The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-07-25
HOW MURDER
IS COMMITTED
IN ASYLUM
1contlnued from First rage.1

tCO---~eA A.vA.A NssN'P
part in suppressing the crime, and al
Lowing the two assailants of a deli
cate insane man to go without punish
ment.
A new turn was given the case to-
day. when it was learned that Mrs
Silvers wife of the victim of the brutal
attendants, emphatically denies that
she ever agreed to suppress the cause
of death of her husband. She never
knew it was virtually murder, she says.
Mrs. Silvers said that her husband
had been In private sanitarium near
Newark before entering the State in
stitution. He was suffering from pa
resis.
That the public prosecutor of Mercer
County will take up the matter, now
that 1t is made public by the sworn
testimony of one of the "accomplices,"
to quote Mr.. Backes, can hardly be
doubted. In fact. Prosecutor Crossley
has already declared that. he will take
the matter up himself and prepare it
for the October Grand Jury.
That the "accomplices" have allowed
the guilty men to escape, and do not
know their present whereabouts can
not, In the opinion of the public, suffice
for an excuse to let the matter rest.
| DIR. Ward admitted that the first man
he reported the fatal beating of Silvers
to was Judge Vroom, and that he didn't
think about reporting it to the authori-
ties. He said Judge Vroom was wrought
up about 1t "because the man was the
husband of a person his family was in
some way attached to-" Together, then,
the medical director and president of
managers of the hospital saw this
person his (Judge Vroom's) family
was in some way attached to-" and 1t
was agreed that the matter be kept
from the public. This despite the fact
that it appears from the minutes Of
the board that Judge Vroom favored re-
porting the murder, If such it was, to
/ the public prosecutor of Mercer.
Here is a verbatim report of DR..
Wards testimony on the matter, his
inquisitor being Mr.. Backes;
Q.-Do you. know man by the name
of Sivers who was assaulted and beaten
and thereafter Immediately died February
%, 1906? A.-Yes sir
/ Q.=What was his name? Al don't
| remember his first name.
Q.-Do you know where he was fromY
! A.-Trenton.
! Q.-When asked you before about Sill
vers, didn't you know who had in mind?
A.-No, sir: indeed l did not.
!
a patient from the result of which he
might have died or did die did not Inn
press itself upon your A.-But you did
not mention the assault-that brought 1t
| to my mind.
Q.-Do you know of any other man by
the name of Sivers in your institution
except this one? Al know. OF several
who have been there by the name of Sill
o.-when did silvers die? Al don't
| remember the date.
Q.-About how long ago? Al cannot
| tell you that. Certainly n year and nal1
or two years possibly, maybe longer, and
| maybe less.
o,-Isn't It a fact that he died on SIM
day, the 25th of February, 1906? A.-Weil,
1t may possibly be correct, but l should
say 1t was longer than that.
OIL am reading to you from the min
| March /, 1906: ,"Dr Ward reported the pa
tient, Silvers, who had so suddenly died
in the institution on Sunday, February %;
Does that refresh your memory any? A.
No. that possibly may be true cah-
rot say that 1t Is not.
i Q.-You say siivers came from Trenton7
o.-How old man was he? Al should
say he was about 50 years OF age =
a. o.lWhen WIN \ NpoS' was he admitted to the hos
i pital with reference to the time of his his
% o.MWhat iss,, was he suffering from? A
He was suffering from mania.
i ON whose charge? A.-He was IN
| charge of an attendant.
O.-Two attendants? Ayes, two at
bav was e tghg bSh gone 5o now OF ef
Q.-Singleton and Skinner? A--That is
correct.
they, d0ct0rf Al don't think he died
imIne ediateIy from the results of the
maltreatment; they did maltrent him,
and 1 knew of 1t, and Investigated IL
| at once. Waa sick
Q.-Thcy maltreafcd n sick man. A.
Yes, sir.
knew 1t after 1t was done. didn't
know II before.
Q.-Why, didn't You know when 1t
Q.-Now. doctor, 1t doesn't Impress
me as a laughing matter. A.-No, 1
am not laughing at IT.
and l presume they are to other people.
We send our sick and mentally infirm
to an institution nrsttn and ney are beaten ten
| Q.-But then 1t 10 only information l am
asking doctor am not rejecting upon
you, but | say, why didn't you know of
It? Allow could 1 know Of it, I was
not present?
QEBut you were in the institution? Is
| there no method of communicating these
things to you? Ayes, there Is a method
of Communicating these, things.
Q.-In what way did they maltreat him?
Af5 o.1Ho5w? A.HWith their fists. I sup
pose.
Odd you make an Investigation?
Al made an Investigation
Q.-How did you understand they beat
him with their fists as you supposed?
1 A.-That was their admission; that is,
i that was Singleton's admission.
! Q.-Doctor you will give pne Singeton's
| name If you can; his fulT name? Al
i don't know his full name Z
/ Q.-What Is his address? Al don't
! know,
i Q.-what is skinner's address? Al
don't know the addresses of either one.
! Q.-And Singleton admitted that he beat
| him? Ale admitted that he struck him.
/ 0.--Beat him with his fists? Ale did
beat him. because
i o.-Kicked him? Al don't know about
that.
| Q.-what was his admission? A.--His
| admission was that he struck him. That
is about MS much as / could get him to
say.
o.-How about Skinner? A.--skinner said
| he held him.
O. How long was Silvers in the institu-
tion before he died? A.-Not very long
| Dwell ten minutes, ten days or ten
weeks? A-Some little time, can not tell
exactly Ii was a very short time
Q.-IIave you record here that would
1 show? A.-No, sir.
O-You say, weekf Ayes. sir. he
was there that time or longer.
- No., .no,, afFfsr fhfa I,aafA,o Tint