THE WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Evening Star, Issue 5609, 1 March 1881, Page 4

THE WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Mrs Kettle, mother of Superintendent Wbitelaw, swore that Bhe did not sign receipts fer her salary, nor authorised aaybody to do so, nor had she received money doe. She asseverated that the pay-sheets for her salary were never taken to her for signature, and that she never authorised anyone whomsoever to sign them on her behalf. She added : John (her son) knows very well that Miss Brigdon is not her niw». She had her meals at his table. I knew she was supposed by the attendants to be my niece, and I did not contradict the rumor, because I thought she would have more weight with the servants. If she were produced in Court, and swore that she was asked to sign the paysheets by me, it would be an untruth. My heal&h has been pretty goed. It has oertalnly never been snob, as affects my eyesight to such an extent as to make me fanoy on several occasions that thinga crawkd ov»r my bed at night. I have been compelled to give evidence at this inquiry, having been subpeoaaed. It is not a very pleasant duty to perform. Dr Gillon, resident snrgpon «f th* Wellington Hospital: Before I oamo to ths Colony I had bad professional acquaintance with luaat : c aaylusis in South Walea. A superintendent, who is not a aae&cal man, would bo guilty of impropriety in visiting female patients alone. Ik would be improper to put comparatively M*e patients with the worst cases, either for paaishment or anything else. It would be calculated to throw them back. It would be decidedly improper to put a stra'ght-jacket foe feurfceon days on a patient who refuted to break stonep. There wore no itraiflht-jftcketa in the asylum I was ooaaeoted frith. Waan violent, patients were pat in padded raems, where they could do Rhamaelvea so bara. They were also given ««d**ifee, a*d c*a»sio»ally tho cold douclw. I never keerd of jfttieata bei»g punished at Home. Go<motion waa need i* oartain uaaaa, but feat vm aot poaishment; it was narely medio*! treatment.

Gaorfe Rlcharda, aaWnatmakar: About five montkf ago 1 «m amaloyed it tha Aayluaj for about tnrte *ayi. A p»tf*«fc natoiad Max Alaxandar, a perfectly aarmla»B n*a, was laft sitting In a ohair at a ta»l« ia tha hall from tight o'olaok tn the aorfJng till two In the afternoon. He vaa aafomtad with water, tod the floor awmad hj!» waa wot. Tho waatfaer wm «Bta<ffnsly oaid j th«t day. An attendant ordtrod two tallowpalfaata to pat ob Alexander*! ooat, hj it waa featended to tako tho latter mHwi drive. They were eaable to gat ft on for some minutes ; and when Altzaadar fail on the floor his foUow-ptttati kl«k«d tad stmckMm, while tho aatanolftat, whewaacufc. ting up some tobaooo, loaktd «■ «*d grtaawd. Alexander was helpleta, and made so complaint. They theo eafetd Wm few Ml atms. |

and dragged him like a bag of ohaif to the cab. Three-quarters of an hear after he came baok, and wae placed In the aim* position. The treatment ha received was her,rible. A companion of mine named Lone* wa* an eye-witnees of this affair. Adam Johnson, caalman, who vraa c«*S fined in tkeA«ylum for two years anda-h»lf* sod released a fortnight ago, deposed that he had be**i ill-Vrwated. by three warders named Hooligan, Little, ai.d Harvey. Asae« lUbinaoM, ag*d eigflteea : I was seventeen whoa I wm first seat to tb,e k<q\*m, and left eleven months ago. I was ill-treated by **»• fwnale aAfcjodaofci. They hiokefl m* till I wan WUak and bine. Oa«8 I we* pat hi a oeil, when I was left fsr fewa nights without any bod or anything to eat. They then brought me out and h»ld me dowa In » ©old bath till I was neaiiy dead. Z wh eft sett? and Bora ttiat I csmii hardly move. Whitoraw cn«e sefefcd mo ia a brmttl meaner and pnt me ia a oell. M«a Hlginfleld, ft patient, vh oaee throws down on the i*or by Mis* M'Alroy and Mbs Maheaey, who then knelt on iter. It was only wh«Q I waa very ill thwfc feey itt-feeated me; They sauki I waa vleLeat,

