The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-01-10
CONDITIONS BAD At
NORMAN ASYLUM
CRUELTlEs UNEARTrEo eY MISS
KATE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Res.
DONATION SUPERINTENDENT.

Guarle. okla. jan. 9.-D.clar.ng
aa, 'he CRIB and t.asa. jackets.
straps and chains and other methods
used .n obsolete" peuiteu,laries Of
tile United states 20 punish criminals
have been used u the Norman sani-
tarium ,or the insane as a means OF
restraining patIen's, Miss Barnard to.
day severely criticised that institution
.u report 20 Governor c. y. Haskell
aud demanded the removal Of the
head Of The institution. DR.. A. T.
Clark.
Tn Norman institution Was the in.
sar Iospital used by the territory @,
Oklahoma, and for several years has
been operated under a contract made
by the state with a company Of stock.
holders and operated by the receiver
Of the failed Capital National bank
Of Guthrie. The profits from this in
stitution have been used in llquidat.
ing the bank.
Miss Barnard IN her report makes
public a letter written by her to DIR.
a T. Clark. superintendent Of the
Norman sanitarium. in which she
charges that in visit TO the instltu.
tion year ago she learned that help
less and insane sick patients were
shut up in coftin-shaped cribs, or tied
with straps and chains an shut
In cold. bare rooms with no blankets
and nothing bu: the bare floor upon
which they might beat their brains
out She declares that Or. Clark
promised TO inaugurate reforms that
she recommended and that she Sc
cured an appropriation OF 5000 per
patient, sufficient TO enable scientific
care OF patients.
The letter states that some time
later an assistant visited the hospi.
tai and found that conditions were
D.tile improved and that the cribs
had not been abolished. The super.
intendent told his assistant. accord.
ins to the report. that he could not
AFFORD TO make the Improvements be.
cause the institution is only tempo
rary Miss Barnard then visited the
institution again Nov . and she re-
ports tina, she found one patient shut
IN bare room with hands and arms
strapped down with chains and no
blanket 20 lie upon: another who had
been shut in a cell four day. ana an.
o,her locked in a coffin-shaped crib
Tn" Tepor, also charges that the pa.
ututs are not given warm water in
which 20 battle and that they there
fore beg not 20 be- compelled to take
baths, and that a bad odor greets the
visitor TO the institution as a result.
The report also alleges that Miss
Barnard caught one guard choking a
poor, gibbering maniac" and that
she ordered the guard discharged
The rcpor. also states that one wo.
man had bruises upon her body which
were alleged 20 have been caused by
guard beating her.
The report also sta.es that four.
teen idiots were found in one cell
eating on the floor and that the SUP
er!ntendent was ordered to furnish
something for them to eat upon.
/ Miss Barnard declares in her report
that II has been most difficult TO get
at any facts regarding the institution.
as she says the sanitarium Is on n
level stretch OF ground where the
management can see a hack coming
FOR haf mile distant. ana put things
in shape before the visitors arrive
Miss Barnard declares that the ma.
'"'laI for her report was only gath.
cred after the mos, persistent a..
forts. Some features OF the manage.
men. ~h" commended in the repor,.
and SOME OF the Improvements recon-.
mcndod by Miss Barnard have been
Installed according TO her report.
Miss Barnard states in her report
hat 81" has ordered the abolishment
OF all corporal punishment in the
institution the use OF the straight
Jacket only upon orders o. the ply. /
Slesan, the installation OF a graduate /
nurse In each ward and other i'm. |
pro''m"n,s In management. Tho re-
port states that information has been
received from discharged patient
that since the last inspection OF the .
commissioner OF charities and correc.
uonS' no corporal punishment has
been used