TELEGRAPHIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1501, 5 October 1883, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

Press Association. •

„ : Auokiakd, Friday.. . llii). following particulars regnrdiug the lunatioasylufn tragedy have transpired. The occurrence' happened not in '■. the cell but in a day room in the east end of the bill, which although it contained beds, fa as a breakfast and dining room for dangerous patients. Forty-two men usually dine in this room, who cannot l)£i -truiled with knife, fork, or spoon, fhey are. supplied with what is called spoon diet, that is: potatoes are mashed aud meat chopped up. Owing to special instructions regarding Schnell he wai the last admitted in to the breakfast room when all the others were sealed. There' were four attendants present at breakfast, and Hardy, the bead warder, made, a personal inspection at 8 o'clock, and found all right. Sohnall was not even sitting ai the same table with Mills. There was a table between them, and so far as could be jjathered, no communication passed between them, and they sat at extienie corners. The duly of attendant Mcßedy who had charge of the ward wbb to see the ward cleared out and pationls sent in to' the airing court and the place locked up before he went to breakfast. He sap-he cleared Mills, and Schnell out with the other patients and looked the place np, but the difficulty ia to reconcile this with the faots which occurred. MoKedy has been suspended pending the result of the inquest. The tragedy occurred in the day room whioh was supposed to be lucked, and yet Mills and Austrian must have been there. The assault wis committed at the extreme end of the ward, in ihe passage six feet wide, d'n one "do of which were the attendants wins, the outlet being to the airing ' jourt, Schnell apparently picked up the leavy deck scrubber broom used for icrubbiiig the oilcloth in the passages, ind following up his victim struck him j violently on the back of the bead, fricturng the skull and smashing the brush off ' he handle. He then proceeded to belabor ' ns victim with the handle, A patient ( lamed Edwin Jolly avers that he saw i ichnell break tho scrubber over Mills' f lead, and then belabor hira with the t landle. Schnell when asked why be •tacked' Mils sajs it was to prevent ' wearing. He is quite coherent except; ] 'ben conversation tufns.on his homicidal i fiiulflnnifis ] j