LUNATIC ASYLUM TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11540, 27 November 1900, Page 3

LUNATIC ASYLUM TRAGEDY.

MURDER A'l YARRA BEND.

SEVERE PRESS CRITICISMS.

The fact has just been brought to light (says the Melbourne Age of November 17) that as the result of a savage outbreak by an inmate of Yarra Bend Asylum on October 31 last, Another inmate, named Fitzroy Shanks, was killed. Shanks was a familiar identity of the institution, into which he was received as far back as 1662. His assailant was Valentine Curtis Robertson, who had up to that time been seemingly regarded as a comparatively harmless lunatic, although some months previously he had threatened to .kill himself, and was placed under special supervision for a fewweeks. Shortly before eight a.m. on October 31, Dr. Stuart Mcßirnie, the resident medical officer at Yarra Bend, was hastily summoned to the assistance of Shanks, who had been struck on the /head a few moments previously by Robertson with a heavy billet of "wood. He found the man surrounded by a group of excited patients, who were trying to explain the circumstances. Shanks was lying unconscious, and bleeding profusely from a terrible gash on the left side of the head. He was removed at once to-the hospital, and placed under treatment. Examination proved that, he was suffering from a compound fracture of the skull, whilst his right eyebrow was severely contused. The unfortunate patient did not regain consciousness, and died two hours later. The first member o£. the hospital staff who was made . aware :of the tragic occurrence was McCaffrey. He rushed immediately to the place, where he found Shanks lying on the ground, and Robertson standing alongside and locking down at his victim. Robertson seemed to regard the whole affair in a most matter-of-fact way. He had never been, regarded as a violent patient, and as far as the medical authorities of the asylum knew, he had never attempted to molest any of his fellow patients or any other person. Therefore it was not considered that he was dangerous, or required any special supervision. The deceased man, Fltzroy Shanks, was under the charge of Warder Timothy Murphy. He was an absolutely harmless patient, and was free to walk about wheresoever ho listed about the asylum grounds. At an inquest, held by ,Dr. Morrison, at the asylum, the jury ' returned a! verdict of wilful murder against Valentine Curtis Robertson, and as a consequence the man was placed in the dock at the Criminal Court yesterday. Mr. Finlayson, Q.C., asked that a jury should be empanelled to decide on medical evidence whether Robertson was in a fit mental condition to plead. Mr. Eagleson appeared for the- prisoner. Dr. Watkins, the resident medical superintendent at Yarra Bend, stated that Robertson had been admitted on December 10, 1896. Neither Dr. - Watkins nor Dr. Mcßirnie considered that the prisoner would be able to comprehend the proceedings of the Court. ' Judge Hodges accordingly directed the jury to enter a verdict that he was insane, and afterwards ordered the man's detention in strict custody until the Governor's pleasure is made known. Robertson was labouring under great excitement in Court, and muttered, "It is wrong to keep me there! I can kill all of you , it would be no sin tc kill the lot of you!" The Melbourne Age of November 20 states :The extraordinary fact that for over a fortnight no public intimation was given of the terrible tragedy which occurred at theYarra Bend Lunatic Asylum on the 31st alt., when a patient named Fitzroy Shanks was, owing to some laxity of supervision, slaughtered by another, has not, of course, escaped the attention of the Chief Secretary. One of the first official acts by Mr. Peacock on entering upon the duties of his department yesterday was to call for the papers in connection with the case, and he promises that a thorough investigation will be held. Mr. Peacock very properly holds that there should be no attempt at secrecy in regard to such occurrences in hospitals for the insane, and as both the Police and the Lunacy Departments are now under his control, he should have no difficulty in determining who is to blame for the fact that the tragic occurrence was concealed from public notice until further concealment became impossible through the absolutely unavoidable proceedings in the Criminal Court last Friday. Inquiry goes to show that two other men who.had been violently assaulted by fellow patients have died in the Yarra Bend Asylum since June last. Ib each case an inquest was held, and the evidence went to show that death may, or may not, have been accelerated by the assaults; but the authorities never thought it expedient to acquaint the public with the facts. Under the existing system it is quite possible for patient after patient in this and other asylums to be killed by fellow inmates without the laxity of supervision which permits the existence of this state of affairs being revealed to the public. Such a system cannot be too strongly condemned. When an unfortunate lunatic is done to death by another at yarra Bend, the occurrence is simply reported as a " death " to the Clifton • Hill police, and it is not until the coroner attends that he is made acquainted with the nature of the tragedy. In all outside rases where an inquiry is considered necessary the coroner is furnished by the police with a report setting out the facts, so that he may decide. The press is invariably apprised. Surely it is doubly necessary that the same course should be pursued in regard to deaths in lunatic asylums and other public institutions where abuses are so liable to occur ! The Inspector-General of Lunatic Asylums made the extraordinary admission yesterday that there were no rules on the subject for the guidance of superintendents of hospitals for the insane. They were simply expected to exercise their discretion. The law required that an inquest should be held relative to every death in the asylums, and the police were always informed of such occurrences.* Why the police should not have been informed at the outset that Fitzroy Shanks had been killed by another lunatic was not for him to say. Certainly there was no reason for the reticence displayed, and personally he thought it would be ell for the superintendents in reporting a death to the police to state whether it was believed to be the result of violence. If such a suggestion were made by the coroner or by the police it- would be complied with. The Under-Secretary, Mr. Topp, states that cases of violence are invariably reported to him as the permanent head of the Chief Secretary's Department, but he excuses his reticence in relation to such matters by the statement that the facts are almost always obtained from the local police. It would appear that Mr. Topp is not at all impressed with the necessity fo; the fullest publicity being given as to violent assaults in asylums, and these latest disclosures go to strengthen the demand made some months ago by the Age for a thorough inquiry into our lunacy system and its administration.