The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-23
And Not Allowed Food or
Water for Two Days,
Says Mrs. Guilford
TESTIMOr AGAINST
SHE RETREAT
Her I Broken by Attend
She Was Threat
: ened with Death

Mrs. Hattie A. Guilford of Williams
town, Mass, about whom centers most
of the evidence in the charges brought
against the Brattleboro retreat, which is
being investigated by joint committee
of the Vermont legislature, appeared be-
fore the committee at Montpelier to-day
and corroborated the statements made by
Representative Wilson of Pownal, the in
PRODUCER of the resolution calling for the
investigation. Atty. Il. w. Gibson Of
Brattleboro, representing the retreat, will
endeavor to show that Mrs Guilford,
while mentally unbalanced, suffered de-
lusions and that she inflicted the wounds
on herself which were considered evidence
of i'll treatment in the institution. He
also will show that the woman acted
similarly while confined in institutions
in Troy and Albany, n. Y, and Hartford,
Conn.
| At the opening Of the hearing Mrs.
Gufiford was placed on the witness stand
and her statements were not completed
when adjournment was taken to this
afternoon. During her testimony the
woman was closely questioned by Atty.
Gibson, who endeavored to show that
while confined at Troy, at Albany and at
Hartford the woman was violent at times
and had to be restrained to prevent her
from doing injury to herself. He will
seek to account for the wounds on her
arms and chest as the result of her own
violence and he win try to prove that
it was necessary to bandage parts of
the woman's body TO keep her from do
ing injury to herself.
Mrs. Guilford was an inmate of the
Brattlebero retreat at three separate
times and when asked why she had not
complained to her husband or parents
about the treatment she was given she
declared that she was threatened with :
death If she divulged the story. 1t also
appeared that in the settlemeAiGkses tlfe :
suit which she had threatened to bring
against an officer OF the institution she
had agreed not to give any publicity to
the matters.
Mrs Guilford who is the daughter of
former State Senator L. f. Potter of
Windham county, did not condemn or ac-
cuse all the attaches of the Brattleboro
retreat to-day but said that some OF the
and nurses treated her well,
DIR. Taylor, who was assistant
to Supt. Lawton. She thought that none
of the doctors connected with the insti-
tuition would have countenanced what
was done but she thought that they were
negligent in not knowing what was going
on.
The witness admitted that at times
she had been violent and troublesome
and had to be restrained in straight
Jacket and that she received wounds as
the result of not obeying orders. She
said that the wounds on her arms, legs
and body were made by an instrument
which was not unlike a curling iron. A
who had been in her employ
and who was for time an attendant in
he retreat, told her that she was burned
1y carbolic acid. The retreat viii try to
,how that the woman gave wounds to
lerself and that wounds became infected.
Mrs. Guilford testified that she was
led to bed on rubber sheet for five
lays, common treatment, she said, for
he inmates at Brattleboro; also that
While in a straightjacket she was forced
o eat her meals from tin plate on the
ioor in much the same manner as ami
nails eat She said that the food was
cry poor and that she saw meat on only
wo occasions, Thanksgiving and Christ
mas. when the dinners were excellent.
he added that the menus shown TO the
isitors were much different from those
served to the inmates.
At one time, continued Mrs. Guilford,
= = l.
ats and had no food or water for two
avs. She also told how her jaw was
roken when she was struck by an at
endant. She had seen, she declared. an
innate of the institution killed, and
hen the announcement of the death was
lade il was stated that the inmate died
apoplexy. At one time she Mrs. Gull
,rd) was tied up by the wrists one
corning. after which she lost conscious
ass and did not come TO her senses un-
| night.
The Joint committee returned last
'ening from Brattleboro, where they
ndurtcd an inspection of the retreat.
o witnesses were heard there. but the
Union OF leading citizens of Brattleboro
garding the institution was taken into
Other witnesses who were
posted TO testify after Mrs. Guilford
lished were Miss Gertrude Graham.
r.. Emily :. Barrett and Fred Taylor,
OF st. Johnsbury.
Brattleboro, Feb 23.--An examins
IN of the rooms in the Brattleboro
treat for the Insane, Occupied by Mrs.
lttie Guilford, formerly of Pownal and
W of North Adams, Mass, was made
sterday afternoon by the Legislative
mmittee appointed to investigate the
treat
Il has been stated that not only was
=. Guilford abused while a patient in
e institution. but that she looked from
+ room into the other room and saw
her patients abused.
The committee, after its examination
the retreat. returned TO Montpelier.
.ere the taking OF testimony was be
n to-day. Both the matrou and head
aervis2r Of the women's department,
10 held those positions when Mrs. Gull