times he was very companionable, l and enjoyed talking to him. At Oth- CT times he was noisy and violent" He frequently heard patients make i complaints. but he had never seen the | grounds for the complaint. A series of charges and complaints l were made by J. F. Anthony, a Bir- l mingham man, who had been a patient l a the hospital. He was discharged as lately. as Aug. r. He suffered from which made him delirious at times. He said he was carried to Ward g, | which was the violent ward and there | he had most of his troubles. He re- l counted at some length each instance of the cruelty. which he charged
 in managing patients" said the wit | ness. Some of these young fellows l are anxious to show their prowess and manhood In handling the patients"
 Subjected to VIOle'Ice. The witness said he was first sub | jected to violence while he was get | ting his hair cut Because he couldn't l ha ggfd bo at