Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1916-01-22
FREE HOSPITAL I.
OF BLAME FOR
REPP|N DEATH
Board of Health Inquiry, How
ever. Brings Admission of
4. Faulty System.

Walter Reppin, Of y Alpine street.
died on January of pneumonia after
having. been treated as a 'raring ma-
MAC" at the City Hospital FOR eigh-
Teen hours. Yesterday afternoon the
hospital com mlttee of the Board of
Health. after investigating the cir
oumstances, admitted that Reppin
had been neglected. admitted the sys-
TEN at the hos pital is wrong and yet
passed motion TO "eXonerate the
hospital"
Miss Emma d. ReBpin. a sister of
the deceased vets present, with rela-
tives and counsel, and declared she
would not take the committees de-
cision as final Slae said she expected
10 bring an action for damages Mrs.
Reppin, the widow, has five children.
The Youngest two and a half years of
pge
The testimony at the hearing
showed that Reppin was grip sur
ferer, with possibilities of pneumonia,
on New Years Day. He lett hls
home at o'clock on the morning OF
January q and half an hour later en-
tered police headquarters and an
nounced Newark was about to be
blown up. He became violent and
was sent to the City Hospital Al the
hospital he was eventually placed in
a small observation room.
At 10 o'clock on January , Miss
Emma Reppin, having discovered her
brothers whereabouts appeared at
the hospital and was told by Charles
r. Jelly, a, clerk in the office, that
her brother was a "raving maniac.
She told Jelly her brother had had
the grip and probably had pneumonia.
Jelly appeared not to believe her,
she said yesterday. She urged him to
Telephone the family physician. She
returned at 2.30 o'clock in the after
noon. She got in touch with DR.. Am
brose F.. Dowd, chief resident physi-
Z clan, and acquainted him with the
medical history of the case. Reppn
was at once removed to a medical
ward.
Reppin died in his home. after be
Ing removed from the hospital,
Deprived OF Last Chance.
II was with the treatment given
Reppin between 10 a. IN. and 2:30 p.
M, on January 2. that all the essen
K tiaI developments yesterday had to do.
Miss Reppin told the committee: II
can condone what happened to my
brother until | reached the hospital.
/ have NOT the medical knowledge to
know whether he received the usual
Z treatment of psychopathic cases or
not. You gentlemen say he did, But
I cannot condone his being left there
for Four and one-half hours after ]
] had told the medical history of the
case and had said he was u pneu-
monia victim That deprived him of
Ohis last chance for his life
The committee was anxious Miss
/. Reppin should understand that 1t did
not feel the neglect had caused her
brothers death. DR.. II. G. Webner,
chairman, and DR.. Elmer G. Wherry
insisted they did not believe a prompt
removal would have So the life of
Reppin.
The committee scored tine hospital
system before passing the motion TO
lexonerate the institution. Dr. Daniel
l.. Mccormick left before the motion
was put, disgruntled about the form
n the investigation had taken. They're
making out fine case for a lawsuit
4 talking like that before n lawyer, say
4 ing there had surely been neglect he
commented.
There was no equivocation about
the members admissions of neglect
II do feel the hospital should have
some system so that n pneumonia VIC
tim will not he neglected for four or
five hours" declared DIR. Wherry.
"They let this man go without any
man in authority knowing anything
% about him from the time he was
brought in until 2:30 O'clock" put in
DIR. Webner. Both DR.. Wherry and
DIR. Webner voted aye on the motion
to exonerate. The motion was made
by DIR. Theodore Teimer. Dr. Wherry
seconded II and DR.. Webner put IL.
X They we're the only members left in
III the room when the motion was made.
\ Commissioners Littleton Kirkpatrick
and Thomas j. Callan had walked out
with DR. Mccormick at $50 o'clock,
after having been in the institution
Z since before O'Clock.
4 In the discussion on the motion DR.
wherry said: IT admit the system Is
not perfect" and DR. Webner supple
mented 1t with; 81 admit the system
is wrong
Miss Reppin was asked If she had
any further statement to make. She
replied: II can only repeat that l be-
leve my brothers last chance for
life was taken away from him by the
neglect between the time | first called
and the time he was moved. That's
the only statement can make at this
time That may not be the final
statement, though"