PRIVATE LUNATIC ASYLUMS:

Dunstan Times, Issue 410, 25 February 1870, Page 4 (Supplement)

PRIVATE LUNATIC ASYLUMS:

HOW PATIENTS ARE WALKED UPON AND KILLED. Writing to a contemporary upon the treatment or patients in private lunatic asylums, Mr. Charles BerrS, relates how the truth came to him when i-nqilir.fi ig how William Wilson had twelve ribs broken fat ts;n Lancaster County Asylum. He says:—-On the tin 1 January, ISSI, Barnes, a lunatic, died at Pcohham House with an arm and four ribs broken. people of the asylum stuck together, but Donnelly, a patient, revealed that Hill, a keeper, had brohoa the man’s bones. Hill was tried and convicted of manslaughter on Donnelly’s solo evidence, .the people of the asylum maintaining an obdurate, ■silence to the end. Late in July, 185S, Owen Swift, one 'of the patients in Hanwell, died of a broken breast bone and eleven riba, and ruptured liver. Varney, a patient, deposed that Swift waa more voluble than Slater, a keeper, approved. Slater said, “ Hold your noise.” Swift babbled on. Slater threw the poor man down and dragged him into the padded room, where he beat him severely. Swift waa not seen again foe three days, when, in presence of Varney, ho accused Slater to hia face of having maltreated ihim, and died that night. This evidence waa home out by the state of the body, and not rebutted, and yet the accused was sot free. Time, 18G2, at Hanwoll. Matthew Geoghegan, a patient, refused to go to bod. Jouea, a keeper, threw him down, and kicked him several times, beat him with a stick anti fire-shovel; then jumped on his knees on hia body; thou walked up and down on hia knees on hia body; of which the man died. Bone, a bricklayer, and cyo-witnosa of the homicide, swore to those facta. Dr. Jcphaon swore :—“ I think he died of plearo-pncumonia. I swear that I don’t know whether hia external injuries contributed to his death.” Verdict:—“ Deceased died after receiving certain injuries from external violence; but whether the death waa occasioned by natural causes, or by such violence, there waa not sufficient evidence to show.” About thia time my researches into the übnaoa of private aayluma bringing mo into contact with multifarious facta and evidence, induced mo to a Pply to some ox-keepora, who wore all agreed its this —that the keepers know how to break a patient’s bones without bruising the skin. The refractory patient is thrown down, and the keeper walka up and down him on hia knees, and jumps on his body kneoa downwards, until ho ia completely cowed. Should a bone or two bo broken it does not matter to the keepers: a lunatic complaining of internal injury ia not listened to. In these words is the key to the death of William "Wilson at Lancaster. I hope this last inquiry has not been weakly abandoned. It is a very shocking thing that both brute force and traditional cunning should bo emplojed against persona of weak understanding, and t! at they should be so often massacred, so seldom avenged. Mr. Charles Bead concludes by ollerii g .£IOO reward to any one who shall prove that , the death of William Wilson wm caused] by the fcV cruelty of the Iceepw- —i A