Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-15
TELLS OF
GRASSMFF
KILLING
Saw Attendant Hurl Vic
tim Against Wall
ManSIaughter Charge Is Placed
Against Caretaker
STORIES OF BRUTALITY TOLD BY
PATTON INMATES
Statement of Doctor is in Direct Con,
tradiction to Account Of Injuries
Given by coroners
Physician
ManSIaughter Charge Is Placed
Against Caretaker
STORIES OF BRUTALITY TOLD BY
PATTON INMATES
CBy a SAD correspondent.l }

(By STAFF Correspondent
q AN BERNARDINO, Cal, June Az
~ George, Ackler, a patient at the
~ Patton insane asylum, who is con-
fined in that institution as the re-
suit of stroke of apoplexy but who
the doctors at Patton ADMIT is suffering
from the mildest form of dementia, and
a person whose story can be credited,
testified before Assistant District At
torney Goodcell yesterday afternoon
during the investigation into the brutal
killing of Henry Grassmee that on the
night of June he saw Berg seize
| Grassmee and hurl him against the
| wall of the dormitory.
This was but one of series of sens
ational disclosures made at the inVestl-
| cation yesterday in the endeavor of the
| district attorneys Office of San Ber-
nardino to place the criminal RESPONSE
bility in Grassmees death. That Berg
| had been reprimanded on two preVi-
| Gus occasions because of reports OF his
brutality was admitted by DR.. GustaVe
Wilson, acting medical supervisor at
! Patton, and it was also brought to light
| yesterday that five months ago Berg
had brutally assaulted a patient, Her
| man Desque, and struck him IN the
mouth breaking several OF Desque'S
teeth, because the latter had not obeyed
I promptly when ordered to go to bed.
Desaue testified that he had not report
! ed the attack or mentioned it until yes
terdav because he feared further phys
ical violence from the attendants.
Witness Not Examined
It also came to light that Ackler, who
| accuses Berg of throwing Grassmee
against the wall, was not examined by
| DR.. Wilson when the latter made his
| Investigations among the patients to
place the responsibility OF Grassmees
! death.
! That a brutal method OF supduing
unruly patients, commonly called
| s'kneeing" is in vogue at Patton. also
| was admitted. The approved method
of "kneeing' is to pounce upon pa
| tient and overcome him by pressure
| of the knees against the chest. Bloody
faces and black eyes also are common
among the inmates, as testified to by
| Supervisor G. ]. Butler. DIR. Wilson
! also went on record as placing his
| medical Judgment against that OF DR..
| George W. Campbell of Los Angeles,
who performed the second autopsy on
the body of GFassmee, and reiterated
his statement made at the inquest that
| paresis was the cause of Grassmee'S
| death and that even though uninjured
| the patient could not have lived more
than three of four days at the most
In reply to the question as to now
| the post mortem examination held at
| Patton disclosed but three broken rips
\ and the autopsy performed at Los
| Angeles showed thirteen broken lids
DR.. Wilson said the only explanation
he could give was that the other ten
| ribs must have been fractured during
the TRANSPORTATION of the body from
! San Bernardino to Los Angeles. DR..
Fdouard S. Ioizeaux, the physician VINO
performed the post mortem on the
| body of Grassmee, also conceded IN
| this remarkable statement of DR.. VIII
son.
Testimony Is Contradictory
DIR. I,oizeaux also stated that paresls
was the cause of death and that
Grassmee was in the advanced stage
of the disease, which testimony Is IN
direct contradiction to that given by
| DR. Campbell of Los Angeles. Botn
DR. Wilson and Dr. Loizeaux testi-
fed Yesterday that the injuries alone
| would not cause death, while DIR.
| Campbell stated in his opinion that the
injuries such as he found in his ex-
| animation of the body of Grassmee.
would cause the death of a robust
man and furthermore that no evidence
of advanced paresis was indicated by
! the condition of the brain. and that
| Crassmee might have recovered but
for the brutal beating he received.
DIR. Wilson stated frankly that It
was a matter of medical opinion and
added that DIR. Campbell did not nave
So good an opportunity of diagnosing
Grassmee's case as that a1toraeu tne
ASYLUM physicians, and for that rea-
| son was not in position to judge com
| petently the merits of the case. He
also stated that it was Impossible 10
perform good post-mortem after the
one performed at Patton Immediately
after Grassmee's death.
Await 5lair's Arrival
II was expected that the board Of
managers of Patton. who accembled
Yesterday for their annual business
meeting, would take up the Patton in
vestigation. but as fifty bidders from
various parts of California We're at
| hand IT was decided to look over the
| list of bids submitted for groceries,
fuel and other supplies for the hospi-
tai before beginning the investiga-
tion. The most potent reason, how
ever. for delaying action in the investi-
cation was the fact that Dr. E. Scott
Blair, medical supervisor at Patton,
| Is expected in San Bernardino this
afternoon, and the board decided to
defer the investigation until DR.. Blair's
arrival That the Patton officials con-
slider the pending investigation of seri-
Gus import is indicated by the fact
that Immediately following the pubs
ucity of Grassmee's death telegraph
ic dispatch was sent to Dr. Blair, who
was attending the annual meeting OF
the American Academy of Science at
Atlantic City, summoning him west
with all possible haste. Or. Blair cur
tailed his visit in the east and word was
received yesterday that he would be on
hand this afternoon or early Wednes-
day morning.
That the board of managers intend
drastic investigation and that no
whitewash methods are intended was
(Continuad ON PAGE TROl