Year: 1875

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Editor Dispatch: Through your paper,
by the publication of my letter to DIR.
Weed, the public first became aware
of the movement on foot having in view
the correction of certain alleged abuses
in the management of the inmates Of
the Insane Asylum. Therefore I AJAX
the privilege of presenting to the public
through the same medium, brief re-
view Of the late "Investigating Com
mittee" and their report. = t


1 hold that the Governor and Auditor
haye failed to cause fair and impartial
investigation of the management of the
Asylum affairs, as requested by the
Medical Society of the Territory.
make this charge Notwithstanding the
report of the Committee that is going
the rounds of the papers.


This Committee was appointed months
after the demand was made for an inves-
tigation. No active member of the
Medical Association was consulted in
sele cting the committee. nor the manner
of conducting the investigation nor the
time set for its meeting. not a single
witness was notified of the meeting until
after the committee had already arrived
on the ground. I had, and still ha1 9.
reason to believe that the contractor
himself designated some, if not the ma
jolity of the committee, and was notified
some weeks before it met Just who would
compose it and the time of its meeting.
Two oe the members of the committee,
Drs. Ballard and Kellogg arrived on the
ground and took up their quarters at
Mr.. Harmon's house. two days before
the time appointed for the committee to
convene. With the exception Of Mr.
Judson, who lives in Steilacoom, all of
them made Mr.. Harmon's house thtir
headquarters during the labors of the
committee, and refused to transact the
business for which they were appointed
elsewhere than in the parlor or sitting
room of Harmon's private residence;
although assured that witnesses were
unwilling 10 come there to testify. After
the Sheriff had refused to subpoena
witnesses, l consented to notify such
witnesses as were living in the vicinity,
and cited to the committee such evil
dence as was at hand. knowing that the
written evidence already in their hands
was quite sufficient to convince any fair
minded men that the management of
the Asylum cried aloud to every feeling
of humanity for correction.


During the session of this committee
some of its members frequently spoke
lisparagingly Of witnesses and denoun-
ced their testimony before they had an
opportunity of hearing them at all. At
the beginning of their session they
promise me that they would examine
the testimony of convalescent patients,
(which is always customary and never
omitted in the inspection of Asylums
elsewhere); near the close of their la
bors they refused to hear the testimony
of any convalescent patient, under any
circumstances; many of whom can make
just as coherent and correct statement
of what transpires under their own OBJ
servations, relative to the treatment OF
themselves and others, as any member
of that committee can make on any sub
ject. One of these patients whom ]
desired to have testify, had been acting
as assistant warden for months, furnish
ed with the keys of the ward and given
authority over the other patients. end
thereby saving the contractor forty OF
fifty dollars month, in addition to the
81 cents per day which he receives from
the Territory for the keeping of this
patient; while other patients are con-
sidered sufficiently sane to serve in the
kitchen in the place of Cinnamon, OIL
other help that the contractor would
otherwise have to provide to do this
work.


The committee said that all the char
ges worthy of consideration were based
on events that occurred here before ]
came here and during DR.. HeDrenway's S
time. ! asked the committee to get
through with these and then I would
tettify. This they consented to do
Just at the time set for hearing my tes-
timony, a messenger arrived, begging
my immediate attendance upon very
sick patient. little son of Mr.. Frank
Clark, of Stelacoom, who was lying at
the point of death, as Drs. Ostrander
and Ballard well knew. having seen'this
patient with me the day previous and
recognized his critical condition. I WIS.,
tied this patient and returned in less
than one hour from the time left, and
offered then to testify, but these gentle
men refused to hear my testimony at
the House, stating that they would finish
their labors at Steilacoom, ON that af-
ternoon. 1 then requested them to call
and take the testimony of Mrs. Ensign.
the Matron Of tn, institution, before
they left the Asylum, as she could not
well leave the patients under her charge
alone while she followed the committee
to Steilacoom to sive in her testimony.
This they refused to do, also, in lam
guage more forcible than polite, and
shortly afterwards passed by ON their
way to Steilacoom, within twenty steps
Of the building occupied by the Matron
and female patients.