Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-03-18
HOSPITAL PATIENT
KICKED, IS CHARGE
Veteran Near Death After
Fight in st. EIizabeth's.
Police Hold Attendant.

Wilbur Doyle, 90, attendant at St
Elizabeth's Hospital today is formally
charged with assault at the eleventh
precinct. three other attendants have
been suspended at the hospital and
Leo p. Murawski, 80, Philadelphia war
veteran and an epileptic patient there
is battling for life with grave inter-
nal injuries as the aftermath of an
alleged fight at the hospital yesterday.
Murawski was operated on yester
day afternoon in an effort to prevent
peritonitis, after his inteStines had
been ruptured from an external
source. Before being placed on the
operating table, according to DR.. Ar
thur +. Noyes. assistant superintend-
ent at the hospital he charged that
Doyle has kicked him.
Attacked by -Four.
AS a result, DR.. Noyes consulted
with Assistant United States Attor-
ney Ralph Given this morning, who
authorized the holding of Doyle, pend
ing a preliminary hearing on an as
sault charge in Police Court tomor
row.
The hospital investigation was
launched yesterday when Murawski
told physicians at the hospital that
he had been in fight with Doyle and
three other attendants. The inVestiga-
ton, according to DR.. Noyes, disclosed
that Doyle had engaged in warm
verbal alteration with the patient,
because the latter would mot obey the
attendants orders, which eliminated
in a fight between Doyle and the
patient, in which the three other at
tendants later are alleged to have
taken a hand.
AT the conclusion of the investiga-
ton the four attendants, including
Doyle, were suspended. The three
others are: Robert D. Hulvey, A. T.
Sydnor and a. b. Gibson. After
suspending the attendants the hos
pital authorities notified police at the
eleventh precinct, with the result that
Precinct Detective Robert L. Manning
and Policeman John V. Gladmon in
vestigated the case.
DR.. Noyes told the police that there
was no mental arrangement in the
case of Doyle; that he was sane
man, except when under subsection
of an epileptic seizure.
Deny Undue Force.
The attendants all denied having
used unreasonable force in the al
tercation, one of them stating that
the wound possibly was inflicted on
the patient by himself during the
course of fit.
investigation by the police last night
but Capt. Dean of the eleventh pre-
cinct decided to have an opinion from
Mr. Given, the assistant United States
attorney, before proceeding further
| in the case.
After the conference with Mr.
Given, DR. Moves stated that the three
attendants, excluding Doyle, would
continue under suspension pending
further investigation of the affair at
the hospital. DIR. Noyes also said
that the nature of the wound itself
supported the statement of the pa
tient: that it was the type of wound
which would have resulted from a
blow such as a kick.
Kicked In Abdomen
The patients story, according to
DR.. Noyes was that Doyle had come
into his room yesterday morning and
after being there for a while had
ordered him to leave the room. Mu-
rawski, according to his account, in
terposed objections. Hot words fol-
lowed and these were followed by
blows, according to the patient, which
attracted the three other attendants.
Murawski, the latter AYERS. according
to the floor, and was kicked in the
abdomen.
Suspension of the attendants, DIR.
Noyes declared, depends on the out
come of the investigation as to
whether they had used more force
than was necessary"