SHOCKING CHARGES
SUNNYSIDE mm, i THE INQUIRY OPENED, DEATHS OF PATIENTS. , ' RELATIVES' ALLEGATIONS' (Br Telegraph—Press Association.) Chrlstchurcli, September 25„ ' j To-day Mr. V, G, Day, acting iff pursuance of a Royal Commission, open-' ed tlio inquiry into the treatment, at' the Sunnysido Mental Hospital, or tlio l lato Wm. Alexander Tribe, tie lata' James Howio, the lato Sidney Lionel Barrett, Lowib Allan Gourlay, and Daniel Horlihy. Mr, J. W. Dougall appeared on behalf of tlio rolative of the late Wm. Alexander Tribe, and Mr, G. S. Raymond on behalf of Drs. W. Baxter, Gow, and ltamsbottom. Itwas agreed that Drs. Gow and- Rams-' bottom should give their evidence after! the other evidence in all cases had been heard. Mr. T, H. Davey, M.P., conducted the case in respect to the lato James Howie, and called evidence. John Howio, second son of the lata James Howie, gave ovidenco that when his father entered tho Sunnysido Men-] tal Hospital ho was in excellent physi-j' cal condition. When, however, witness and his brother visited their father fcur! weeks after his admission they found) him wasted away. Ho said that ho' had received several thrashings, and' both his eyes were blackened. Hio' statement was that ho had got the' black eyes by. stumbling' over his mnt« tress. He 'wafc at that time sevontytliree years of age. When speaking with witness, deceased seemed perfectly rational. He stated that somo of the attendants ill-used him, but other* treated him well. "Terrible Change in His Father," Witness went 011 to say that at tho time of 1 the interview deceased was in a dirty condition, and his clothes wero neither well fitting, warm, nor comfortable. Deceased's relatives wrote to Dr.Gow, complaining of tho condition in which they found their father, and, a a a result, deceased was allowed tho uso 1 ,of his own clothes. Witness callcdl .later, and found such a terrible changa i in his father that ho did not recognisehim when they brought him into tho corridor. Dcceasod was very ill, and' should not have been, allowed out of bed. When the attendants moved him' ho screamed with pain. Ho complained of being beaten by tho attendants. Do< ceased was not sane enough to enable witness to place complete relianco ori his statements, but there was no' doubt that tlioro was somo foundation for hi*. assertions. I On tho day, continued the witness,' beforo deceased died, the attendants brought him out into tho corridor to sea him. Ho noticed that his father waft! ill-cared for and ill-nourished, and] should have been in bed; Three weeks' beforo ho died, deceased told witnessthat somo of tho attendants wora "hounds," but ono or two of them wera very decent fellows. 1 To Mr. Raymond: Drs. Orohard and Fenwick certified for liis father's ro«, rooval to Suunyside ,on information supJ plied by witness. _ ' Mr. Raymond then read the medical certificates, which detailed tho nature of deceased's derangement, and stated that deceased had threatened his wifo' with an axe, and had tliroatonod crim--inal assault against other persons. Hej also road from tho Sunnysido Hospital' case-book, which described deceased's; physical condition as very feeble, audi stated that ho was suffering from senilo' mania. Witness (Howio), continuing, said that ho made no verbal complaints while at tho hospital regarding the lack! of nursing and lack of attention shownhis fatlior. Ho was too muoh shocked ito do anything. 1 Robort L. Donaldson said that he wrote several, letters to Mr. Davey off tho subject of Howie's condition. i
"Had the Look of a Hauntod Animal.'*! Mr. Davey read an extract from ono{ of tlieso letters v.'liioh was aft follows: — "Wo took him away a clean, upstanding old man and, when at tno end' of tho month vrc got permission to seo him. I got the greatest shock of my life._ Thov kept us waiting for a considerablo time, and lio was brought to us leaning on tlie arm of a warder. His fnco was covered with black bruises. Ho had on someone else's clothos, and an old nair of dirty boots oil his feet. He had tho look of a Inmtcd animal, awl cried out to me in his anguish: 'Oh, Bob, why didn't you come sooner P My God, if you only knew bow I have suffered from the • lioundsl They have knocked mo about something awful' ! Then hfi broke down, completely. Ho looked' so 'dreadful that' I_ advised Mrs. Howie not, to see him." , Witness, continuing, said that hd. wrote to Dr. Gow on tho subject of ,tn» treatment of deceased, but _ received no- 1 reply. Deceased knew witness wel\ enough, and it was reasonable to sup*! poso that ho knew tho warders as 1 well. Deceased accused none of the at-i 1 tendants by name. The room in which l deceased was kept at Sunnvsido way quite unsuitable. Deceased had a rnat-i tress on tho floor, and his clothing was* quite unsuitable for an old man in sucrel a physical' condition. The boots sitpV nlied to deceased wore an insult to his family. Deceased had a delusion tliati the Sunnyside Asylum was a gaol, nnrt that witness had sont liim there. De< ceased was incapable of looking alter, himself, and ho was dirty through tlief, neglect, oT those who should liavo look-' ed°after him. When witness last saw deceased lie complained of swollen feof,t and a sore spine. Sunnyside was not' a mental hospital as most people uiwi derstood tho term. Dr. Orchard had advised witness against sending decease ed there. , , . To Mr. Raymond : W'tnoss visited de< ceased tliroo tinios at Sunny-sido. Tho Visitor and tho Warder. Witness (oontinuing his stated that ho had had to wait front ton to fifteen minutes on each occasion boforo lie oould seo deceased, aiid was allowed fen or fifteen minutes with him.' He bad 110't complained about having to wait ,to seo deceased. Tho chief> warder wasted some of witnessos's timo with deceased 7 by