The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-04-03
REPORT ON
ASYLUM IS
CRITICIZED
Witness at Hearing Says
Findings OF the Board
Are Inaccurate

n number Of exceptions 10
statements I'm tho report OF Gov.
Harris asylum Investigation com
mitfee are taken by Miss Myrtle
de Months. OF Chg tiarbor, who
was one of the witnesses before
the committee.
In am open letter 60 Chairman
Robert a. Hcsicth and other
members Of the COMMITTEES. Miss
de- Months says;
The errors l object 20 In your re
pert are as follows
I. That Mrs. Peck died In April.
1915. tSince she did not die until tho
18th OF Juno and you had many docu-
ments before you giving everywhere
the correct date and never the false
encl
2. That upon her eoath 'the cor
cncr OF Pierce county was imme-
diateiy notified and made thoro In.
vcsfigntion." THE coroner " Pierce
county was Immediately notifed In
the Peck case and made no invest.
xntion whatever. There are ample
ways Of proving thisl
:. THAT thereafter the circum-
stances Of her death were Invest.
gated by the prosecuting attorney Of
Pierce county" cThis is another vrry
serious Misrepresentation Of facts
for which there are ample proofsl
4. You say ..therc Is not any te-ti-
mony offered before this committee
which would tend IN the slightest
way TO show that the death OF Mrs.
Peck was produced by any violence
on the part of any attendant" Il lind
this an ignohlc uttcranco and had
hoped for superior things rom you.
IL you wish to utterly discreiit the
written testimony Of three witnesses
upon this cruel murder simply be
sause we have been in the asylum.
aitho all three OF us were out OF IL
within two months after the occur
renee. that Is your privilege 20 count
as raught the combined testimony OF
Miss simmons. Mrs. Nordstum and
myself. which II unanimous and
made entirely without confederation.
but how about that OF Mr.. John r.
Peck Of Rahton, He Is a well.re-
yperted American citizen. respected
and much esteemed IN the com.
muntty where he dweiis. How about
his statements 20 you In the letter he
wrote personally. also the copy OF a
rr~ylous one he had written to n
cfubwouan In Seattle. I say u II
small TO thus siur IN your report his
evidence before you. Is then a well.
respected citizen OF this state OF
washington TO have his testimony
entirely discredlted also ry your
sommitfec for no reason whatever.
except that he took the work Of your
committee to be sincere and there
fore approached your I say this Is
rnali and n Isl
4. You state that al the evidence
mat this Commits. was ahls to Sc
cure- which implies an attempt TO
SECURE evidence on your part about
this death what evidence did you
make an attempt to securr7 II was
an voluntarily placed before you. and
vou made no attempt 20 verify the
truth OF the evidence which You nave
ignored. You could have established
the condition OF her body In death.
apart from the evidence OF past IN.
mates, and you made no attempt to
do so.
6. You say that Mrs. Peck injured
herself by jumping and falling
against a radiator. This u delu-
sfonai. as there was no radiator In
the room where she was confined
In none Of tire testimony for or
against the asylum has such con-
tention been madeJ
Z. You report 1--WE have carefully
considered all the evidence In this
particular case az 70. why. then.
these mIstakes7 How about The evil
dence that the doctors were forced "a
give in Olympia. at the Investigation
started by n senate committee. then
taken out OF their hands and smother.
ed up later by the board Of controi7
How about the statements the doc
tors were forced into making that
they had found her ribs caved IN
when they had examined her body In
the morgue before II was sent home?
Are such facts Of not the slightest
moment to your eornmitteeD