came uau&, auu win piaceu iu mo a»uio j#ltv»tioo. The treatment ha received wfli »»£• rible. A companion of mine named Loner wa* an eye-witnees of this affair. Adam Johnson, caalman, who vraa c«*S fined in tkeA«y]uui for two years anda-h»lf* sod released a fortnight ago, deposed that he had be**i ill-Vrwated by three wardera named Hooligan, Little, ai.d Harvey. Asa©« lUbineoM, ag*d eighteen : I wa« seventeen when I wm firet aenfc to the and left ele-ran months ago. I waa , ill-treated by *«• fwnale attmtaite. They hiokefi m* till I wan WUak and bine. Oa«8 I wen pot rn a oeii, when I wae left fsr fewe nights withon* any bod or anyfchtog to eat. They then brought me oui and h»ld me dow« in » oold bath till I was neaiiy dead. Z wh eft «trff and Bora that I osuM hardly move. WhJt»f»w ciiot sefefcd mo ia a brmttl mwjiiec and pub me ia a oell. M«a Higiufield, » patient, was oaee throws down on the fLtoe by Miw M'Alroy and Mbs Mahoiiey, who then kneit on her. It was only whso I waa very ill that tfcay itt-feeated me; Thej sauki I wa« vleLeat, The laqairy has bee* adjourned to Th«r»day, when SaperinUoderst Whitdaw'e *«• feaoe wiH be entered on. The * Lyttwlton Timee'e' Wellington eelrreeposdent trfegrapha r—" A ©lerk from the Aadtt OffiM defweed that in the Aadit Office they had alwaja believed the signatures to tfe« roaipfe fw Mm KtWle'a salary to be in Mm KaVtfa'i h*n<Hrrit»rg They purported to be each, a»d it w»a only on making l*q«iriee roeeotly that th*y were fonod net to hare beea signed by Mrs Kettle. Relative to the management of the Laaatf* Aqrlam, Dr Gfll'Mi g»re evidence as an expert, snetiag

The iaoairy has beea adJonractl to Tharaday, when SaperinUoderst WhiJwlaw'e ie« feaoe wiH be entered on,

that hj» novet knew of any aaviam m mag. laed, Scotland, or Wales in which tksre WM no r«'<Uat medio*! Hip*rtnteßd<wt. Mr Shaw, R.M., detailed to Dt Gilloo ovrtaJn acts of owwlky sworn to in evidence, and which the defence claimed to have been i D fl cied for saniWwy purposes. Dr Gillon, in reply, was very explicit in exslaining thai in the treatment of lunatics, while restraint aad even oorreoWon of a certain character were sometimes necessary, anything like 'punishment' in the sense in which it is applied to criminal was abhorrent and contrary to all modern practice. The court was orowded during the inquiry, and there were frequent murmurs cf indication as the more shocking porHone of the evidencs were adduced. Public feeling is thoroughly aroused on the

subject. This iM>rning's 'Times' censures the Government for not suspending Mr Whitelaw pending the result of the inquiry ; and a letter to the ' P.*t,' written by a well known Justice ef the Peace, protests against Mr Woodward, a visiting officer of the Asylum, and consequently responsible in a degree far its mmag'(n«nt, sitting on the Commission. lam personally aware that one mstnber of the Ministry—under whoee atfc-ekion Mr Woodward's anomaloni position haa b«m brought by a member of the House and a strong aupporter of the Government—has admitted that a mistake waa made In appointing him. The inquiry ia exoiting public attention to tbo exclusion of everything else. It is aaid Mr Wbitelaw

wished to resign at the outset of tha inquiry, but that Government would net acoept his resignation. The 'Post' commits upon the indeuency of Mr Woodwa»d Bitting as a member of the Commission when aa official visitor he is personally responsible for the mismanagement. I saw Mr Shaw, complainant in the Asylum cwn, to-day. He aeetna to regret having closed his caae yesterday, aa evidence which he believed would strongly support it has since come to hia knowledge verbally, sad by letter. Ho has what he believes to be reliable evidence of a patient having been wantonly Itwbed a*ross the face with a hunch of keys; Mid has alio received a letter horn a former inmate of the Aaykm purporting to explain how the patient Anderson, whose name haa been frequency mentioned during the investigation, met with the violence whioh caused hia dfc* figu foment,"