Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-19
AGED WOMAN IS
MATCH FOR MEN
IS CARRIED TO COURT ON A
STRETCHER
Two Strong Guards Have All They
Can Do to Keep Their Patient
Tightly Bound In Bed
clothes

Wrthing and twisting and attempt-
ing to fight off the attendants who held
her, Mrs Mary A. Pollard, an inmate
of the Sisters hospital was yesterday
carried into department 2 of the Sill
perior court on a bed to answer
charge of insanity preferred against
her.
The woman is over 10 years of age
and almost wasted to a skeleton, but
she fought with fury and it was all two
men could do to hold her quiet.
Mrs. Pollard was taken to the Sisters
hospital several weeks ago suffering
from extreme nervousness, bordering
on paresis. At that time her mentality
was such that she understood what she
should do and her conduct was fairly
passable
But the sights of the hospital only
served to unnerVe her and she became
worse. Several nights ago she slipped
from her bed and before the sisters
could reach her she was knocking
bottles of medicine about. taunting the
other sick people in the room and
creating a disturbance.
Patient Becomes Violent
She was hurried back to bed and the
sisters attempted to quiet her, but the
old woman would not be quieted. At
other times she grew violent and more
than once slipped from the bed and at
tempted to get away
At last the sisters could stand no
more of the trouble and an insanity
warrant was sworn out against the
woman. When the officers went to the
hospital and attempted to move Mrs.
Pollard they met with a fury. She re-
fused 10 go, and it was a delicate ques :
tion to compel her to go.
An ordinary stretcher was brought in,
but such were the womans wrigglings
that she managed to drop out of the
Stretcher twice. Then the springs from
a light bed were taken to the ward and
Mrs. Pollard was placed upon them and
comforts wrapped about her and tied
to the springs That device managed to
hold her until the court house had been
reached. The miniature bed was then
lifted from the ambulance and the
woman was carried into the basement
of the building.
An attempt to carry the stretcher up
by means of the elevator failed because
of the narrow quarters and two officers
carried the springs and the woman back
to the open space in front of the court
house. The ascent of the steps about
100 in in number, was then begun, an
officer holding each end of the springs
AM marching upstairs, while the old
woman attempted to throw herself from
the stretcher and down the granite
steps.
Into department marched the little
procession and Judge Rives left the
bench to receive them. One end of the
stretcher was placed on the floor and
the judge bent over the woman and
read the arraignment of insanity to her
and offered, according to custom, a CODY
of the complaint to the woman. Her
only answer was mumbled curse, and
the officers hurried out of the court
room with her.
On the way down the steps Mrs. Pol
lard attempted twice to throw herself
from the springs and the two men were
needed to hold her in place.
AS it is necessary for the woman to
be examined in court the difficult trip
will probably be repeated today, when
Mrs. Pollard will be again taken into
department 2.
A sad feature of the case is that the
woman's aged husband, worn out with
attending her, has been an inmate of
the county hospital for the past two
weeks and knows nothing of his wifes
condition.