The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 28, 1914, Image 7
ASTUIM COMMITTEE REPORT.
IVVWriGA l K>.\ RESVI/Tfl IX THS
OOMFLtCTE VINDICATION* OF
DR V\l \i>KR*.
Vitsxsultte*) W?? I aHuiuious in Its
eluding* sad Report Was Adopted
Thy Th* l4flAUtu*c~taiportaiit
KcxxjtiuuriMlatioa? Made.
Columbia. Fab. 88 ? Exonerating
aaaaaora B. ttaunders, *f. i> . the
yoang woman who la the second as
M?4ant phyelclan. of alt charge*
agmlnet her moral and professional
character, and outlining a definite pol
ley for the control and maintenance
of the 8tate Hospital for the lneane.
the epeclal legislative committee ap?
pointed to Investigate certain charges
hi connection with tho tstftJttettoA
made report yesterday to the gener?
al assembly.
The report was unanimous, being
signed by T. J. Mauldkx T. J. Strait
and Macbeth Young from the senate
and N. W. Hardln, W. F. Stevenson
and J A Hunter from the house, in
i" th houses the report was adopted
and ordered printed in the Journal
Accompanying the report of the
oosamittee were two concurrent res?
olutions, one providing that the find?
ings be printed and the other em?
bodying a set of rules to govern the
asylum.
The filing of the report yesterday
by the committee follows an investi?
gation covering several weeks In the
scares of which many witnesses were
examined.
The repo' was read in the house
yesterday afternoon at 1.40 o'clock by
W. F. Stexstison. member of the com?
mittee.
To the Oeneral Assembly of the State
af Mouth carol tr a
The undersigned committee hag In
aeeerdanoe with your instructions
e^utalned in concurrent resolution,
house No. 788. senate No. 671; thor?
oughly gone Into the actual and sup?
posed troubles existing at the Stats
Hospital for the Insane.
The evidence, which Is voluminous,
la attached hereto?herewith reported
as th? basis of our findings with the
request that It be printed along with
this report In permanent form.
We find the cause of much of the
discord, trouble and friction leading
up to and mittag la this investi?
gation to ha fvaemssegstal;
?t?te k nwMtuttaa. 1888, article II.
paragraph it.
The r< genta for the) State Hospital
for the Insane and the superintendent '
thereof, who shall be e> physician. 1
shall be appointed by the governor,
by and with the advtce and consent of
the senate. All other physicians,
officers and employes of the hospital
shall be appointed by the regents, un?
less otherwise ordered by the general
Hence ths superintendent has no
votes in the selection or dlsmlaial of
any subordinate. He becomes purely
an advisory officer only when ad?
vlos Is sought, and has no effective
control or authority, resulting in such
a < nn.huon that effective work and
labor of a unified staff Is Impossible.
In our opinion the staff should he
selected by the superintendent by and
with the consent of the board of re?
gents, thereby Insuring full harmony
between the superintendent and his
staff and all acoeptabU to the board
of regents.
The superintendent to enforce duty
sad discipline ehould also bars the
power and authority to suspend any
member of his staff for cause, sub?
ject to app?sl. to the board of regents,
where auch suspended staff officer
ehould have available eil the rights
of trial guaranteed to persona ac?
cused In the courts of this State.
The committee finds the administra?
tion of the colored wards (male and
faerie) Inefficient. The phyelclan*
employed to look after theso wards
live, * ul are resident physicians la the
? ity of Columbia and engage In gen?
eral practice. On December 81.
till, there were 413 colored malee in
that ward, and th*>re were treated
during the year 1818 878. At the
same data. December 81, 1818, th<>4e
were 818 colored females in the ward,
and there were treated during the
year 1818 ?88.
The stuff officers In charge of these
two wards live in the city of Colum?
bia, and they spend from one hour to
four hour* (more frequently one hour
thaa four hours) per day at the hos?
pital for the Insane, and this covers
the time spent In answering corre?
spondence relative to their depart?
ment and patients, hence it la man?
ifest that auch a supervision and in?
spection can he only perfunctory,
with ths evident result that the care
eg these unfortunate patients Is large?
ly left to Ignorant colored nurses tn
charge.
