WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 357, 26 February 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

STARTLING DISCLOSURES. The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times telegraphing on February 22ad and 23rd says . The Lunatic "Asylum inquiry has assumed a movt startling phase, and the latest evidence is creating a most profound sensation. The following extraordinary disclosures have been made : Henry Schultz, jun., said —I have been several times in the Asylum. The last time I received pretty good treatment as compared with what I met with on previous occasions. One morning during my last stay I came down to breakfast, when Cook, one of the attendants, said, “Here’s your porridge” I replied, “ Thank you,” and was about to take the porridge when it was withdrawn, and I was set upon by three attendants —Cook, Little, and Harvey. They kicked me on the head and body, one after the other, while I lay on the ground. Traces of the bruises still remain. On another occasion a patient came up to me and said, “ Schutlz, don’t be throwing your cock sparrows at me.” I took do notice of him at first, but as lie began to fight me I defended myself, whereupon Carrol or Farrel, an attendant interfered, held me down, and after wards dragged me along the lawn. I complained of the occurrence to Whitelaw, Dr France, and Dr Skae. While 1 was in the Asylum the second time I went up one day to Duggan, an assistant, to assist him in putting his braces on. He knocked me down, and together with two other attendants, kicked me about. After that I was dragged to a dark cell, stripped of all my clothes except my shirt, and left there in agony till next morning I had the greatest difficulty in moving. The pain I endured was so great that I did not know what to do with myself. I passed blood. Once I saw a patient named Davis abused. The attendants struck him with their fists, and one of them, Riley, threw him into a hath with such force as to break his nose Cross-examined —Have never been in trouble for assaulting people outside the Asylum. I am not subject to delusions You are trying to excite me. I was one of the quietest in the Asylum, and never was the first to assault or offefid anyone. Do not remember returning to the Asylum of my own accord on one occasion, saying 1 had come back because I had been made comfortable there. They brought on my “trouble” in the head by il[treating me at the Asylum. William MTntosh (a voluntary witness), shoemaker, said —I was a patient • at the Asylum about three years ago. It was in Whitelaw’s time. Ever since I have been liberated I have felt perfectly well as regards my intellectual faculties, although, thanks to'Whitelaw, not as regards my physical abilities. 1 first entered the Asylum about May, 1878. Just before that I had been working at a mill at Picton. A short distance Horn tho mill was a publichouse, to which I paid more frequent visits than were good for me. Shortly after entering the Asylum I ran away, and was brought hack. The officers si ripped me nude, and put me in a back ward where all noisy and turbulent patients are kept. The food wc had was very indifferent. It consisted of something supposed to be tea and what was termed “ bread and scrape.” 1 was kept in a cell b} 1, myself, but was privileged to walk up and, down the damp brick courtyard for a short time each day. Then I escaped again. I was caught again. A warder named Roberts, a cruel and vindictive man. stripped mo of my clothes and put mo into a straight jacket. I was put to bed about seven o’clock, and fell asleep from fatigue. About half-past fen I was disturbed. Whitelaw, accompanied by Cook and Carrol (the latter is now in the police force), came in with lanterns. The former said, “ Where is the b 1 ’' Cook and Canol then stripped me as naked as on the day 1 was born, and thrust me into a shower bath—a little box scarcely sufficient to turn round in. Whitelaw, smelling strongly of brandy, then turned the tap on, remarking, “ D you, you b , I’ll teach you to run away from the Asylum.” Ten minutes after the tap was turned off, and Whitelaw laughed at me from the outside. He afterwards turned the water on again. The ordeal was very painful. He gloried in it, and one would not believe the cruelty he is capable of. He is Satan in the form of flesh. After a lapse of twenty minutes or so I was taken out of the bath and led naked across a yard into a cell, where I was given a dilapidated mattress, a couple of so-called blankets, and what had once been a counterpane. It was many hours before I got heat into my body. I was kept in the cell fourteen days and nights, with only the straightjacket, a pair of old socks, and a pair of trousers on. It was in winter time. The bed was taken out of the cell every morning, and there was nothing to sit down on the floor. After I got out of this cell I saw Warder Roberts in the dining-room, and I expressed my surprise that he aided Whitelaw in his inhuman and unchristianlike conduct. Roberts thereupon took bold of me and threw me on the table, stunning me for a minute or two, and inflicting a wound near the eye, the trace of which exists at the present moment.

