The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-27
OPEN SESSION OF
 HOSPITAL EXAMINATION

sion Mckinney was discharged for this act; that he had seen patients occasion ally struck with handles of shoVels to make them get to work, etc.; that he had seen Nurse Freeman do this; that patients had to roll wheelbarrows for about a quarter of a mile and had to work hard, that he heard of complaints from patients on the bad wards, 9, 13, If and [; that witness was discharged on account of a report that he had been drinking; that most of the nurses dis charged were turned off account of abusing patients; witness received from SIG to SIS per month. On eross-eXamina- tion witness seated that most of the com plants were from patients in violent wards; that they claimed they should not be confined there; that McDuff seem- ed to him to be a very nice man; that whenever he knew of nurses mistreating patients he discharged them; that Me Duff vas the man who discharged Wit ness; also that witness never heard any complaints against Winters or Holman.
 Testimony of crueltes.
 R. NJ Cornelius of Buhl was the next witness who stated that he knew of patients being killed out there; that nurse named Montgomery told him that he had killed a patient, and that witness saw the patient after he was dead; that Montgomery reported to the doctor that the patient had died in the cross hall, and that the matter was not further in Vestigated: witness did not report this; sad that Sim Crawford, the supervisor at the time, in 1899, told him not to be hdsty about reporting acts of cruelty, etc. That was the reason that he did not renort it. witness stated that he talked with Crawford about this matter; that after this Crawford was discharged; that witness was there about fifteen months altogether.
 Witness Barnet was next called and stated that the only case he knew of was that Nurses Wtlingham and Ira week beat patient fin the cross hall once and that they were both imme- diately discharged.
 Enoch Rogers was next called. lie stated that he had q brother in the hos pital new; that Dr. Searcy wrote him that his brother had d bad knee, and that he thought one of the nurses had struck him on the knee with razor strop; also that patient had had fall which had first injured his knee; witness said his brothers limb was still unwell but that he was perfectly willing and sat- isfed to take pr. Searcy's word for the matter, as he had implicit confidence in him. On examination, witness stat ed that his brother told him that he in iured his leg in a fall and that his brother would not stay in bed for his leg to recuperate; also that Dr. Searey stated that the nature of his general dis ease affected the limb.
 Tells of Cruelty.
 Mrs R. A. Price was the next witness, and testified that she was a nurse in ore of the wards for about eight months; that Emma Watts, the head nurse in that ward, and Lilly Stepp, second help, were very cruel to patients: that she saw them beat a patient over the head with slip pers and drag her the length of the hall: also saw Miss Susie Harris beat Mrs Dean with slipper until her head bled from wounds inflicted; that witness did not report these matters because she had been told it would get her into i'll favor with the head nurse, Miss Buck, and the doctors, to do so; she also saw Molly Lindsey and Della Corsey beat and drag a patient the length of the hall; she stated that the nurses in her wards were very cruel: that these things were never reported. that one of the doctors visited 1 the hall twice every day: that Dr. Seafey and two other physicians visited the nall 1 regularly every other day also; that there | was combine on the part of the nurses | to suppress the acts of cruelty. on cross l examination witness stated that she had ! been discharged; that she believed the reason was because she would not Joln | in the cruelty: that the statement here | tofore made by Miss Crumr that witness l had helped kill a patient and was cruel were wholly false: that she could say that hospital was kept neat and clean' Too Little Pay.
 At this juncture the commission ad- | journed for dinner recess. Promptly at :3O however, it reconvened and com menced at once the examination of wit nesses In the meantime, Commissioner | Gunter had arrived in the city and joined | the committee. The first witness after the dinner recess was J. T, Norris who stated that he had never seen any cruelty out there. that he had been head nurse fer q while; that he was one or the
 S aat the nurses had no organiza- i ton among themselves; that he thought u ce,,ed too little pay.
 J. D. Springer was next called ana stated that he had never seen any crue'- ty at the hospital; that violent patients | were necessarily treated Wlln soiic roughness at times.
 Will May of this place was next called !; he stated that he had been an inmate or l the hospital on two occasions, the hIse time for about week and agaln TOT | about a month: that he saw some crueity 1 during the time he was there; saw Nurse | Wright knock down Patient DeNere anu l split his head somewhat; that nc inves- | tigation was made of this; that the nurses nearly all cursed the patients; that ne saw a patient that had tried to escape, captured and afterwards choked ana stomped into insensibility; that witness himself was never mistreated, put that his food was miserable, not nit TOT hog; that on some of the halls the rare was toerably god, but very sorry Ill others; that G. B. Futile, patient tolo witness that Johnson was killed out there. On cross-examin ation witness tes tifled that he never made any complaints of any of these or similar matters; Una, he knew H. M. Harton well ana hao talked with him about this inVestifa- tion.
 Saw Patients Beaten.
 ]. V. Ward of Tuscaloosa was next called. He stated that he was there six months in 1900 and again there Tn le04-5; that he saw patient Cooos beaten rather severely by Nurse Milis; also saw Patient Calvert choked ny nurse, and had head rumors of killlns out there. On cross examination ne stated that the doctors seemed atten- tive to their duties; that he knew or