The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-05-01

descent was not a success 1t appears
| that a young woman stenographer had
been fearful of transportation facili.
| ties from the depot to the asylum and
| had telephoned to Superintendent
lanes y. Greene that the party was
coming. All unsuspeCtlng Mr. Nc
Goorty wearing an air of impregnable
mystery, alighted from the 1915
| o'clock train and made dash for the
car which runs to the asylum door.
| Just as he bounded upon the platform
| an nquiring voice asked:
Us this Mr. McGoorty?"
at is" said the surprised legislator.
II am DR.. Greene of the asylum |
have carriages here to take the entire
party out Right this way, please"
Surprise Party Broke Up.
Mr.. McGoorty and retinue gave up
and silently rode out to the big insti-
! tutions on the inks of the Kankakee
| river. Three other Legislators came in
one by one on later trains and the leg
islative inquiry proceeded upon regu-
lation lines. SO far as their inquiry
went, they found no cases of abuse or
| brutality, and out of 2,3ll inmates
| found only five men who were de-
prived of their liberty by being locked
in cells and only one man restrained,
and his wrists were tied loosely with
a strap.
During the trip through one of the
/ pn rIg of
| Hope thought they had stumbled upon
case of brutality when a quiet young
man approached the party and re-
specially asked:
Are you gentlemen the members of
the legislative investigation commit
tee?"
Upon being answered in the affirm
alive he continued:
Il am from Chicago and am being
cruelty treated here. have been
choked and beaten until can stand it
no longer"
"Who has beaten you?" inquired
Representative Hope.
Explained His Great Work.
The members of the committee be-
gan taking the patients name in or
der to inquire into the case further
WHOM the young man said:
THAT is not all of their cruelty
They are trying to poison me by ster-
ilizing my food. | am the man who
dug the Pacific ocean with an oyster
fork, and they are Jealous" said the
patient, and the legislators tore up
their notes and passed on. There was
some excitement in several wards
when the members of the committee
passed, though nearly all of the pa
tients seemed to understand that 1t
was a committee of inquiry, and many
shouted and gestculated wildly. The
asylum cottages were found to be
sCrupulOuSly clean. DR. Greene inVit-
ed the legislators to wipe the floors
with their handkerchiefs anywhere if
they believed they could find dust or
dirt
Chairman Hill placed Superinten-
dent Greene upon the witness stand
during the afternoon. DR.. Greene said
that he had come from the state asy-
lum at Lincoln, Neb, and that he
sought the position at Kankakee be-
cause he was ambitious to take charge
of large institution.
Lost by Change.
81 lost money by coming here" said
DR.. Greene. 81 received a salary of
$500. AT Lincoln l had a private
practice worth $4,000 a year, and re.
ceived $1,000 as advisor of the lunacy
commission. When / asked Governor
|, Deneen about the appointment he told
me to see the trustees of the Kanka-
, kee asylum, and that | would have to
have the personal recommendation of
, DR.. Frank Billings of Chicago before
I could get the place"
Upon being asked about the visits
: of asylum trustees, he said that DR..
Hirsch had visited the institution, but
had never stayed all night, and that
DR.. Billings had not been there in two
years.
Examined Supplies Contracts.
The discovery of -four bids in which
the Star and Crescent and Eckhart &
| Swan Flour companies, both of Chi.
cago appeared as competitors, caused
considerable excitement in the ranks
of the investigators during the evening
session.
, You must know that these are one
and the same company, don't your
demanded Representative Hope of G.
!; w. Armitage, the asylum purchasing
agent
mo, did not" was the reply.
Then let me assure you that they
are" announced the legislator.
An examination of the bids showed
that flour contracts had been pretty
we'll distributed between the two sup
posed competitors.
A thorough inspection of the insti
, tutiOn's coal contracts showed that
the annual cost of fuel had dropped
| CT