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MAN'S INHUMANITYAWFlIs COMMTION OF \FF*IliS I\Is A CHOSRK AS\L! H.1 viTeiitfuntIon of tii#* MflnntrevufBt cil the La C’ro**t* Fount}’ I it* him* Any.lu in Hotfnln Some ^oiiMiKiovmlTeMiimony — Former fKui|loe« Te*tif That l*nf lent* Were Knocked Ikivfn and Kief%e«l n imI Im|irfnoned for Tlilrtf^ix lloiiri Without Food—Itu rbn roiiM Treatment.La Crosse, Wis., Jan. 27.—The investigation of the management of the La Crosse county insane asylum began in West Salem yesterday. Some of the testimony was sensational,Martin Lyden, a former employe, who, together with F. B. Smith, extrustee, preferred about thirty of the charges against Supt. McK,own, toldof the latter’s knocking down a harmless patient named Chase and who kicked him in the face and stomach; he also told of the superintrndcnt ordering two patients to be locked up thirty-six hours without food., The witness saw Lizzie Hefnze, an attendant, hold the head of a patient named Swenson in a pail of soapsuds until she whs nearly strangled because she could not understand English and, therefore, could not obey the attendant's orders. In reply to a question as to the* quality of food used In the asylum the witness said the patients were fed on barley coffee, sour bread and meat that could be smelled all over the kitchen. Several other witnesses testified along similar lines. *Mrs. Scales of La Crosaf, a former employe, testified that the coffee was frequently mixed with rye, and the latter was kept in the basement and the cats slept in it. One witness told about Walter Brown, the author of “Mitilene,” who died very suddenly in the asylum two weeks ago, being handcuffed and his arms lacerated to thebone. 'I s i|,Pi Jfi */“ j%.jf#Thomas Scales told of several instances of misusage of patients. One night five of the patients were frozen about different parts of the body on account of not being properly clothed. Several instances were e44-e4~where attendants did not receive their pay;also of the attendant In one of the wards being forced to leave forty or fifty patients to run the asylum laundry. In one case a patient named Putnam died while the attendant was away doing his work, »
Newspaper Details
Albert Lea Enterprise
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Wed, Jan 30, 1901
Page 1
Full Page
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La C.
WI, USA 11 Nov 2022
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