Year: 1875

Mrs. Margaret Dawson of 6l9 Classon
avenue, Brooklyn, sister of the late
John Dougherty. President of the Board
of Assessors, spent six months in the
Flatbush Asylum year ago, and while
there in Hall No. z, received the most
cruel treatment that has yet been made
public. She had become insane just af-
ter confinement. and was very violent.
She imagined every one who had any
thing to do with her in the institution
was a relative. and that she was the Sa-
viour of the world. About forty days
before her release she regained her
mind, and found herself bruised and
sore, but she was not conscious of hav-
ing been beaten. although she has no
doubt that all of the time she was in
sane she was cruelty treated The two
nurses, Joanna Stack and Mrs. Murphy,
scarcely ever passed her without hitting
her on the head. One day she ran away
from them and hid herself in bed cov-
ering. They found her out and drove
her back to her room. and stripped her
of every bit of her clothing. In the eve
ming they caught and strapped her arms
to her sides. Then they put her in
charge of two female maniacs. who took
her to bath room, in which there was
tub filled with water. They tossed
her in and dashed water in her face.
Her hands were tied so that she could
not help herself, and she expected to be
drowned This treatment destroyed
what little returning reason she had,
and she once more began to believe that
she was in eternity, and that all the pa
tients were devils. One day she came
to her room door and said, Il am the
Lord, thy God" and the nurse, Joanna,
struck her full blow on the side of the
face. She had partly regained her rea-
son, and was once more able to feel the
cruel treatment. The nurses knocked
her about so that at length she had
made up her mind to resent their blows.
She was at the hydrant drinking, one
day, when Joanna entered and ordered
her out She flung the drinking cup at
the nurses face and started to run. The
nurse grabbed her by the hair, which
was loose down her back, tripped her to
the floor and dragged her up and down
the hall, until her head was SO sore she
could not touch it with her hands.


The nurses seemed to delight in driv-
ing the patients about without their
clothing on. One day Joanna forced
Mrs. Dawson to disrobe before a win
dow, in full view of number of boys
who were in the nursery. When fresh
food was sent to her by her husband,
the nurses hid it and ate it. As she
was recovering, her husband sent her a
quantity of porter. She had one glass
of it, which the nurse pretended was a
favor from herself -


Mrs. Dawson said that the treatment
of the aged and crippled insane women
was too horrible to speak of One Grip
pie, Mrs. Dickens, was often neglected
for day at time, and given neither
food nor water. When another patient
carried water to her she was punished
for it. Mrs. Murphy, one of the nurses,
was kinder to the patients than her as
sociate She gave meat and butter to
the sick, and divided her own food some
times but Joanna Slack had no such
commendable trait. She selected all
that was good and ate it. Mrs. Dawssn
also complains that as she was recover
ing she was thrown into the strait jack
ct, and tied down until she was almost
crazed again by the treatment, and when
she was released from the jacket the
cords had almost cut through her flesh.
As she told the story of the cruelty her
eyes were full of tears. She said that
every day she thought Of the poor old
women there who were at the mercy of
the nurses. Mrs. Dawsen's friends feed
the nurses. expecting that she would be
well treated. They learned afterward
that when nurse discovers that a pa
TENTS friends were able to pay fees, it
was deliberate system of cruelty which
she carried out. that the patient might
be kept insane. and consequently re-
main profit to the nurse in charge.
, Further inquiry disclosed the fact that
the two nurses spoken Of were discharg-
ed soon after Mrs. Dawson's release, On
the demand of a well-known local poll
tician, who threatened to tear the roof
off the asylum if his demand was not ac-
ceded to-


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