Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-20
JULIETTA, LAND
OF MIDNIGHT, IN
.NEEDOFSUCCOR
Inspection of Institution Re.
veaIs Bad State Due to
Overcrowding.
HOSPITAL NOT PROVIDED
By WALTER d. HICKMAN.


That's JuIietta, Marion County in
xtitution for the care of county insane.
This institution is one of the big
probiems which confronts the Marion
County Council and the board Of COM
uissioners, as it is so overcrOwded that
II is impossible to take in another in
mate.
Benjamin Morgan. superintendent OF
Julietta, has addressed a letter 10 the
county council asking that body to au-
thorize a sufficient bond issue to provide
funds for two annexes, one for men and
another for women, and which would
provide hospital wards for the sick
On the receipt of this letter from SUI
perintendent Morgan, Commissioner Har-
~ D. Tutewiler, accompanied by news
paper men. made careful investigation
of Julietta.
OVERCROwDING
REVEALED.
The main points revealed by this trip
Of inspection are as follows:
That sick patients die by the side
Of patients who are not physically
i'll
That there is not a single room
available for the care Of either i'll or
extremely disturbed patients.
That two sick women occupy beds
In a room where at least thirty in
sane women are forced, because Of
the overcrowded conditions, to sleep
as well as live.
That two small iron cots or beds
are crowded into a room, seven by
twelve feet.
That the beds are placed so close
together that attendants have to pull
every other he6 out at night so the
patients can get into them.
That it is impossible under present
overcrowded conditions to separate
colored insane patients from the
whites, or separate the extreme noisy
patient from those less radical.
That the Institution is very clean,
especially the beds and the dining
room.
That because of the overcrowded
conditions, patients are continually
kept in rooms where patients sleep.
That there are no rooms available
for either rest or recreation during
the day time which do not contain
beds.
THOSE IN CHARGE
NOT RESPONSIBLE.
The present superintendent IS in no
way responsible for the deplOrable over
crowded conditions at Julietta. He and
his wife. are doing everything within
their power to remedy conditions They
have repeatedly called attention Of both
the commissioners and the council to
the overcrOwded conditions. Mr.. Nor
gan invites public inspection by the rep
Eesentatives Of the local press.
Something must be done at Julietta
to relieve the congestion there, which
makes it utterly Impossible to carefully
and adequately care for these unfOrtu-
nate inmates. 1t is only the cleanli-
ness of the institution and the kindness
Of Mr.. Morgan and his assistants to the
patients that atOnes for the lack of &C.
ton on the part of the commissioners
and the county council for the last five
years.
The investigation showed that the com
missiOners and the council have failed
TO have any efficient program for future
development Of Julietta. This has re-
suited in a total Of 2S2 men and women
being crowded into space which was
originally planned to accommodate only
half of that number.
PATIENTS DIE IN
CROWDED QUARTERS.
The congestion is noted most in tn,
wards used by the women inmates TIL,
outstanding disgrace Of the failure t
enlarge this institution is the lack OF
hospital facilities. Patients who hav,
been i'll for weeks die by the very sidt
of inmates who are not i'll. So close ar,
Of "a hot hat IL h