Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-24


is another doctor at the head of any
institution in the whole United States
who would have turned this man loose
upon his return to that INSTITUTION
but, rather, he would have put him TO
he'd. given him a warm bath and let
him be quiet for day or two. He
certainly would not have turned him
i loose in the custody of a mother men
tally unfit.
Now. gentlemen, 1 believe in rer
trenchment and economy, but belleVe
that economy, when it reaches GER
tain stage, becomes extravaganza, ana
believe that when rctrenchment
reaches a certain stage it becomes re-
pudiation. Gentlemen. 1 believe we
should pay these men for the loss
thew have sustained, because, gentle
men, it is a loss to them and 1t is
loss to Penobscot county at large. 1t
will he argued here today, gentlemen,
that we are letting down the bars. L
believe that if the state owes any more
of just. such legitimate claims as the
Austin w. Jones claim that we had
better let down the bars, if that is
what YOU call it, and pay our honest
bills. We have no scruples over five
or ten thousand dollars to form some
new commission, but we 40 nave
scruples over raising five or tep thou-
sand dollars in some instances TO pay
cur Just and legitimate claims. and
we do have some scrupleS at some
times about raising twelve or hfteen
dollars a month to pay some poor, I'M
fortunate widow a pension claim.
Gentlemen, / think it comes down to
this one point: Is the Austin w.
Jones Company responsible for the
conduct of this poor man, or are the
officials of this institution, who al
lowed him to go at large. responsible?
Now, gentlemen. | believe that that is
the issue. l am not going to take any
more of your time than l consider alb
solutely necessary, but there IS just
one thing more, and 1 would like to
read you Il sample Of his converse ton
few days before he was released
from the institution and then l will
rest where | am, and you can judge
J tor yours elves whether or not he was
fit man to be at large. The follow
ing is a sample of the conversation of
George Stanchfeld:
If hundred men were to stand up
J to shoot me, I'd drop the handkerchief
as 4 signal. The other day L thought
l was dying, and was glad of it.
smoked cigarette and got 50 weak
, that ] fell to my knees on the floor
4 al nc
look at my car. can you see any blood
through it. 1 haven't a friend in the
world. When / saw that they were
after me l did everything 1 could to
help them out. If any one said kill
the PRESIDENT I'd repeat it after
them, kill him" l would repeat
everything they said. Why when
went into the brotherhood I cheated
those boys and they have had to'spend
lot OF money following me. The
Government must be back of it for
what [ did. A man followed me and
heard him say, There is a fellow that
ought to be on the other side of the
Rockies" and l thought he was after
me. This is what you get for not
leading a Christian life, and those
foolish letters of mine. that l wrote tc
that girl, they are being published all
I over the State and maybe all over the
/ United States. They send them by
telephone or wireless. 1 saw then
coming, when l was in Portland. dot
dash. dot, that's the way they come
l never can make anything out of my
life after this
Now, gentlemen, that is the CONVEX.
sation of that man. A few days be
fore that he wrote a letter to Wood
row Wilson, President of the United
States, asking that he be committed
to the penetentiary at Atlanta
Georgia. l believe we could not picl
out any more Intelligent body to de-
termine this case than the ten mer
of the Judiciary Committee, and six
of them siad we should pay this di-
rectly, and four said give them a
chance to sue the State. Gentlemen
I am heartily in favor of adopting the
majority report, and l sincerely hope
that the motion of the gentleman
from Auburn will not prevail.
! The SPEAKER: The gentleman
from Auburn, Mr.. Wing. moves that
the report of the minority, ought to
pass in new draft
: Mr.. HINCKLEY of SO. Portland:
Mr.. Speaker, I feel it is only proper
that l should ask just a few moments
time of the House to say word in
regard to this matter. 1t is a matter
of far-rcaching Importance, because
it not only involves this case. but IL
involves this State at the present
time in other matters and it involves
the State in future years as estab-
fishing q policy that has never been
previously established in the State.
Just a word in regard to our State
hospital. Up to four years ago, an
unfortunate who had been committed
to any one of our State hospitals
must remain there the rest of his or
her days, unless the hospital author
tiles We're ready to say that that per-
son was cured, and discharged that
person from their custody. Many
people of the State of Maine realized
that there were many who had been
committed to those institutions who
had not been cured, who were still
insane. and who could very properly
who were close and near to them
Having that in mind, this Legislature
in its wisdom four years ago passed
Il law providing for a parole of these
unfortunates from hospitals, and
gave the authorities of our insane
hospitals the right if in thoir iudo