The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-23
Legislative Committee is
Shown Every Part of
Local Institution
PLANT EXAMINED
WITH THOROUGHNESS

liu,inary to Hearing In Montpelier,
Beginning Today - Some Testimony
May Be Taken Here.
Preliminary to the taking of testimony
In the investigation of the management
Of the Brattleboro Retreat for the in
sane, the legislative investigating COM
mittee came to Brattleboro Wednesday
afternoon and began a thorough exam
ination Of the institution. As has been
stated, the committee was appointed
as result of a resolution introduced
in the house by Representative Frank
A. Wilson Of Pownal, who says that
Mrs. Hattie Guilford of North Adams,
Mass, formerly Of Pownal, was abused
while an inmate of the Retreat. It
consists of Senator William III. Fair
child Of Fairfield, chairman, Senator
Linus Leavens Of Cambridge and Rep
resentatives William II. Rairdan of
Barton, Lynn D. Brooks of Montpelier
and Charles L. Stuart of Lyndon. The
taking of testimony was begun at 8
clock this morning in the grand jury
room of the court house in Montpelier.
Some of the testimony may be taken
in Brattleboro, as the matron, who was
matron when Mrs. Guilford was a pa
tient, has undergone an operation for
appendicitis in the Memorial hospital
and win not be able to leave there for
at least week, and the woman who
was head supervisor in the woman's
section when Mrs. Guilford was pa
tient also is i'll.
After stopping briefly at the Brooks
House the committee went to the Re-
treat. accompanied by Attorney E. w.
Gibson, counsel for the institution, and
member of The Refornler staff. They
were met there by DR.. 8. e. Lawton,
superintendent, DR.. Fl. W. Taylor, first
assistant physician, and Judge James
NJ Tyler, president Of the board Of
trustees.
Immediately after the formalitv Of
introduction the committee started on
it's trip of inspection, accompanied by
the others mentioned and young wom-
an nurse and the steward, J. ). Van
derveer. The trip took them that aft
ernoon through all the Is wards in the
main building and through the attic,
the rest being left for inspection next
morning.
Every opportunity was given for a
careful and thorough inspection, and
the committee took advantage of it,
Senator Leavens and Representative
Stuart making notes in their notebooks
) All the rooms were visited, and If one
was found locked the nurse promptly
unlocked it. The dining rooms, where
: the supper was being made ready, were
! inspected, the condition of the. pa
tients was observed and special atten-
tion was given the beds and lavatories.
The women s section was visited
first, then the chapel where services
and entertainments are held, the attic
and lastly the men s section.
Nothing was overlooked, the commit
tee and others going into the rooms
+, where the very worst patients are kept,
under suitable escort.
The two rooms which Mrs. Guilford
occupied while at the Retreat were
pointed out. Both rooms receive an
abundance of sunlight and are unusu-
ally pleasant. The committee gave
. special attention to these rooms. Is
has been asserted that Mrs. Guilford
looked down through an opening In her
= room and saw another patient struck.
The committee lifted the rugs and
. found that they covered floors that
: showed a good number of years of
wear. There was no way by which a
4 person could look from either room into
another.
/, It was stated, and tho truth of the
l statement was apparent, that state pa
tients and private patients had the
!, same ward privileges and that the ques.
ted to ward with carpets and attrae-
, tive furniture and other improved
equipment or to a ward with bare foo,
/ and plain furnishings depended not up
!. on the price paid but upon the patient :
9 mentality and his or her ability and
/ disposition to keep things clean and
+ tidv.
e There was a great variety of dis
e positions, ais might be expected among
k more than 400 patients. Some seemed
:. happy and cheerful and talked Will
o members of the party and called the
:, physicians by name, while others werc
|, Indifferent and apparently unmindfu
+ of anything unusual. They furnished
/ some interesting experiences.
3. Three libraries which the institution
S maintains were visited. They contain
:, about 5000 volumes, which are acees
f sible to patients capable Of using then,
c The committee was shown a tele-
+, phone system connecting every part o.
/, the institution, 50 arranged that any
8 listening on the line is immediately
d detected. DIR. Lawten stated that the