WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9347, 1 March 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM INQUIRY.

(Continued.) The complainant made a formal complaint of the Superintendent being allowed to maintain his original position in the Asylum. He insinuated that Mr Whitelaw was thus in a position to influence the evidence of any witness who might come from the Asylum. The Chairman said the proper tribunal to make such a complaint to was the Colonial Secretary, who could act upon it. The Commission could not. Harriet Kettle, examined by Mr Chapman, said — I was matron at the Asylum. I went there on the Ist March 1878. I have not been paid all my salary, which was £100 per annum. Sometimes I was paid it, but I have not received the whole of it by a good deal. I never gave aiithority to Mr Wbitelaw to draw my salary, either verbal or written. Mr Whitelaw has never placed any voucher before me to sign. I looked to him to pay me my salary. Once he gave me a£s cheque. The last sum he gave me was £3 in gold. I have never received a Government cheque. They were Mr Whitelaw's cheques. I did not keep accounts, and could not say the total amount he has paid me. For three months I had something the matter with my leg. I could have signed my name then if I had been asked to do so. I was laid up" for those three months, but for the rest of the time, with the exception of two months when I had to be in a dark room for a bad eye, I could perform my duties. To the Commission — I sent in my resignation on the Ist instant. I thought it was quite time to do so, seeing that I did not get my money. Whitelaw took the keys from me about two monthsago. Miss Brigdon is no relative of mine. I never told my son (Mr Whitelaw) that she was, nor indeed anybody. She lived in the same house with me in Scotland, and came out here with me. My son is very quick-tempered. I could still attend to the duties of matron, but I thought it best to resign. I have no particular complaint to make about Miss Brigdon, or any member of the staff. It was not according to my wish that my son appropriated my salary. If he had been a stranger, I should have made a complaint, but being my son I did not. It is a very painful affair. Ineverauthorised any person to sign the pay-sheets. Cross-examined — I was not satisfied to leave my salary in my son's hands. I never told anyone that Miss Brigdon was my niece, nor did I even complain of things creeping over my bed and up the wall. Dr Gillon, resident surgeon at the Hospital : Before coming to the colony I was assistant surgeon to an asylum in Wales. The superintendent of that institution was a medical man. That was. the general rule in Britain. (The witness here explained that he attended unwillingly, having no desire to be mixed up in the case.) The. superintendent there usually visited the

female wards in company with the matron and myself. — The Chairman said if evidence of this nature was to be gone into they would sit there till Doomsday . He did not think to enquire into the practice in England came within their commission. — Mr J. H. Shaw said he called Dr Gillon in support of one of his allegations — that it was improper for the superintendent to go to visit the female patients alone.— The Chairman said the witness, if his evidence was taken , must be confined to that point alone — whether it was customary for a superintendent to go to visit a female ward alone.— Mr J. H. Shaw said he would then reserve his right to call the witness again to rebut any evidence that might be given as to the practice. — Witness continued : I should say a saperintendent, not being a medical man, would be guilty of impropriety in visiting the female wards alone. I never heard of such a case. The superintendent where I was could go alone if he chose, but he never chose to. I do not consider it would be right to put a comparatively sane patient with the worst cases, and certainly not for punishment. [The Chairman said he did not think it wanted an expert to tell them that.] I should think that would be very improper. In some cases it would make the patients much more insane than previously. A patient who was recovering, being so treated, would probably be thrown back to his original state. — Cross-examined : I do not think a superintendent should in any circumstances visit the female ward alone. — By the Chairman: There are means of correction used in all asylums, but there is no punishment in the proper sense of the word. If a lunatic refused to break stones, I should not think it right to put him in a cell alone in a straight-jacket for 14 days — certainly not. To put a man in a shower bath for twenty minutes at 10 at night as punishment would be most decidedly improper in any case. An hysterical patient might be given a shower bath for a few minutes as a remedial measure. There were over 500 patients in my asylum, but the straightj acket wa& never used. Violent patients were put in padded rooms. Punishment implies sanity in the person punished. I have never known a man punished for refusing to work. Correction is medical treatment entirely. There were 31 attendants in the asylum in which I was. John Richards [this witness claimed his expenses, 6s for half-a-day lost ; the Chairman said if, after hearing him," he was considered a proper witness, he would be paid, but not else]: I am a cabinetmaker. I was employed at the Asylum five months ago for three days, and I could then see the patients. I saw a man, named Max Alexander, sit from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. in the same position. He was saturated with his own water. At 2 p.m. two other patients were told to put on Alexander's coat, and they tried to, twisting his arms most violently. They could not get it on, and Alexander fell, when one of the other patients struck him heavily, saying " D your eyes." An attendant was looking on, cutting tobacco and and grinning. They then dragged Alexander out like a bag of chaff. He was taken out for a short time in a cab, and then brought back and put in the same position. — Cross-examined : I only know the attendant by sight. I should not have come here but was subpoened. Hannah Wesley, widow : I was cook at tho Asylum two years ago. Iremember seeing a patient named James Anderson with a bruised face, but I did not notice him much. I remember a fire breaking out in the Asylum. I never told anyone that I had to pull Whitelaw off the sofa on that occasion. I had nothing to do with the patients. I saw Whitelaw go to the female wards with the doctor. Adam Johnson, labourer : I was in the Asylum about two years, and left a fortnight ago. Attendants there named Hooligan, Harvey, and Little used to ill-treat me. Once, when I was washing, Harvey struck me with his fist for no cause. Another time, when at work, I wanted to go away for a eliort time, and Holligan and Little came after me, tripped me up, and gave me a hiding. They tripped me four or five times, and struck me with their fists. And then took me back to work. They were the only ones who ill-treated me.