Evening star., 1911-05-31
Rules Committee Will Await
AffidavitS From Clark.
CHARGE AGAINST DR.. WHITE
Inquiry Into Conditions at St.
Elizabeth Asylum.
TESTIMONY OF DIR. /. N. KELLY
Admits That DR.. White Was Not
Unnecessarily Strict in Enforcing
Rules Of the Institution.

| The House committee on rules has not
reached a final decision with respect to
the Clark resolution proposing an in
vestigation of conditions at the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane upon which
the committee held an all day hearing
yesterday.
| At the request of Representative Clark
of Florida, author of the resolution pro-
posing the investigation of the institu-
ton, the rules committee will withhold
its decision with respect to the inquiry
until he has time to file additional afh-
davits from former employees and others
in support Of his charges that DR.. Whites
administration Of the institutions affairs
is not what it should be. that the food
is bad and that patients are not well
treated.
Testimony Of DR.. I. N. Kelly.
At the afternoon session of the COM
mittee yesterday, resumed after The
Stars report closed, DR.. Isaac N. Kelly
| testified concerning the three prisoners
| in Howard Hall, the criminal building of
| the institution, who recently overpowered
a guard and escaped. DR.. Kelly said
| that one day he became angry with Win
he wassto be sent back to Fort Leaven-
worth. the prison from which he was
forwarded to St. Elizabeth. Winters
became sullen and refused to eat from
that time on and Kelly was given
fearful calling down" by DR.. White.
DR.. Kelly admitted that DR.. White was
not unnecessarily strict In enforcing the
| rules of the institution.
DR.. Kelly said the discipline of the hos
pital was exceedingly strict, but did not
hnuy IT could ho nfhorWiSo Under
the circumstances.
Asked about the food. DR.. Kelly said:
Food Criticised.
"It is the worst 1 ever saw in my life.
One night in Howard Hall they had for
supper beans, oleomargarine and light
bread. The beans were SO hard you could
not crack them with your teeth.''
What did you do about it?' asked a
member Of the committee.
II reported it to DR.. Click and he re-
ported it to DR.. White, who got after the
cooks, and then the food was better"
There appeared to be sufficient attend
ants at the hospital. DR.. Kelly said, al
| though he insisted there had been only
one guard on the floor of Howard Hall
the night of the outbreak.
Representative Clark asked DR.. White
as to the automobile in which he rode
and was told that the government provid-
| ed 1t for his own personal use.
The street cars run by the Institution,
eyes. sir" replied Dr.. white
ITO all parts OF the city?"
Eyes, SIR"
DR.. White denied that he had asked
lar house for him to live in. He had
merely recommended to the Secretary OF
the Interior that the superintendent be
given q house.
The Question OF Lectures.
Mr.. Clark asked Supt. White il he
thought he should spend time away from
the hospital in delivering lectures for
pay.
| DR.. White denied that he had ever
lectured for pay. but admitted that he
did go on lecture assignments at his
own expense in the interests of the insti-
tuition. Representative Clark asked point
blank IL he were not away from the IN
stitution recently for q week.
!. DR.. White replied that he had left FRI
day night and had returned Monday
With respect to the recent escapes from
the asylum. Mr.. Clark asked IL 1t were
not true that there was only one little.
weak guard on the floor" the night Ball,
Endsley and Neal ran away.
| THAT Is not true replied DR.. White.
II think there were two on that floor and
| HtS Ut SiA Al tilC Dul1uIi6 diiu ASSAS WIZ
| in call"
Mr.. Clark asked IL 1t was not true that
| in the investigation of the asylum by the
Olcott special committee persons had tes-
/ titled that the food at the asylum was
unfit for human consumption. and the at
tendants were guilty Of inhumane treat
ment OF the patients.
DR.. White Condemns Accusations.
"Thers were certain people," DIR. White
replied, who testified that the food was
not good, in their opinion. You can fint
that kind of testimony in any place or
the face Of the earth that feeds people
A certain number of people testified tt
| cruelty to patients, but you will remem
ber that great proportion of the people
| who so testified had been people dis
| charged for cruelty. and l do not know
but that some of them had been under
| arrest or given an intimauon of some
| thing of that kind on that account, bu
i they were people discharged for some
purpose or other. Now. I do not stanC
i here and claim that in an immense insti
| tuition of 800 employees every one o.
those employees can be said to be abso
/ lutely given to conducting themselves II
a manner free from criticism, or pre-
| cisely as l would have them conduc
/ themselves If they were under my eye
| Things do go wrong in big plant likt
that Then, I was a new man. but
| have made that thing very much better
"a t>-<