It Is our opinion that the staff of
fleere in charge of sny ward depart?
ment In ths Stato Hospital for the
Insane should live and reside within
the Incloeure and be on duty und
qulcgiv available at any time bo'.h
day and night and give his undivided
time and attention to the helph ss
unfortunates entrusted to his care and
gue*4iaasalp,
It Appears from the evidence of the|
j physician of the colored female ward
; that ao specific examination is made
l*a lo the character of insanity and
the stage it has reached and the phy
I steal condition of the patient on her
admission to the ward. The statement
contained in the commitment papers
originating in the court of probate
and the general conclusions obtained
I from "looking them over" generally
'determine the line ol treatment;
adopted. This policy ignores the fact
I
that the design of the fcitate is to re-,
store all patients not incurable and
helpless, and that the first step in
reaching such a conclusion is to de?
termine by painstaking diagnosis:
(a) The character of Insanity, (b) Its
stage of development, (c) violence of
attack, td) can a cure be effected?
(e) and the means.
Practical and efficient treatment
can only follow knowledge of all
the causes and lucts and such knowl?
edge cannot be obtained through com?
mitment papers and "looking over the'
patients."
The vast volume of detail now Je-1
volved on the superintendent in hav?
ing oversight of all the business of
this great and heterogenous Institu?
tion and also in promoting and super?
vising the great work at State!
Park renders Impossible in him toi
give such close inspection to the su?
pervision of the different wards, filled
as they are w.th patients, as is de?
sirable and necessary for the best in?
terests of the Inmates and the dis?
cipline of the institution. He should
be relieved by a business manager,
whose dutlea should ba other than of
a medical nature, appointed by the
superintendent, by and with the con?
sent of the board of regents, and sub?
ject to suspension and removal as
herein recommended. The superin?
tendent would then have the time
with a staff officer to make thorough
inspection of each ward of the Insti?
tution at least once a week and dally
advise and consult with his staff and
subordinates, and these duties he
should be required to do in preference
to all other duties and labors that
might be devolved upon him.
The members of the staff should
each have the authority and right to
select all subordinates in their re?
spective wards, subject to the ap?
proval of the superintendent, and
each staff officer should also have the
privilege and p< wer to suspend or dis?
charge subordinates under them by
and with the approval and consent of
the superintendent
We find aa n matter of fact that
all staff officers do not make reports
In writing to the superintendent or
file them an a record ot their de?
partments. Every member of the
medical staff should make a full and
complete report In writing to thej
superintendent at least ouce a week,
and file a duplicate of the same
among the records of the general
office, and shouM suggest by way of
recommendation sum measures and
treatment as vould be beneficial to
patients in tho treatment of thev*
special msladleit and for the good
of the institution. We find as a mat?
ter of fact son e staff officers make
their reports and recommendations?
only once per annum and in such
general and syr thetlc terms aa to
enable the superintendent to make
ills annual report and recommenda?
tions to the general assembly.
There Is at present no licensed
pharmacist at the State Hospital for
the Insane to compound drugs and
(111 the prescriptions of the superin?
tendent and staff officers.
There should be a most skillful
pharmacist at the State Hospital for
the Insane?one. who is licensed by
the pharmaceutical board of this
State?for many times a prescription
filled and administered means the
life or death, sanity or Insanity of
the person to whom it is administer-j
ed, and more especially to the help- f
Isen patient, dependent only upon the
wisdom of the physician and the pre-1
scrlptlon compounded.
What Is said of the pharmacist
may truly be applied to the dentist?
he should by all means be a li?
censed ons with some experience.