I asked Dr France for a bandage for it, but he did not give me one. I was next placed in the back and assaulted by the warder. In complaining to Whitelaw he said it would have served me d d well right if they had knocked my head. in. A third time I managed to effect an escape, and this time I got os far as the East Coast. There 1 obtained employment on Sutherland’s station as cook for the shearers. I remained there five weeks, and the money 1 earned I brought to Wellington, and gave to my wife here. I interviewed the Rev. J. Paterson', minister of the church 1 belonged to, respecting my release, and he advised me to get a certificate of sanity from a physician. Shortly afterwards, while . passing the police station at Greytowo, I was arrested and immediately sent back to the Asylum, There I was locked up in a coll by myself, and not allowed to go out except for a few minutes exercise each day across the damp courtyard for six weeks, when through my wife’s intercession with Governor Normanby, I was released from the institution altogether. During my final sojourn there I was* kept without flesh meat for three days. Two of my little children died. I asked to be allowed to see them before they died. My application was refused. Had it not been for my wife’s interview with Governor Normanby I should most likely be in the Asylum at present. On being liberated I went to Dr Skae to complain of Whitelaw’s behaviour in keeping two smita of clothes which belonged to me. He gave me a cheque for five guineas. While in the asylum I was only allowed to see my wife three times ; even wlnn my children died they refused her admission. - Cross-examined —i would not have run awav had White!aw been 4 human person. He had two screws made especially for me; They were fixed to the straight, jacket, and were intended to prevent my moving my arms. The Commissioners here expressed a desire to interrogate Mrs Mclntosh, who was present in the Court. Hannah Mclntosh, wife of the previous witness, said —I remember my husband being committed to the Asylum. I only saw him thee times while he was there. I went to see him oftener, but they toid me I could not see him. 1 was refused at least twice. I saw him once when he had the screws on his straight-jacket ; he was perfectly quiet, and talked quite rationally.- 1 was never left alone with him. There was always a warder or Whitelaw present at our interviews, Since his disch rge he has conducted himself as an ordinary person would. He has had rheumatics in the head cccasiontdly since his release. Once I went up with my little boy to see him—the little boy that was dying. They would not allow an interview. (The witness her.) breke down, but presently recovered, and continued her evidence.) I was told lie would be kept in for punishment if he again tried to escape. Once I tried to see him, but after knocking at the Asylum door for some time I had to go away again, because no one would open it. Another time I have sat on the doorsteps all night. I had to be assisted by the Benevolent Institution. (The remainder of the witness’ evidence corroborated that given by her husband.) A gardner named Blackmore said ; Last February, while taking a walk near the Asylum, I saw a female attendant ill-treat a female patient. She knocked the patient on the knees and head with an umbrella, Subsequently I saw another attendant come to the other’s assistance. They tore her hair, twisted her arms, and dragged her along the road. 1 reported the matter to the policeman standing m front of the new town Police-station. The constable observed wbat I had stated, and reported to Mr Mansford, R.M., the following day. An enquiry was held on the fourth of March. I went up to the Asylum to see Dr Skae about Whitelaw, and was treated in a most insolent manner. Dr Skae acted as president at the inquiry, which however, appeared to bo conducted by Mr Whitelaw. The whole enquiry was a complete farce. The matter was quitely extinguished as far as I could judge. Dr Skae commenced the proceedings by remarking that he considered the attendant s word as good as mine. Tue Newton constable (Phaer) reported the matter to the inspector of police, and his report corroborated my evidence. Wra. MTntosh recalled, deposed, “I said I had been confined in a dark cell for 14 days and nights. I was not only confined in a dark cell, once before this I was kept in an adjacent cell for 13 days, and while there was treated with inhumanity and cruelty. My food was passed through a small aperture in the wall, as if intended for n wild beast. In the Asylum a patient named Coleman was once brutally used by Brown, an attendant. On reprimanding Brown for his cruelty, he told me to go to h adding that he would do the same to me if I did not hold my tongue. Mary Mahoney, an ex-attendant, said . I left the Asylum in December last. I was there about a year find nine months, and I have seen Whitelaw entei the private cells of female patients. On one occasion my attention was drawn to a cell occupied by a female named Foley, She was not clothed. I concluded she bad torn off her clothes. Whitelaw and she were in ail alone. I reported the circumstances to Miss Sugden. She remarked, “Nevermind we will see what can be

