Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-12-28
PATIENTS HELP IN
BUILDING HOSPITAL
COlOred Inmates at Brownsville
Benefited by Outdoor Work.
RECEIVING WARD OPEN SOON.
King Philip" and BLACK Prince
Live in Peace and Humility With
Plenty Of Work 10 Do.

ward Of the new State Hospital for
the Colored Insane at Brownsville,
this county, will be completed and
| ready for occupants. Ii will accom-
modate $50 patients, men and women.
Work on this and other buildings
of the hospital has been unusual in
that a great deal of it has been done
by the pa a.ients-insane negroes -
who have dug the foundations, mixed
cement, carried the brick and other
building material to the skilled work
men and in other ways helped in the
construction OF their future home.
The receiving ward consists of
three buildings, all connected and
virtually one structure. In the GEN.
ire is the infrmary, while on each
side is large dormitory, one for men
and the other for women This
group is for the reception, study and
treatment of new cases. When the
other buildings are completed pa
tients will be transferred from this
ward In the spring the administra-
tion building will be completed and
work on the remaining buildings of
the institution will be rushed ahead
as fast as possible.
While the permanent structures
are in course of erection the I40 in
sane men at the place are living in a
farm colony, where comfortable frame
shacks have sheltered them. These
shacks will be retained and will house
the fifty to seventy-five men who
will be employed in farm work ex-
clusively.
For the insane negroes outdoor oc-
cupation has proved an excellent
thing. They have done all the exca-
waiting for the foundations and in this
way have saved the State at least
$4,000. They have filled a ravine
adjoining the structures and have
constructed road leading to the out
lying portions OF the farm and have
built a concrete conduit under the
road.
They have unloaded three hundred
carloads of brick, sand and gravel;
have mixed and wheeled all the ce-
ment; have conducted farming opera
tions and have cut and stripped will
low slips from about seventy.five acres
for use in the manufacture of willow
ware. This construction work, ac-
cording to DR.. A. p. Herring, secre-
tary of the State Lunacy Commission,
is beneficial mentally and physically
to the patients.
One OF the men, an idiot who can
not talk, is employed in pumping
water out of an excavation. II re-
quired some little time to teach him
what was required, but when he got
the idea he went at the task with EN-
thusiasm. 1t is about the only work
he can do, but he does it we'll, be-
cause he is interested. At night he
seeps well and is improving physical
ly.
Another, who calls himself "King
Philip" and imagines himself the
ruler of the universe, quoting from
the Bible, of which he is a constant
reader, in support of his claim, is or
dinarily dangerous patient, with
homicidal mania. His theory is that
all who do not work should be killed.
Soon after reaching the institution
he formed an alliance with another,
who styled himself "Black Prince, 4"
for the purpose of numbering every
body on the place and establishing
a kingdom for themselves.
King Philip" was humored. He
was given charge of the dormitories
and number of men and permit
ted to regard himself as king. He
has been perfectly happy; he keeps
the dormitories in perfect order
and his subjects" busy. "Black
Prince" has been removed from his
company and put at work mixing con-
crete, and he is also contented.
In the laundry is l2-year- old idiot
who cannot talk and is barely able to
care for himself. He was put at
work feeding the clothes wringer and
after he understood what was re.
quired Of him, took up the occupation
with JOY. His hours of labor are
now his happiest.
When gadg was put at work ex-
savating for the buildings a number
Of the patients were given a pair Of
mules and scoop each and were re-
quired to care for the mules. This
they have done religiously and seem
proud Of the trust imposed in them.
Some twenty-five or thirty others
were provided with picks and shovels
and work with these has proved bene-
fetal to their mental condition.
| A negro patient named Hawkins
/ was placed in charge of the squad
loading and hauling out the scoops
At che Montevue Asylum, Frederick
county he had given considerable
trouble and was regarded as danger
Gus. At Brownsville it was found
easy to control him by allowing him
to build for himself near the exeava-
| tion two mounds of earth, which he
said, were the graves of bis father
and mocher, and to keep buraing q
small bonfire which, he declared, keps
away evil spirits. Hawkins has been
"bossing'' the scoop gang, keeping
the work going, and is happy and
harmless.
At certain times in the year forty
| or mere Of the inmates are employed