The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-02-27


were the principal witnesses before
the Investigating committee today
Both testified that the food was. poor
and that DR.. Lawton was seldom seen
! outside OF his Office. They declared
that more help was needed at the re.
! treat.
! Joseph c. Jones. an attorney OF Rut.
land, was on the stand today and tes-
titled that he was man handled when
at the retreat for treatment for alco-
holism.
Montpelier, Feb. 26.-What is con-
ceded to be the most damaging evi-
/ dence yet given against the Brattle-
boro Retreat was offered this after
noon to the legislative committee con-
Quoting the investigation of that in
stitutiOn, by Miss Marguerite Guyette
and Foster r. Clement of Burlington
and Charles Batchelder, an attorney
| OF Bethel
While the evidence given by Mr.
Batchelder lacked the loathsomeness
| of that OF the other witnesses, IL had a
tendency to show, If true, that the at
tendants at the institution are unfit
to have charge OF insane patients and
that moral conditions among the at
tendants are bad. Mr.. Batchelder also
made unfiattering comments regard
| ing the fare served to State patients
although he himself was voluntary
private patient at the retreat.
Judge James ~ Tyler of Brattle-
boro, chairman of the board of trus-
tees of the retreat, and DR.. II. w.
Taylor of its medical staff attended
the hearing. The witnesses who have
been summoned for tomorrow's hear
ing are Mr. and Mrs. Il. c. Jones of
Sheffield. former attendants at the
retreat, William Quinlan of West Rut-
land, James Tully OF West Haven, Ed
ward Quinlan and Frank +. Howe of
Bennington, DR.. John W. Cram of
Colerain, Mass, Charles Ray of Brat
tleboro and John b. Hogan of Fair
Haven.
Mrs. Foster r. Clement. wife Of
Mr.. Clement, was taken to the Brat
tleboro Retreat as a private patient
on September IL, 1915. October g.,
Miss Guyette, for many years the
housekeeper at the Clement home,
went to BrattleboIo to see Mrs. Gle
ment. Miss Guyette found Mrs Glenn
ent in a very small room. furnished
only with a small, cheap cot bed, a
cheaper stand and a wooden chair.
There were mice in the room and a
cloud of flies added to the companion
ship, Mrs. Clement, herself. had a
badly bruised and swollen face and
was bruised about the limbs She
stated that she had been knocked
down. kicked and pounded by the
night attendants. Miss Guyette com
planned to DR.. S. +. Lawton, superin-
tendent of the institution. but his only
reply was that if they could prove the
assault the attendant would be dis
charged.
On November Miss Guyette again
visited the retreat and in the absence
of DR.. Lawton and DR.. Taylor, another
member of the medical staff admitted
her directly to Mrs. Clements ward
She stood in front of the door Of the
room in which Mrs. Clement was con
fined and heard her crying like fright
ened child. An attendant informed her
that she could not see Mrs. Clement
as the latter was not dressed, but
Miss Guyette insisted and the atten
dant preceded her into the room
carrying a bath robe. Mrs. Clement
lay absolutely nude in small dark
room, without furnishing of any sort.
Her hands and portions of her body
t.<I 1s,.t xxI
her fingers had been jammed in the
door by an attendant and was painful
| ly swollen Her voice was ihoarse
and unnatural as though she had
been calling for hours and she begged
| for a bath, which Miss Guyette saw
that she obtained. The next morning
Miss Guyette saw her in the same
room, but she had been partially
dressed. Her breakfast consisted OF
two pieces of dried liver, chunk of
cold butter and cup of some liquid
substance, the nature of which could
not be ascertained. Mrs. Clement
was removed from the institution on
| November IA.
Mr.. Clement was so violently sway
| ed by emotion while testifying that at
| times he was utterly unable to speak
| and his entire frame quivered with in
| dignaton. He was willing to concede
| that Mrs. Clement was a quarrelsome
| and troublesome patient. He paid
sums ranging from $50 to $35 week
| for Mrs. Clements care there and also
paid $132 for hospital supplies which
! the retreat authorities said, Mrs. Gle
ment destroyed. He stated that some