The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-04

how the nurses managed a patient who became violent and dangerous.
 When he starts" explained the nurses, we close in on him as soon as we can before he has chance to hurt anybody. We hold him close until we can get him to cross hall. Force is necessary, of course, but l have never seen any unnecessary violence used"
 The nurses testified that past service at the Alabama Hospital was an "open sesame" to employment in the Arkan- sas hospital. All other applicants for places as nurses must be examined, but nurse who went from the Alabama hospital to the Arkansas institution was told to hang up his hat and go to work.
 The witnesses had worked as nurses in other institutions, and they had found in each. a high appreciation of the system and management of the Alabama hospital. They swore that the food supply at Tuscaloosa was adequate and about like that of the other tnstl- tutions in which they had served.
 A Barber Tcstihes.
 The first witness of the day was A. $. Jordan, who Is now a barber living at Gordo Jordan had taken the rounds of the State hospitals. He had worked not only at Tuscaloosa, but in the State institutions of Kansas, Texas and Okla homa. His past service in the Alabama hospital was recommendation in seek ing a place Tn other institutions. While at Tuscaloosa he had seen no cruelty. He had Lever seen any unnecessary vio- lence used.
 The general management of the in- stitutlons was practically the same as that of the older institution in Ala bama.
 J. W. Etheridge, a nurse who has just resigned to take a governmental position at Greensboro. was called. The witness had apparently been summoned under q misrepresentation. There had been an EtherIdge who was head nurse in one of the wards, and wnoss name was given by some of the wit nessss as being guilty or cruelty and violence. This was the Etheridge that the Commission wanted.
 The witness, however. was asked to describe the conditions and manage nient of the Hospital. He had never seen any patient mistreated. He had seen violent patients handled by the nurses and carried to the cross hall, but he had never seen any of them beaten or struck.
 Has the food improved since this investigation started" asked Chairman King.
 No; 1t is about the same as 1t has always been," replied the witness.
 The most interesting witness of the morning was nurse Winters, the man to whom several of the patients had charged with violence and cruelty. He was charged by Horton with being re- sponsible for the death of Richard Johnson, of Chambers county. One wit ness had testified that not only had Johnson been kicked and beaten to death, but the nurses had rubbed salt in his wound.
 This horrible circumstance, in the mind of the witness grew out of the fact that while Johnson was in a dy- ing condition, saline solution was ad- ministered by Dr. Rudolph
 Tells of Johnson Case.
 But the witness was made to goN carefully over the incidents of the three burns that preceded the death of was only in his ward for a day or so. before his death. The witness was in charge of ward g., the violent ward. The switnes said that Johnson was noisy and taIixatives but he was so weak. he could do nobody any harm.
 Did you ever strike or beat John song the witness was asked by Judge
 T didn't have any right to do so." said the witness. He was almost helpless. No man would have struck man in his condition, replied the witness
 He said that when Johnson was seized in the yard with his last attack of Illness, he called Nurse Holman to him and they carried Johnson to cross hall. He did not strike the pa- tient and neither did Holman, for the man was so weak that no matter how violent he was 1t would have been a shame to have been violent with him.
 It was about noon when they carried Johnson to the cross hall. The witness saw that Johnson was seriously i'll. He sent for Dr. Rudolph. who decided to give him saline solution. Notwith- standing this the patient died in about two hours.
 The witness questioned by Judge Chiffon, denied in detail. allegations of his cruelty made by the patients. He denied that he had ever struck young Hines. Hines was not in his ward, he
 (CoMtfnued on Page TxvOO