We find for many years tho du?
ties of the chaplain bars been faith?
fully performed at a salary of I92&
per annum, or $2S per month. Ap?
plications wore advertised for at said
salary, but when tho board of ro
gents met In July last to elect o
chaplain at the salary stated, after
electing tho chaplain they changed
the salary t< |900 per annum, or |7&
per month. We think this wrong
If a raise in salary had been doemed j
Justifiable and desirable notice of it I
should have appeared In the adver?
tisement for applicants. This |I99|
difference per annum would have
gone far In tho employment of a li-1
censed pharmacist and a dentist, and
we recommend that no salary bo paid 1
greater than the salary advertised
and called for in the advertisement
Thero should be a rigid system of
rules and regulations proposed and
promulgated by tho board of regent*,
hut there should also be gome fun?
damental rules and regulation.^
udopted and passed by this general
sssemhly to govern tho ofih ei s of
the Utets Hospital fat Die Insane in
their work ami duties. 13y the same
authority as interpreted by the su?
preme court In the case of Pinckney
I vs. Henegan, 2 Strobhart Law, page
, 253, and the State ex rel. Hay vs.
Fornum, 7.18. C, puge 170. The
general assembly may lay down rules
by concurrent resolutions tor the
guidance and government of State
officials in the d'selmrge of duties,
and we recommend the adoption of
the concurrent resolution that we pro?
pose and that will follow this report.
In the judgment of the committee,
based on the great preponderance of
the evidence adduced during the in- j
vestlgation, the State Park property
Is ideal and admirably adapted to
and for the use and purposes for
which it was parchased, and ought
to be and should be developed as
rapidly aa the State can afford to do
so to the end that the great conges?
tion now existing at the State Hos?
pital for the Insane may be gradu?
ally and completely relieved.
It Is our opinion, based upon the
testimony, that all patients of the
classes which will be mostly bene?
fited by the Quiet and pure air of the
country should be first removed
thereto, and those classes only which
can be most advantageously treated
In the present quarters in this city
be retained.
There is now a modern and splen?
did building completed at the State
Park, which should at once be
equipped and occupied, relieving as
much as possible the distressing con?
gestion now so universally deplored
in the State hospital In this, city?giv?
ing more and better room to those
who are removed and to those who
are unforunately left behind?and
acting as a double blessing.
Your committee went fully and mi?
nutely into the eomplaintii. lnsinua
ton, Innuendoes, Inquiry and charges
agalnet Dr. Eleanors B. Saunders.
We find no e^ Idence to sustain any of
them. She Is not guilty of any wrong
intention or wrongdoing. There le no
breath of even a suspicion as to her
moral character, none against her
professional reputation and conduct
and career, In her ethical department
and in all of her conduct In or out of
the Institution, the State Hospital for
the Inaans. The few and insignificant
acts on which complaints were based
were the direct result of requests from
ths superintendent?her superior of?
ficer, and were executed in the dis?
charge of duty to suffering humanity
and are to be commended and praised
rather than condemned.
Her work and labors in the State
Hospital for the Insane bear eloquent
tribute to the remarkable Initiative,
aided by tireless energy and domi?
nated by the womanly woman's over?
flowing love for unfortunate human?
ity which love, energy and tireless de?
votion is manifested by her every
movement, of which she has been tho
mainspring and which Is shown In the
results In every department of work
which she has touched and which
even her critics in almost every In?
stance have admitted.
We condemn the method of trial of
Dr. Saunders adopted on December
18. 1818, and hope that the records of
the State will never show u repetition
of such procedure.
We refer to this merely to call the
attention of the members of the gen?
eral assembly to the necessity of pro?
viding against any repetition of such
a proceeding in the future?as under
a proper and logical system of rules
and regulations no such proceedings
could have obtained. Irresponsible
power Is that power which Is exer?
cised without rule or reason and from
which there Is no recognized method
of appeal. There should be no such
power vested In any person or persons
In the State of South Carolina, and
there ehould be rules carefully pre?
pared, adopted and passed to prevent
another such occurrence.
We commend the stand of the su?
perintendent, Dr. J. W. Baticock, in
this acute exigency and throughout
the subsequent aftermath, when he
championed the right, not only of his
loyal and true subordinate and staff
officer. Dr. Eleanors B. Saundors, but
of a woman whose evory Instinct IS
eh own to be for the right, the inter?
ests of the unfortunate patients underJ
her care and the best interests of the!
