Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-18


Gus. He was not considered violently
insane, or of a suicidal tendency, such
as characterizes many forms OF III
sanity, but merely imbecilic, due to an
unfortunate series of accidents.
Lee Woods was the youngest son
of Mrs. Cora Woods, now living
at Coachella and recently mar
ried to man named Hanson.
One of his brothers is street
car employee in Los Angeles, another
is working in a like capacity in oak
land and the third surviving brother
is in the east.
When ~ years old Lee, the younger
brother, was taken by his grandpar-
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. M. Logsdon of
San Jacinto. The grief of the aged
couple over the fate of their grandson
is manifest even yet when his name is
mentioned.
Give Account of Death
Mrs. Lonsdon, aided by feeble inter-
ruptions on the part of her husband,
told the story of young Woods death.
They stated that when Z years OLD ne
had been sunstruck, and later, Whlle
employed in a brick yard at Helmet,
had been hit in the head by the handle
of a dirt scraper, from which blow,
complicated by the effects of the sun
stroke, he never had recovered. His
mental weakness became obvious from
this date, and later more marked when
he fell from the second story or
building on which he was employed
and struck the ground on his mead.
There were no indications Of any dan
gerous decisions or inclinations, but
merely a quiescent insanity which al
lowed him easily to be led at the Will
of another. Persons of this mental con-
dition, it is argued by Woods FRIENDS,
do not commit suicide.
If Undertaken Ralston, or others VINO
were connected with the inquiries maze
at the time of Woods death, however,
have any proof to sustain the conten-
| ton of Woods friends, they refuse to
speak, and maintain a studied silence.
| Mrs. Hanson, mother of Woods, 1t is
| stated, openly charges that her son
did not hang himself and that he was
choked to death. Mr.. and Mrs. Logs
don, the grandparents, say that the
mother insists she found deep finger
marks and nail prints on her sons
! throat. Mrs. Hanson has not yet peeh
seen to verify this report, but her par
ents insist she was emphatic in main
| tanning that she found marks on the
body which indicated he had been Sc
verely beaten, and that he then had
been choked.
In connection with this case is men
TONED a mysterious WIG liidlh ~ eiANS -
to be similar to that on the neck of
Copeland, save that Mrs. Hanson and
Woods other relatives, it is said, ex-
press the opinion it was made by a live
electric wire. Mrs. Logsdon said yes
terday:
Drank Chloride of Lime
at don't think the boy hanged him
self. Like Mr. Copeland, he was not
considered of that disposition. He ap-
peared, up to the day of his death to
be rapidly improving, and might event
ually have recovered had it not been
| for an incident at the asylum about a
month before his death. 1 had called
| at the institution, as l did whenever L
could to take him some delicacies and
visit with him. At that time he was
allowed to go out on the grounds, and
was given many liberties.
ION this day Lee appeared quite Ill,
and I asked him what was the matter.
| He hesitated as there was always an
attendant or some official around, then
| finally told me that a few days pre-
viously he had found cupful of chlor-
| ide of lime dissolved in water on a table
! in his room. Being thirsty, he said, he
had drunk it, and the stuff nearly killed
| him.
"This angered me, and turned to the
| superintendent and asked him If he
didn't think it was awfully careless of
| the attendants to leave poison setting
about. He frowned, and then said to
| Lee:
"'This is the last time you will be
| given any liberties at all, young man.
| For that you will be put among the
criminals, and kept there. Lee was too
weak minded to realize that this meant,
and made no reply.
IT don't know what the superintend-
ent meant by for that but 1 took it
to mean he meant that for having told
me about it he, my grandson would be
kept among the criminals
Letters Were Read
"All of my sons letters were read be-
fore they were mailed to me, and if he
was brutally treated he would have
4 been afraid to say so. He seemed ut
terly cowed when they were near.
soon after Lee was committed to the
asylum as a ward of the state 1 re-
ceived a demand from the superinten-
dent of the asylum to pay for his keep
| ing and clothes. 1 think it was $50 4
month they demanded l refused to
send this, and told the superintendent
did not have the money. They wanted
my husband to raise it, but we told
them plainly we would not comply with
| their request
my son took three fine suits of
underwear, none of which was ever
heard of again. Once when 1 visited
him he was a pitiable sight, with a
| long, ragged overcoat to hide his tat
tered underclothes. I don't know where
his clothes were. He said he didn't
Know"
Copeland's former wife, who since
has married a man named Worden,
states that she, also, received similar
demands from Patton, but refused to
comply with them. 1t was soon after
the refusal of the relatives to pay tho
board and expenses of the two men
that they were reported to have hanged
| themselves.
In addition to the two additional
| cases reported at San Jacinto it is
hoped that an investigation will be
made into a case of alleged brutality
brought to light by Thomas Mayor of
405 East Third street, Los Angeles, who
SAYS that his son, Walter Mayor, aged
! 81, had written him frequent letters
charging extreme brutality on the part
of his attendants at Patton. Young
Mayor has been confined at Patton for
ten months Among serious charges he
has made in communications to his
father was a story that he had been
attacked and that his jaw had been
broken.
DR.. E. Scott Blair, medical superin-
| tendent of the asylum, admitted that
Mayors jaw had been broken, but said
that he received the injury in fight
with an attendant
British Fleet MobiIizes
LONDON, June 1.-THE mobilization
of the British fleet for the annual man
euvers was practically completed this