THE ASYLUM ENQUIRY.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 43, 22 February 1881, Page 2

THE ASYLUM ENQUIRY.

THIRD DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENTS. The investigation into the management of the Mount View Asylum was resumed at the R.M. Court at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, before the Royal Commission — Messrs. E. S-baw, R.M., W. W. Taylor and J. Woodward, J.P.'s. The complainant (Mr. J. H. Shaw) applied for and obtained summonses for the attendance of the following witnesses : — Mary Mahoney, Holland-street ; Gairdner BUckmore, Taranaki Place; and William Dear, Pirie-atreefc. He next proceeded to argue in favor of the evidence of a witness named Henry Sohultze, jon.,— formerly an inmate of the Asylum, and at present out on leave — being taken on oath. In support of his contenfciou, he quoted from "Taylor on Evidence," and cited the case " Regina v. Hill," Schultze was thereupon produced before the Commission, and, after answering a number of questions in an intelligent and rational manner, w*3 allowed to be sworn like the previous witnesses. Henry Schultze, jun., said : — I have been several times in the Asylum. In WhiteUw's time I was there three or four times. I was there last year and the year before. The last time I received pretty good treatment, as compared with what I met with on previous occasions. One morning— this was 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 I replied, '" Thank you," and was about to take the porridge, when it was withdrawn, and I was set upon by three attendants — Cook, Little, and Harvey.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, " Schultze7'don't be throwing your cook-sparrows at me." I took no notice of him at first, but as he began to fight me I defendel myself, whereupon Carrol, or Farrell, an attendant, interfered, held me down, and afterwards dragged me along the floor. I complained of the occurrence to Whitslaw, Dr. France, and Dr. Skae. While I was in the Asylum the secend time, I went up one day to Dnggan, an attendant, to assist him in putting on his braces. He knocked me down, and, together with two other attendants, kicked me about. After that I was dragged to a dark cell, 1 stripped of all my clothes except my Bhirt, and left there in agony til 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 earned Davies abased The attend*

ants struck him with their fists, and one of them— Riley — threw him into a bath with such- force as to break his nose. Crossexamined by Mr. Edwards— Have never been in trouble for assaulting people outside the Asylum. lam not subject to delusions. You are trying to excite mo. I was one of the quietest in the Asylum, and never was the first to assault or offend anyone. Do not remember returning to the Asylum of my own accord on one occasion, sayit>g I had come back because I had been made comfortable there. They brought on my " trouble" in the head by ill-treating me at the Asylum. William M'lntosh (a voluntary witness), shoemaker, said — At one time I was a patient at the Lunatic ABylum. That ia about three yeara ago. It was in Whitelaw's time. Ever since I have been liberated I have felt perfectly well as regards my intellectual faculties, though, thanks to Whitelaw, not as regards my physical abilities. I first entered the Asylum about May, 1878. Just before that I had been working at a mill at Picton. A short distance from the mill was a publiohouse, to which I paid more frequent visits than were good for mo. Shortly after entering the Asylum I ran away. I was brought back. The officers stripped me nude, and put me in the back ward, whero all the noisy and turbulent patients are kept. The food we had was very indifferent. It ' consisted of something supposed to betea.and what was termed " bread and scrape." I was kept in a cell by myself, bat privileged to walk up and down a damp, briok courtyard for a short time each day. Then I esoaped again. I was caught again. A warder named Roberta — a cruel and vindictive man — stripped me of my clothes and put me in a strait-jacket. I was put to bed about seven o'clock, and fell asleep from fatigue. About half -past 10 I was disturbed. Whitelaw, aocompanied by Cook and Carroll (the latter now in the police force), came in with lanterns. The former said, " Where ia the b P " Cook and Carroll then strippod mo as naked as the day I waß 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 afterwards 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. One would not believe the cruelty he is capable of. He is Satan in the form of flesh. After the lapse of twenty minutes or bo, I was taken out of the bath and led naked across a yard into a cell, where I was given a dilapidated mattrass, a couple of so-called blankets, and what had onoe been a counterpane. It WM many hours before I got heat in my body.^ I was kept in the cell fourteen days and nights, with only a strait-jaoket, a pair of old Books, and a pair of trousers on. It was in the winter time. The bed was taken out Of the cell every morning, and there was nothing to sit down on but the floor. After I got out of this cell, I saw the warden Roberta in we dining-room, and I expressed my surprise that he aided Whitehftr in his inhuman and un-Christianlike conduct. Roberta thereupon took hold of me and throw me on- the table. . stunning me for a minctp or two, and < inflicting a wound near the eye, Ihe^traoe. of whioh exists at the present m6meffß' i "I asked Dr. France for a bandage for it, but he did not give me ono. I was next placed in the ' ' back," and assaulted by the warders. On complaining to WhvbSßw he add it would havo served me d — r- well right if they had knocked my head in. A third time I managed to effect an (-scape, and this time I got as far as the East Coast. There I obtained employment on Mr. Sutherland's station as cook for the shearers. I remained. there , five weeks, and the money I earned I brought - to Wellington and gave to my wife. Here I interviewed the • itev. J. Paterson, then minister of the church I belongod to, res'* peoting my release, and he advised me to gotta certificate of sanity from a physician. Shortly afterwards, while passing the polioe station at Greytown, I was arrested and immediately sent back to the Asylum. There I was looked up in a oell by myself, and not allowed to go out, except for the few minutes' exercise eaoh day aoroas the damp court-yard, for bix weeks, when through my wife's intercession with Governor Normanby I was released from the institution altogether. During my fiual sojourn there I wat , kept without flesh-meat for three wholsr^. days. Two of my little children di«4a I asked to be allowed to see them before th«f died. My applications wererefusedw HsffJ it not been for my wife's interview wiu* Governor Normanby I should most likely b« in the Asylum at present. On beingUbetated I went to Dr. Skaeto complain of Whitwfcw'a behaviour in keeping two suits of clothes whioh belonged to me. He gavo me eftriheque for five guineas. While in the Asylum 1 was only allowed to sen my wife three times. Even when my children died they refused her admission. Cross-examined — I would not have run away had Whitelaw been a humane person. He had two screws made specially for me ; they were fixed to the strait-jacket, and were intended to prevent me moving my arms. The Commissioners here expressed a desire to interrogate Mrs. M'lntosh, who was present in Court. Rosannah M'lntosh, wife of the previous' ¦ witness, said — I remember my husband" being committed to the Asylum. I only^ajr. him three times while he 1 was there. I Wan'r to see him of tenor, but £hey told me I cOnUf not see him. I was refused at least twioe. I saw him once when he had the screws in^ his strait-jaoket. He was perfectly" quiet, and talked quite rationally I was'never^ left alono with him. There wae always a warder or Whitelaw present at ow* interviews. Since his discharge h* ; J}»r Conducted himself as. an ordinary per»oiv. would. He has had rheumatics in the head occasionally .einoa hia release. Ottos,. I went up with my little boy to «m him— the boy that **o&flj«tng. They wotua^ not allow an intorvtiM&fThe witness herr , broke down, but prtmmtly recovered, and ' continued her Evidence J I was told he WOiO4T be kept in for punishment if he ajraift tried^ to escape. Once I tried to alee aim', buC, after knocking at the Asylum ddorTor some time, I had to go away again, 'bSbftttte no one would open it. Another time I have sat on the doorstops ail niglit. I Had to be ' assisted by the Benevolent Institution. [The - remainder of the witnoss' evidence corroborated that given by her husband.] The Commissioners, at 10 minutes to 6 o'clock, adjourned till 2 pm. 40-d»y.