Institution. *
We rocommend that this report be!
printed in tho journal und that thej
report and the resolution under which
we acted, the evidence taken und the
concurrent resolution containing the
proposed rules, be printed in a sep?
arate report, und at loast 300 copies,
one of which shall be furnished
each member of the general assem?
bly and the State officers and regents
and officials of the State Hospital for
:he Insane.
SHKRIFFK IfUsTT PAY 8*AUF
Columbia. Fob. 24 ? The senato hill
allowing sheriff's to accept passe? ol
railroads was killed on third read?
ing this morning by tho house after
i lively tight In which the question
of corporation Influences on gher
ff's und members of the hoUHe was
njected.
The hill was killed by a vote of
1? to 94,
LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!
Big Auction Sale
= OF CHOICE LOTS =
Wednesday, March 11,10:30 A. M.
We desire to state to the public on account of
the weather we have postponed the Land Sale on
Hampton Ave. and Calhoun St. This property be?
longs to Mr. C. L. Tisdale, and is located in one of
the best parts of your beautiful city, Sumter, S. C.
These 29 lots are high and dry; they are close to
business center and Targe, being laid out for good
building locations.
We would like to give every body a chance at
these lots. We want everybody to go out and take
a look and pick a lot. Just a word to the wise,
good schools right at you, terms 1 -4 cash, good peo?
ple around you; real close in; large and choice
building sites; high and always dry. Take one look
and be convinced. Ladies invited. Bring the chil?
dren. Concert by band. Come one, come all. Sale
starts Wednesday, March 11, 1914, 10.30 A. M.
Whitt Realty & Auction Co.
A. V. Whitt, Mgr. Greensboro, N. C.
WILL NOT USE CANAL.
Canadian Pacific Will Not Evade Ca
nal Tolls Act.
Washington, Feb. 25.?Assurances!
that the Canadian Pacific railroad
has no intention to evade the pro?
vision of the canal act barring rail?
road ownerships fr:>m the canal
reached Washington today through of?
ficial channels. With this assurance
came a further declaration that the
Canadian Pacific would not send its
fleets through the canal even it' there
were no question about its right to do
so, because the company's officials
could see no advantage in changing
present routes across the Atlantic and
Pacific.
This information was received with
particular interest here because Sen?
ator Bristow and others have charged
that agitation in favor of repealing
the section of the canal act giving free
toils to American vessels was in the
interest of the great Canadian rail?
way and steamship corporation. It
has been suggested in the debates,
however, that the transcontinental
roads opposed free tolls not so much
because American ships would bo giv?
en an advantage over those of oth?
er nations, as because of low rates
at which ships passing through the
canal free of tolls would be able to
carry freight in competition with rail
I ways
News of the Canadian Pacific's at*
1 tltude came today in an official report
from that corporation to the Canadian
I government.
Honey the Most Delicious Sauce
No preparation of man ran equal
? ne delicately flavored product of
the hive. Millions of flowers are
brought under tribute, presenting
, their tiny cups of dainty nectar to
I bn gathered by the busy riflers; and
I when they have brought it to the
j proper consistency, and stored it in
: the wonderoualy wrought waxen cells,
[and sealed it with coverings of snowy
! whitnoness, no more tempting dish
can grace the table at the most lav?
ish banquet, and yet Its coat is so
moderate that it may well find its
place on the tables of the common
people every day In the week.
Indeed, in many eases it may he g
matterof real economy to leaaen the
utter bill by letting honey in part
take its place.
Marriage License Record.
a license to marry was issued yes
terday to Miss Lime Hudson and Mr.
'A. .1. leak son, both of Bumter.
1
HEN LIVES WITHOUT HR AD.
Walk? About. Lays Egg, Succumbs
After Nook la Cut Off.
Redlands (Cel.) Dispatch to New1
York Sun.
A headless hen, that for 12 hours
after she was decapitated walked
around the corral like any other
chicken, has been worrying Ephraim
Tucker, a local stationery merchant,
residing at No. 408 Eureka street. The
hen had been suffering several days
from what is known as the "gapes."