explaining how dc*-' ceascif met witl'i his injuries, and tins' struck witness that the object was ttf cover up something. Mr. Raymond: Do you suggest that thorn was conspiracy between tho war* Witness replied that ho mad© no such' charge. Ho hadinado no comnlaint to nuyono in authority. Ho had, however, complained to a. warder named Fan-on tliat deceased was not being properly To the Gommisslonor: While in tho institution deceased was dressed 111 an old tweed suit. It_ was not his own, and it did not fit him. Daughter's Allegations. Isabella Donaldsqn, eldest daughter of deceased, said tliat wlion she visited tho institution after lior father's admission she found deceased' very, much wasted. Ho complained of being kicked and thrashed. Witness asked the warder wliat deceased meant by saying that, but tho warder passed it off with a joice. Deceased was a very truthful jxiai), and was not likoly to maksc foUo
charges against anyone. He died in a placo that could not have boon worse if lie had been a criminal in gaol. An old man like deceased required nursing, and it was downright cruelty to compel him to get dressed and got out of bed daily. Deceased was not of dirty' habits arid,'if lie had any at Sunnysido, ho had contracted them thero. To Mr. Raymond: When witness was at Sunnysido tflio warders appeared to liar.to treat deceased very kindly. They seemed to like. him. and called him "Dad." Her complaint was that the institution wa3 quite unsuited to such a patient). One of Hie warders had told witness's brother that deceased should be in a padded sell—he was at times so violent. Deceased "could not ihavo got tho black oyoa by falling over tho mattress in his room, as there were no projections in the room to inflict the injury.' ..... SECOND CASE. DEATH OF SIDNEY- BARRETT. Mr. Davoy' also conducted the case in regard to the lato Sidney Lionel Barrett, and called evidence. Nellio Habgood, sister of deceased, said that sho interviewed Dr. Ramß'hottom concerning her brother while he was in tho institution,'and. com'muni.cated t6 the doctor a statement by deceased that lie wasi unable to at might, and wa3 suffering from suicidal mania. Her brother killed himself in the hospital on account of his' sleeplessness. , Ho laid his head under a dray, but the' exaat details of his death were never mado known to witness. t She ihad pressod tho .Sunnysido for details, but Was treated in fin insolent manner, and refused tlie information she sought.' Sho had been told •that deceased was placed in a cell near Lionel Terry, who -shouted out all night. ; Sho understood that an inquest had been held. , Tho commissioner said that he would Bend to Wellington for_...the depositions.. ;• . , ' r .l ' "Witness, continuing,; said «fhat, after •her brother's death, she saw Dr. Gow, and questioned 'him about it. Dr. Gow ihad said that lie was the time, it wa3 evident ho did not know tho facts. The Patient's Death. To Mr. Raymond: Deceased was takon to .Sunnysido from the Lyttel,ton Gaol. Sho. did not know that he had twice attempted to commit suicide On tho Thursday which her brother' met with tho accident at Sunnyside witness did not visit the institution. On Saturday they received a telegram from Dr. Gow announcing her brother's death, and a little later a letter arrived announcing the accident. Sho^ did not blame the institution authorities for her brother's death, but sho blamed them for not . allowing hor brother a chance to sleep, and for knocking him about in his cell because lie walked about at night. . Mr. Raymond hero read from a certificate by Dr. Dimond, in which it was stated that; Barrett, said he had been suffering from insomnia for many said that she had seen Dr. Ramshottom in regard to getting; W <hrotlior a chance to sleep quietly at night.
More Statements Regarding Warders. Ada Eugene Payne, sister of deceased, said that she could corroborate the eviderico of the last witness. Witness had asked the _ doctor to let deceased havo some liquid food. Ho was in a terribly weak and wasted condition—so weak that tho .institution authorities could not give him any employment. They refused to lot him have the liquid food. Mrs. 'Hapgood said that deceased had complained that the warders teased him. They would not let him have a change of clothes, telling liim that he was not going to livo long. Mrs. Payne (recalled) said that _ a warder spoke to her brother harshly in her presence because she gave her brother a bottle of rasnborry vinegar. Tlie warder was afraid that her brother would break the bottle and out his throat. Her brother told witness that ho was going fo commit suicide by putting his head under a .dray, but she did not tell the warder, because she was afraid that " the latter would illtreat her brother.
On resuming after the luncheon adiournment, Mr. Raymond asked (on behalf of Miss M'Loan. assistant inspector of mental hospitals), that an opportunity should he riven' to Miss M'Lean to receive a reply from the Inspector-General in Tespcct to legal representation of the Department before tho onse was proceeded with. It appeared to Miss M'Lean that the inquiry was extending over rather a wider scono than was originally meditated. It had not heen confined to investigation of specific charges. Tho Commissioner said that the scopo of the inquiry .was wide enough 'to rover the question of Departmental administration. Tho inouiry wa« adjourned till 10.30 \®n tho following day.
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Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1865, 26 September 1913, Page 7
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1,918SHOCKING CHARGES Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1865, 26 September 1913, Page 7
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