Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-07
GIBSON COMMITTEE
WITNESSES ABSENT
Or. silk Testifies About Con-
ditions at st. Elizabeth's
Hospital.

The hearing before the Gibson sub
committee Of the House District com
mittee in the caucus room or me
House Once Building last night
tctered out because three or the
witnesses to be interviewed
failed to appear cha man Gibson
4 announced tina; their absence was
due to the fact that the House ives
in session for speeches on he aGri-
cultural relief bills and az the wit
nesses evidently thought the hearing
would not he held.
Charles COpsey. who has becn an
attenda nj a 81. F,liZahe for three
wears. in reply e." questions by Keep
reSentative Rlanton denied that he
had ever seen patients gambling. or
that poker game Wss conducted
on pay DAYS by one Of tho male
nurses who has been before no com
mittee.
Dr. Samuel silk. senior physician.
who has twice previously heSn lie
fore the Gibson subcommittee. vas
reca He'd last night by MIR. Stanton
When he couldn't remember details
Of several cases he WAS asked =" re-
fresh his memory from the "rhciai
records Of the institution and 10 re-
port back to the committee tonight.
one OF these cases was man VINO
was put into cold pack ny an a.
tendant named Richey Guy on orders
from the physiCia n. and who dleh IN
the hospital OF the institution the
next morning Another case was
that of John A. CurTan. who was
found dead on cot I'm the COW
tables. Or. silk was questioned re-
garding a launch which Or. Main had
built with the labor Of patients. ann
suggested that II would he hetter I"
ask DR.. Main himself about this. He
was asked series Of personal a1es-
tions regarding his private life by MY.
Blanton. and protested against that
line Of Interrogation.
Questioned on Hanging.
DR.. SILK was also questioned about
the suicide of Harry Prescott ny
ha nging. when, it was claimed, there
was ONLY one attendan mt in ward
with Il patients. When Or. SIX
suggested that the hospital authori-
ties would he glad To have more at
tendsnts if Congress was willing ="
provide the pay roll. Mr.. Rlan'on
al i'd: How about more attends MS
and fewer Doctors
Cant. William West. who was in the
Merchant Marine. and -Eo testlfed
that he has been sescoing mar Tor
- wears. has been an inmate ot ~.
Eliza beth's for II months. lie - 81
years old In reply TO questions ne
said he has vOyaged all over the
Australia South Africa and
South America so many tir9eS. dnesn
lie testified in reply 10
questions that he had suffered phNs-
ical abuse from a male nurse. who
I,af he GsBhgnn
and gave the commit
tee the names of three other patients
he had seen abused-ROades, kearns
a nd Livingstone-the latter because
he had said he knew more about
certain radio set than the attendant
who owned il did.
Mr. Gibson put in the record 2 NE
Of papers i'm the ease OF William i.
Smith who WAS sent to st. Eliza
beth's on q letter from tho war he
Da rtment was subsequently declared
of sound mind by jury in Justice
BaiIev's court. hui was MOI reiea seq
from st. Eliza beth's for two months.
nd then released ~ the District Pc
lice and placed in Washington Asylum
and Jail.
Institution Heads To- Re Called.
Mr.. Rlanton said he had received
about certain private IN
stitutions here whore persons are
kent ;nCarcerated because some one
paws 10 have them thus confined. ana
he asked that those in charge or three
such institutions he called as WV
nesses
Edward Van Meter. an inmate Of
the District Jail. who has previously
been before the committee Was re-
forma ion ne claimed To have that
would help solve the Barney Mcbride
murder mystery. Asked by Mr.. Glib
son If he has come TO any 50 tisfsctorv
conclusion as to who had killed Nc
Bride the witness said No CUES
toned further he said that evidence
indicates that an officer, then MEM
her of the cabinet. was instrumental
in McRride's coming In Washington.
Mr.. Gibson admOnished him that "
he had anything that would he Of
lateral help to officers Of the law In
solving this case and bringing the
guilty 10 Justice the committee would
he glad To cooperate. lie Hsid that
the evidence he had collected had
heen turned over to the Deps rtment
Of Justice.
He had been doing his inveStics ticn
for Col. James :. Fla sby-Smith. who
was attorney for Charles Il. Forbes.
formerly director of the Veterans Ru-
reau he said
The committee agreed with Mr..
BIa ntOn that matters this witness was
discussing were strictly for the grand
Jury and the courts and that the sub
committee should not go into them
and that if the Department of Justice
had failed to do it's duty IL was case
for the House judiciary committee
and not for the District legislative
committee. The subcommittee de-
clared that this prisoner should not
have been detained i'm iail here for
IL months and that either he should
have been relea sed or sent forward
to st. Louis. whore he Is wanted m
certain phase Of conspiracy charges.
"If they have a right To take him
ha ok ne ought to he taken hack" de
clared MIR. Rla nton.
There will he NO airing tonight.