She became so sickly that after a con?
ference with hig wife Tucker decided
to cut the hen's head off and end her
misery.
When he performed the operation
the wound did not bleed. Instead of
fluttering to the ground, the hen walk?
ed off a few feet and stood still. Tuck?
er was puzzled.
When he returned from the Elks'
show at 11 o'clock he went back to tho
corral with a lantern. The hen wag
still .standing and in addition had laid
an egg.
The next morning the n.orehant
went to the chicken yard once more.
The headless hen had moved 20 feet,
but was apparently as full of lite as
any of the other chickens.
Tucker could stand it no longer. He
seized the hen and with the hatchet
cut off what was left of Its neck. This
time the hen iluttered and died.
J. T. Hays Dead.
Brogdon, Feb. 25.? Another obi
soldier has passed away. On last
Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock Mr. T.
T. Hays, a Confederate veteran of the
Brogdon neighborhood was laid to
rest after having almost completed
i his eighty-first year. He served as a
soldier In Virginia during the four 1
yean of the war and it Is .said there
was no braver soldier, nor one who
performed htg duty more faithfully.
Mr. Hays is survived by one son, Mr.
James Ha vs. a resident of Florida.
The funeral services were conducted
Iat Graham church by Hew Mr.
SplnttS. assisted by Dr. C. C. Drown
of Sunder end Rev J. W. Wilder of
Fire via cm Turned In.
An alarm of (Ire was turned in
about 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon
from the residence of M. 8. Montgom?
ery opposite the Hampton geh ?ol
building. A search of the premises
tailed to locate :m\ tire and the wag?
ons returned to tin- reel house.
Sick Headache.
This is usually caused by a disorder
of the stomach. Take a good doss
of Chamberlain's Tablets and tomor?
row you will feel ail right. For sals
by all dealers.?Advt.
Piano Factory Burned. ^
Chicago, Feb. 26.?The Detmer
Piano Manufacturing plant was burn?
ed today. The loss is $100,000.
A Good rough Medicia* lor Cesnatosp .
Convinoing proof sf the rare ssnsa.
tivs properties of Chamberlaia's Oeegfs
Remedy came frem Mrs, Mary Baw
cett ef GrinnelL iowa who sasjft:
"Chamberlain's Cough Ramedy hasp
ed my little boy a groat tieal when
he had whooping; ooagh. It U a sjsjgl
medicine." For sals by all neater*-.?
Advt.
Famous Artist Deed.
London, Feb. 26.?-Sir John Tea
niel. for many years the leading ear
toonist of Great Britain died today
aged 94. He is best remembered is
the United States for his meroileet
caricatures of Lincoln during tho Civil
war.
Clironio Constipation Cared.
"I had been troubled with chronic
constipation for two years and trie*
all the best physicians in Bristol.
Tenn., anu they could do nothing for
me. Two plottages ot Chamberlain's
Tablets cured me," writes The*. *??
Williams, of Middleboro, Ky. Far
sale by all dealers.?Advt.
ENGLAND'S GREATEST FHIP.
The Britannic* Was Launched at
fast Today.
Belfast, Feb. 26.?The White SUr
liner Britannic, the largest British
Steamer afloat, was launched lode?
The ship is nine hundred feet long
and ha? a tonnague of 50.000.
Little Girl Cured of aa Awfal Md.
"Two years ags sur little girl has
an awful cold that settled on her
iungs," says Mrs. Wm t}albr*Jtk\
Hamburg. N. T. "We were creetu
worried about her condition. She ha*
a persistent croupy cough that *tus*
to hor despite all eur treatmssit, na?
tu I got a boitle ot Chamberlaia's
though Remedy. This preparation: re
iiered that dreadful es ug h and cbek
ing and effected a positiv* eur* is
the course ef a lew oays* time. Fer
*ste hv all driers ?Advt.
Geo. H. Hurst,
tTNDERTAKKR AND KMBJ
Prompt attention to das' at
eaOfc.
KT OM) J. D. CRAIG KT AND,
Main Street.
Bey Phone MS. Night