Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-28
ASYLUM UNDER FIRE PLANNING THE TRIAL
Government Hospital for In Prosecution and Defense Busy
sane to Be Investigated. in Dynamite Case
RESOLUTION IN THE HOUSE CONFESSION UNCONFIRMED
Attorney District
Charge Msmanagement He Holds McManigas Statement
HEARD BY RULES COMMITTEE HEARING EARLY NEXT WEEK
Haywood Pettibone
porarily at Boise City.
Government Hospital for In
sane to Be Investigated.
RESOLUTION IN THE HOUSE
Attorney Richard P. Evans Renews
Charge of Mismanagement.
HEARD BY RULES COMMITTEE
Action on the Inquiry, as Proposed
by Representative Clark, Tenn
porarily Postponed.

Richard +. Evans, an attorney OF this
city, whose criticism of the management
of the Government Hospital for the In
sane was largely responsible for the in
vestigation of that institution by the Oh
colt special committee several years ago.
is again on the trail of DR.. White, the
superintendent
> Several days ago Representative Frank
Clark of Florida, who was identified
with the original nyestigation, intro
duced a resolution reciting that the
testimony taken by the Olcott commit
tee SHOWS the grossest mismanage
ment and incompetency upon the part
Of DR.. William A. White; that the
public press Of the city of Washington
has. within the past few weeks, been
filled with accounts of murders, escapes
and. abuses of one kind and another in
said Government Hospital for the In
sane" and providing for the creation Of
House committee of five members to
make full and complete investigation
of the management of the Government
Hospital for the Insane. and report
House."
Report Of Findings Required.
The resolution directs that the commit
tee report with It's findings all the
testimony taken by the Olcott committee.
declaring that this committee made its
report too near the close Of the second
session Of the Fifty-ninth Congress to
permit Of action by the House.
At a meeting Of the committee on rules
today to consider the Clark resolution
Attorney Evans, who was the principal
witness, renewed and repeated the
charges against the management of st.
Elizabeth that he made before the o.
colt special committee.
He declared that the food served to pa
tients was poor in quality, poorly cooked
and poorly served: that patients were
badly treated: that persons suffering from
epilepsy were permitted to associate, dur
ing meals and at other times. with honor
ably discharged old soldiers; that the
various forms of insanity, mild ana acute
were not segregated, and that in genera
the management of the hospital was Lax
and inefficient.
Il take the position" said Attorney
Evans, that the criminal insane should
be removed from st. Elizabeth and
placed in separate institutions. The De-
partment of Justice has authority 10
place the criminal insane under the con-
troll Of the federal government in state
institutions maintained for the purpose,
under contract arrangement. Or at ieast
there should be pavilions for the insane
erected beside government penitentiar1es,
where the facilities for caring for them
in a proper manner are adequate, which
they are not at st, EilZaDetn.
Dangerous Type Of Criminal.
Great danger" continued Attorney
Evans. results from the proximity OF
the asylum to Washington. An insane
murderer is the most dangerous kind Of a
criminal. They are liable to escape. and
may harbor a grudge against the Presi-
dent. senator or representative, or q
Judge in one of the courts"
Mr.. Evans added that in his opinion all
of the troubles Of the institution were
due to the fact that "Supt. White does
not superintend There are wards that
he does not enter from one year to an
other.
formerly at the hospital have left and the
staff now consists largely Of young and
inexperienced men, who, under the laws
Of the District. couldn't sign commitment
papers for an insane person.
Representative Madison OF Kansas re-
ferred to the fact that Attorney Evans
had intimated that not only did he re-
ceive scant courtesy from DR.. White. but
that he was not we'll treated In the mat
ter of legal proceedings, in connection
with the insane, by several local Judges.
Judge Madison demanded that Mr.. Evans
name the judge or judges he had IN
mind. This he declined to do.
Committee Defers Action.
After Mr.. Evans had concluded his
statement and had laid before the COM
mittee afldavits from several former pa
tents of the hospital. and Representative
Clark, author of the resolution, had
spoken briefly. the committee held a
brief executive session. 1t was announced,
upon adjournment, that action upon the
resolution had been postp oned. Before
reaching decision on the Clark reSolu-
ton the members of the rules committee.
it is understood, will read carefully the
testimony and conclusions found In the
report of the Olcott special committee.
Olcott Committees Report.
The Olcott committee of 1906 publish
ed its report in two volumes of about
1000 pages each. Hundreds Of wit
nesses were heard and every phase Of
the subject was investigated. The ma
jority members of the committee, Rep
resentatives Olcott of New York, Smy
ser of Ohio and Barchfeldt of Penn
sylvania, came to the conclusion that
DR.. William A. White is fully quail
fed to perform the duties Of the posi-
tion of superintendent. that the charges
of mismanagement of the hospital and
Of the abuse of patients have not been
sustained by the evidence; that the
methods of restraint now used at the
hospital are proper, and that restraint
is only resorted to in cases of actual
necessity; that the attendants perform
their work well and care for the patients
in q proper manner: that there have been
cases of harsh treatment on the part OF
some attendants, which, however have
invariably resulted in the summary dis
missal of the guilty party; that the
dietary at the hospital is of good quality
and Of proper variety, and that the food
is generally well prepared and cooked;
that the superintendent has made a care
full classification of the patients as far
as practicable, and that the hospital is
a modern institution and Is abreast of
the times, is making proper progress in
the scientific work with which it has to
do and that the building and equipment
are equal and in many cases superior to
those at other institutions"
Dissenting View.
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