done when Whitelaw, comes down.” I said, “But the woman has got no clothes on.” Miss Sugden replied, “ Never mind, it is what ho has been used to.” Presently Whitelaw came down, and then he and; Mias Sudgen went together to the cell. On other occasions I have seen Whitelaw take female patients into cells -ttOjjmt them in—l mean, sometimes he cluji so unassisted Ho put-Mrs-Clarke in her cell by himself, she screaming oiil, and ha used' his hands and knees to her. It was a common occurrence, for patients to be without bread. Frequently attendants had gone without bread themselves in order to let the patients have theirs. Some times a few patients hud to go without italtogether. Circumstances like this I have reported to the Matrons. William Dean, bricklayer, said ; Recently I was working on the hill-sid&.oyer-looking the Asylum grounds, when my attention was directed, fo the building by a series of screams. On looking round I saw an attendant at the back of the building raise his hand and knock down a male patient. After he was down the attendant struck him three or four times on the head as hard as he could. A (lay or so later I saw a warder beat a lunatic with a pick. I should say the attendant beat the lunatic at least thirty times with the pick. The lunatic made no resistance. Alfred De Norville said : Four years ago 1 was night-watchman at the Asylum. I remember the witness MTntosh being there. I also remember bis cold showerbath, which, to the best of my recollection lasted 20 minutes. He was screaming the whole of the time. , John William Rickman, expressman said : My mother has been an inmate of. the Asylum for the last 26 years. It is now four years since I saw her. Paring those four years I have made four different attempts to see her. They were unsuccessful. Three times I was told she was not fit to he seen. Two other times I was refused admission because it was a Sunday, not a visiting day, although X had been in the habit of going on Sundays many years previously. To go on a visiting day would have necessitated the loss of a day’s work. The cross-examinadon was unimportant. Thomas Poynter, fireman, said:l left the Asylum five weeks ago. 1 have seen patients fight. Once they were set to fight. An attendant nodded to a patient, and said to another, “Go on, George, he is good enough for you. They then set-to, ard oire gave the other a black eye. I felt thoroughly-disgusted Whenjl went , there I was told to keep myself qul|/t> and > take liitls notice of what took place ; that they had a padded room, and I might find myself there if I did not look out. If I had stopped there very long, Pjslionld have been an out-and-out lunatic. Another time I saw an attendant thrash a darkieS and throw a boot at him. The bath performances were hurried through as quickly as possible. The patients were sluiced with buckets of water, and run through with the greatest expedition I was treated, fairly myself. I was a quite man but if I interfered at all it would have been reported that a turn for the worse bad set in. and I should have been put at the back. Convicts are better fed and treated than lunatics. The food was not only deficient, but sometimea was so repulsive that it could not be eaten.

Some very remarkable experiments which have taken place lately at the entrance of the North Harbor Peterhead, are described by the Dundee Advertiser as having been attended with very satisfactory results. Bottles, filled with oil. were sunk to the bottom of the harbor, in which the seas were breaking heavily. The oil was then released, and rising to the surface, it exercised an immediate and magical effect in smoothing the troubled waters. Instead of the waves breaking, the sea became quite smooth and glassylooking, and there was a visible softeningdown of the waves, which in place of being sharp-crested, were turned into long undulating seas. The opinion of those who witnessed the experiments was that if by the use of a simple invention of Mr Shields, of Mr Perth, oil can be laid on continuously by pipes to the bars of all exposed harbors, it will be quite possible to smooth down the stormy waves so as to enable vessels to gain port in safety even amidst the fiercest storms. A correspondent writing to the Daily Times says that a simple preventive of the ravages of linnets and sparrows is to the portions of » paddock nearest th* fences, say about a chain, with horned or bearded wheat. The spikes act as fixed bayonets, and not a bird, of the smaller kind at any rate, will venture to touch them, and, as your readers are aware, it is around the edges where 1 the mischief is done. I had no idea until yesterday that bearded wheat was ex own in the colony, or J. would have suggestion earner-; nut a gentleman with whom 1 travelling.. informs me that he is this it, and so it is no doubt eas.ly * By adopting P nd in- the fences P ro P er, > '"gilding,' attending to the eaves of the h these birds may be prevented . coming a nuisance, and P erfo V hioh miuished numbers those funcho , nature assigns to them — t(ia | the insect tribes, which in D layi unhappy Western States of Amofi. - ( such irremidiable havoc- ' . \