Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-03-02

Lawton had suggested that Mrs. Gle
ment be taken elsewhere.
Walter Hamilton of Springfield, who
was an inmate, testified on Wednesday
that conditions were unsanitary, that
mice and bedbugs were common, and
that he personally was abused and sui
fered bodily injury from the attendants
who tried to enforce their rules by phys
zeal force.
Il. d. Quinlan, employed at the sol
diers' home in Bennington, testified late
yesterday afternoon that he saw no i'll
treatment of patients in the Retreat
where he was formerly employed, that
the food was about the same as in other
institutions and that the menu included
pork, beef, sausage, etc.
His wife, Anna G. Quinlan, said she
never saw the patients misused, that the
rooms were kept clean and that the food
compared well with that furnished in
Taunton, Mass, and Rome, n. y. She
said there was an abundant supply of
fresh milk, vegetables and other whole
some foods, and that she never heard of
any hair-pulling, dungeon, or any cases
of mstreatment in connection with the
institution.
| One of the witnesses Wednesday was
| former Lieut.-GOv. Frank +. Howe Of
Bennington, whose testimony proved
among the most valuable received.
Mr.. Howe had no startling charges
to make but from long period of OBJ
servaton he has concluded that the
| Brattleboro Retreat does not have
funds sufficient to conduct the institu-
ton as it should be conducted. The
attendants must be of an inferior order
from the wages paid. That the build
ings are infested with vermin is q com
mon report in Brattleboro, Mr.. Howe
testified, also the sanitary conditions
are extremely poor.
When questioned about the food the
witness told of visits to the institu.
ton when he saw the stores of sup
plies and judged the quantity sufficient
but of poor quality. Further, he
thought complaints against the table
fare were justified.
Mr.. Howe in his visits to the Retreat
has never seen dungeon although his
mother had told him, when working
dungeon room in the cellar, or more
properly termed padded cell.
Considering the expense of food
meulcal aCtendance, supervision, clOtn
ing and overhead charges, Mr.. Howe
does not feel the state pays enough fol
the care of the state patients. Foul
dollars per week is insufficient and his
remedy would be to take the Retreat
over as state institution.
Several witnesses were examined by
the investigating committee yestcr
day, the most substantial witness being
Charles Il. Ray of Brandon. Mr.. Ray
was for five years q patient ut the
Brattleboro Retreat and after his re-
lease was employed by that institution
for four years. During this time Mr.
Ray had occasion to 90 through the
various wards and he testified that he
had seen patients unduly abused, that
! the food was poor and the sanitary
conditions not what they should be.
| There has been considerable com
ment about patients not receiving flow
ers sent to them, fruit and other ar
ticles and Attorney Gibson, in cross
examining Mr.. Ray, brought out the
fact that the flowers sent TO one Atkins
were oftentimes put in his room only
for him to destroy, or perhaps to eat
Other witnesses this morning were
Mrs. Annie Williams of Woodsville, n.
H., and Frank d. Bowker of st. Johns
bury.