The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-07
MIND RAN TO RELIGION.
EVERY EFFORT TO REMOVE 1T
TO ANOTHER CHANNEL WAS
UNAVAILING AND HE TOLD OBJ
SCENE STORY OF CLERGYMAN.
WELL TREATED, HE SAID.
Claimed That He as Well as All
Fare at the Institution

The Eastern Indiana Insane hospital,
And DR.. Smith, superintendent of tnat
institution, have been eXhonOrated by
the report of the Rev. Francis Fl. Ga
visk of Indianapolis, who was sent to
the local institution to Investigate the
charges made by John w. Terrell, the
insane murder, that he is not insane
and that patients were cruelty beaten
TO death there.
In his report Just filed with the gov
ernor, the minister says that Terrell
Is insane.
Investigation of the case by the
Board of State Charities was made I'M
der the direction of Governor Hanly
The governor requested Amos w. But
lar, secretary of the board. and the
committee of the board on hospitals
for the insane, to look into the case.
Father Gavick was selected to make
the investigation. He was in Rich
mond and at the hospital had long
talk with Terrell.
Report in Detail.
Father Gavisk's report filed with the
governor follows:
Il have the honor to report that on
"Wednesday afternoon, February 5,
1908. + visited the Eastern Hospital
for the Insane, near Richmond, to in
Quire into the condition of John w.
Terrell. a patient from Wells county,
registered as No. zoos, admitted on ac-
count of chronic mania.
AT the hospital | was shown a copy
OF the Button Banner of recent date,
containing a letter to the editor and
addressed to the public, said to have
been written by the said Terrell, in
which he declared that he is not in
sane, that he is being held at the hos
pital for no cause. and also making
general charges of mistreatment of
patients in the hospital.
Letters Not Mailed.
Il was also shown by the superin-
tendent, DR.. Smith. five or six letters
written by Terrell to his daughter
Lucy, but not sent out because deemed
unfit for mailing. These letters We're
written at various times, the first one
about one year after his admission to
the hospital, the last written the day
after Thanksgiving day. 1907. All were
more or less inCohercnt the last let
ter less SO than the others: all the let
ters were blasphemous in character
md denunciations of religion and its
adherentS. and one OF them quite indie
cent with ribald verses and filled with
indecent charges against one of his
former attorneys.
Il was introduced TO him by DR.
Smith as a member Of the Board of
Stale Charities, to whom he might talk
with entire freedom. He came into the
room with slight halt in his step and
sat nervously in a chair opposite me:
his manner, at first, was suspicious
and silent and he answered questions
very slowly. hesitating for a word al
most TO a stutter. This was cutie no
ticeable even after he became quite
Noluble. | am unable TO say whether
this was his habit in his normal condi-
tion or the result of mental disorder.
Conversation lncoherent.
AT times he became silent, with a
eacant stare; at others his face show
ed suspicious cunning. He inquired
almost at once whether | was not a
priest and said l could not be a good
man If | was. After a while his con-
versaion was friendly. but 1t was an
fncoherent denunciation of God, of
Christ, or religion, of preachers and
priests, of church members and law
yers; his language was profane. bias
phcmous and obscene. but without
frenzy or excitement, seeming to take
q vain delight in blasnhemy, though
no one attempted TO check him In IL.
Every attempt to lead him away from
the topic Of religion was in vain: the
weather. his age. his health. the coun-
ty of his birth and other topics | intro
ducad were unavailing-he always re-,
verted TO the one subject-religion.
After relating an obscene story about
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