St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-02-28
SHOCKING CONDITIONS
CONTINUED from page y


and she said to the watclimaa who
struck the woman patient, What are
you going to do about it?' and he re-
piled, Il can fix it all right.
''This took place along i'll the night
about two O'Clock. The next morn
ing il was said that the woman had
died during the night with appop
lexy.'
Mrs. Guilford stated that 4 Mr.. Hill
was the night Waterman, but would
not say that Mr.. Hill struck the blow,
but rather thought 50. She stated
further:
whenever my people would come
to see me, they were kept waiting
and / was given q bath and had to
put my hand on the Bible and swear
that 1 would not tell anything"
Mrs. Gnilford related an incident Of
Il patient being scaldcd in q bath tub,
and said that one of the attendants,
a Mrs. Gulfaii told her that sllc, (iirs.
GuilfaiD had picked pieces OF flesh
Off the tub.
The retreat, through its attorney,
Col. Gibson, stated that the scars Glad
been caused by Mrs. Guilford picking
her flesh and causing sores, and that
K
her from picking them more than she
did.
In answer to a question by Mr.. Rier-
don of the committee, Mrs. GuilforG
said that there were rats in her room
in the Third Hall as well as in the
dungeon. She stated that the moral
conditions at the retreat were very
bad. She described alleged conditions
olI1
ton, and shocking in the extreme.
In the afternoon DR.. e. E. Potter, g
former state Senator, and the father
of Mrs. Guilford was heard. He told
of the alleged cruel treatment his
daughter received; how she had gone
to the retreat with her jaw intact
and came out with it broken.
He told Of the scars On her head
and body, and said that when she
came out of the retreat there was an
Unhealed scar on her forehead al
inch and a half long and an inch
wide. The story was pathetic as he
told of the condition of his child.
Case of Miss Graham Of St. Johns.
bury.
The committee next took up the
case of Miss Gertrude Graham, of st
Johnsbury. Miss Graham described
in q clear manner how she had gone
to the Brattleboro Retreat in Septem-
Der 1915 as u private patient. She
said she weighed at that time 10!
pounds. She said that when she came
out of the institution seven weeks lat
er, she weighed but g. pounds.
Miss Graham stated that the die
at the institution consisted for tho
main part of potatoes, bread and sal
fat pork. She described how a Mis-:
Jamison, an attendant, had abused
pounded, checked and beat her; how
she had been forced to eat food tina
the stomach could not take; how she
had been strapped in one position fol
hours for telling Dr. Taylor of some
abuse.
In telling of her experiences sh'
said: :. -
Il was q patient of DR.. Fairbanks
I did not get along well. [ had hat
two operations, I was advised by tn
doctor to go to the retreat. ! did no
want to go. My brother went to TIT
doctor and got some tablets, and whel
he gave me two of them 1 lost con
seriousness, and the next thing that
They put me in q straight JACKIE
SO. that I could not move, and thel
locked me in my room. ! would be:
them not to lock my door, for I wa
afraid that if there was fire the.
might forget me-
Miss Graham admitted that fly
years before she went TO the retraa
she was for four months addicted t
Itn Of nd !,
and a half a day. She explained tina
she had severe trouble with her back
She told the committee that her an
lkles and feet had been badly injure
at the retreat, and said that she ha
been having them treated by u train
ed nurse, a Mrs. Frost.
s Mrs. Elizabeth Murray, with whom
Miss Graham lived in St Johnsbury
was next called to the stand. She toll
of her visiting the retreat, and goin
into Miss Grahams room unannounc
ed, and seeing the attendants witt
Miss Graham on the floor, one hold
ing her. another holding her nose an
trying to force an egg and milk die
into her while she begged them no
to treat her SO.
Mrs. Murray told Of how the attend
ants choked Miss Graham to max
her eat, and said that one of the at
PENDANTS said to her I'VE have
lxfack of doing it that makes then
eat
Mrs. Murray further told of Mis-
Graham's weak condition, and OF nov
she demonstrated with those in charg
at the retreat of the treatment the
accorded the sick woman.
lNs,.a A i. :
Miss Graham's guardian. Mrs Muir
ray told of how she took Miss Graham