WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 361, 10 March 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

The- evidence for the defence, in thw Wellington Asylum Enquiry has continued during the week, the principal being the following :• — Jos. William, Gray, secretary employed at the Asylum since October 1 last*- I remember an interview in the office between Mr Richard Shaw-, and the superintendent. The latter havieur was very civil indeed. Thomas Little, a warder, said—l left the Asylum a day or two ago. The witness Schultzs was, considered a. violent patient by all the attendants.. One morning about IS months ago, Schultze took some porridge which did not belong to him, and when asked to give it up, refused to do. so. He caught the cook, a warder, by the throat, and a scuffle-ensued, and Schultze threw cook down on the month

Trap l very noisy during the night, and I €ar. ig out to hirn that he was to keep qui let. On reprimanding him the following ; morning, he raised a chamber utensil •wit .h the object of throwing it at me, but I p irevented him from doing so. He the n caught me by the legs, spat in ray fac s, and bit me on the hand. I believe &£ patients always got the food ,pLj scribed by the scale, but whether that is s nfficient er not X cannot say. ( Dross examined —We did not strike Spl mltze with our hands, nor did we tic! i him on the occasion alluded to. c lames 'Francis Harvey, a warder, saic I—l have been in Asylum iqr the last three years. Prior to that T •was in the hospital. Once I was called to a asist Whitelaw to remove a patient, A. Fearon (since dead), who was atru ggling and clutching at the door. No ■* violence was used towards him, nor town irds the patient J. A nderson who got his e iye blackened. It was a year ago last Good Friday. I was near the glass door about 3 o’clock in the afternoon when i I heard scuffle in the passage, wher e I saw another patient named X&uir a powerful man, kneeling on And« irson. I dragged him off. For the r emainder of the afternoon Anderson W running up and down the passage, X)ang. ing his head on the “ day room ” door. Muir is a very irritable man. It wa • not true that the patient Max Alex< wider was left in a chair saturated with i fater from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and was p armitted by me to go for a drive while in that wet condition. I have ®o rec Election of having ill-used him or .allowe d anybody else to do so. Regarding th t food there is always a sufficient .quantity. I have the same allowance -as the patients. To i blie Chairman- The treatment of rpatien ts in the back ward differs from the tre ;atment of the other patients in this inspect. The “back” patients .lave n o knives and forks, and are excluded from the use of the billiard-table, I never • knew of a patient who was not -violent dr refused to work being putin a cell. 1. understand that Gannon is in -the" “ I tack ” for refusing to work, I .don’t k now of any patient being put ■there fo r punishment. The attendants •werenot; told why patients were put there. ;I don’t think the bath was ever used for 'punislin lent. I have stood in the cold -shower bath, and by merely getting in comer escaped the shower. Robert Doig, an attendant, said ; I 'have dee ain the Asylum since October, -and perfectly recollect the dispute between PchnUze and.O’Connor, in the billiardrooisi. O’Connor, addressing Schultze, ;6aid “If you don't let those cock--spa trows alon°, I’ll break your head.” This brought on a fight. Assisted by Failed,! separated them, and Schultze was: marched to tlie lavatory. No viol ence was used in separating them. 1 Jermann Yon Stovevon, Jewish rabbi •saic L . I have occasionally visited the As} dura, during the past three years and -n-hialf. There I saw a patent named Mr x Alexander, who has told me, wht never he could speak, that he was ■treated well. I made it a rule to visit the Asylum about U o’clock in the -m«r ting. The patients appeared to be treated well. Fearon also told me that he n ras satisfied with the treatment he ireceiived. C ross-examined ; When I visited the path mts I was always accompanied by 3lr 1 jYhitelaw or some of the attendants. I ha $ no opportunity of entering the Asyl am unannounced and seeing what actus illy went on there in the absence -of an y of the officials. I cannot say -what went on daring ray absence. Jolhn Edward Hayes, plumber, said ; lam generally employed to do the plumbing work at the Asylum, and have been t here at work during the past five or •six wcieks.. I have had full opportunity of see Lng the Asylum, which so far as I -could Bee is carried on much better now - than i t was before Whitelaw’s t ; noe. The .-attendants generally exhibited more forbea ranee to the patients than I should ■ have dlone. The old shower-bath, which •has been alluded toby previous witnesses -was 2‘ I inches square, and the “ rose ” -was about a dozen inches across. You could not stand in the bath without the water «joining down on you, but if you put yo ur face in a comer very little water ► could x satch your head. Cro;3s-examined ; The tank which •supplie d the shower-bath - was a 400gallon one. It was not impossible for • cruelty to take place in the Asylum even •while I! was within tne walls of the • establishment. It is 12 months since ! exam ined the bath. ,