A PLEA FOR THE HELPLESS
The following is the complete
report of the committee on mu
nicipal affairs of the -Nome Cham
ber of C9mmerce relative to the
Momingside sanatorium, the in
stitution in which are confined
the mentally afflicted from the
territory of Alaska, together with
the statements of those who have
been confined in the place at
varying periods during the past
several years and the recommend
ations of the committee in charge
of the investigation.
Statement of Mr. C. O’Brien,
in regard to the treatment at and
sanitary condition of the Morn
ingside sanatorium of Oregon.
I was sent to that institution
from Nome, Alaska, sometime in
September, 1912, and was a pa
tient a little over seven months,
and I believe that I would have
been ‘.iu-io now if some of my
friends end relatives had not in
terceded in my behalf. This sana
toiuun, is not kept in a sanitary
condition, it abounds in filth and
the j-at.it its are treated more like
prisoners than otherwise. They
are all crowded into rooms
like sardines in cans; the building
is not provided with fire escapes,
in case tk fire there would be no
possible chance to escape death
The food is very scant and infe
rior in quality. The vegetables
served such as potatoes, carrots,
turnips and cabbage are unmar
ketable owing to their decayed
condition. The patients never
have any butter, milk or sugar
served to them. The only meat
that is served to patients, is serv
ed to those woh are able to work
out on the farm, and then only
once a day in the form of soup
made from.the leavings left over
from the officer's and attendant’s
table, and 1 assure you there is
very little meat in this soup.
When they have visitors at tile
sanatorium if one of the patients
attempts to tell how they are
treated, the attendants will kick
and beat them in a most brutal
manner. I have seen many dif
ferent patients treated in the fol
lowing manner: The attendants
will wind a towel around their
neck, until they choke them
down, then they will kick and
beat them and drag them to a cell
and lock them in. I have also
seen the attendants use their fists
on cripples, knock them down
and kick them when lying on the
floor. If a patient approaches an
attendant asking for help in any
manner, he will invariably get a
bat in the jaw, and a kick with
his foot. The atendants take great
pleasure in seeing the patients in
a fight with each other and many
patients are disabled in this way
There have been patients in this
institute crippled and disabled for
life by the cruel treatment re
ceived from the attendants. If a
patient writes a letter to a person
outside of this sanatorium, the
superintendent reads the letter,
and if there is a word in it un
favorable to the management, the
letter is never sent, and the writer
is sure to get a good beating. I
don’t consider this institute is a
fit place to send anyone for treat
ment. “I consider it a hell hole
on earth” where there is no
chance to receive anything but
plenty of abuse. If a patient sent
to this sanatorium recovers it is
by and through the laws of na
ture, and not by kind medical
treatment. I have also read the
letters of Mr. Frank Litz publish
ed in the two Nome papers, and I
believe every word of them to be
tiue, but consider the language
used very mild, as I have seen
much worse treatment dealt out
to a great many patients in that
institution.
C. O’BRIEN.
Statement of A. Nicholis.
I was sent from Nome, Alaska,
to the Momingside santoriutn of
Oregon, the last of July, 1912 and
I was a patient in that institute
eight months and 27 days, six
months and two days of that time
I was cooking in the kitchen for
the officers and attendants, also
the patients of the institution- The
food supplies was very good for
the officers and attendants, they
all had plenty to eat. But the
food furnished for the patients
was scanty and of a very poor
'ality; even the vegetables fur
nished me to cook for them that
raised on the farm, were the culls
that could not be sold at any mar
ket, and often In a decayed condi
tion.
1 was eveu obliged to save all
the tea anu couee grounds that
iiau been used in masting tea and
couee lor tne ouiceis aha attend
ants and boil them over again to
make tea and couee lor tne pa
rents.
1 was not allowed to serve any
sugar, milk or butter on the pa
tients' table; once in a while I
was allowed to serve a very poor
niianty ot black strap molasses to
them, i was also allowed to use
small scraps of meat and the
leavings ot meat and vegetables
from the officers’ table to make
soup for the patients that worked
every day on the farm. This soup
was dealt out to them once a day.
l hose patients tnat didn t work
did not get any soup- ihe rolled
oats furnished me to serve to the
patients was in such small quan
tities that I was obliged to make
a soup of it in order to supply
them with a small bowl of tnis
mixture. The bread 1 served
them with was the best food that
they had to eat, and 1 cannot un
derstand how these poor unfor
tunate beings lived on the scanty
amount allowed them to eat; and
1 cannot see how our government
officials will allow tiiem to be
sent to such a miserable place of
imprisonment. This so-called
sanatorium is not a place where
anyone can be beriefitted or even
get a scientific course of medical
treatment; but it is a prison where
the poor unfortunate patient gets
kicked and beaten and in many
cases maimed for life. I will here
relate a little of my own experi
ence a short time before I went
into the kitchen to cook, one day
while I was walking around the
grounds near the side porch, I
heard Jimmy Cryan eating for
help from some one, and knowing
him as I did here in Nome, be
fore going to this institute, I im
mediately went up on the poTch
where the attendants had put
handcuffs on him, and tied him
hat on his back on a rack made
of lumber, about two and one half
feet high, six and one half feet
long and three feet wide, made
something like a couch, I at once
inquired what was the cause of
such an outcry from him, and he
stated that he wanted to go to the
toilet at once as he was suffering
badly with pain, and he asked
' •
me to untie him and go to the
toilet with him, and as soon as
lie got relief he would come right
baeK with me and allow me to
tie him again; all of which he
did as promised, but someone
must have seen me release Mr.
Cryan and reported it to the at
tendants, for in a very short time
thereafter the superintendent and
four attendants grabbed me and
threw a towed around my neck
and began twisting it until it
choked me down and began to
beat and kick me until I became
,t.tconscious, and I carried the
marks and bruises on my head,
body and limbs for months. Then
they dragged me to a cell and
locked me up without anything to
eat for several days. I have also
seen a great many other patients
treated in the same manner they
treated me. The sanitary condi
tion of this institution is some
thing awful, it is just reeking in
nltli; it cannot be otherwise for
'f.ie ,patients are crowded in a
very small space, and the attend
ants do not try to keep it clean.
And the building is not provided
with a tire escape, and in case of
a lire most of the patients would
perish During my stay in that
institute 1 have never seen a pa
tient given an examination, or
receive any kind of medical treat
ment from the doctor or attend
ants unless they call it a treat
ment to knock the patients down,
kick and beat them and drag
them to a cell in an unconscious
state and lock them up without
food for sevral days
If nature comes to the rescue
of a patient and he recovers and
is sound in both mind and body,
and he proves to be a good work
er, they will find plenty of work
for him to do, but in no case will
they ever turn him loose, unless
he has good friends on the outside
to intercede for him and pay some
money for expenses.
I believe the management of
that institute like the monthly
incoint* of $27 a head per, that
our government kindly donates
them for the abuse given to our
poor unfortunates citizens of Al
aska.
A. NICHOLAS.
The following is a correct
statement of the treatment that
I, Edward J. Fox, received when
confined in lire crystal springs
sanatorium, Mt- Tabor, Ore.
"On my arrival at uie sanator
ium m -June, 190b, I was called
into the othce 01 Uie superintend
ent to be examined by the head
dbetor ol the institute. 1 he doc
tor asked my name in full, my
place of birth, my religion and
tne name of my nearest relative,
his or her address. f hat com
pleted the examination given me.
1 was then placed 111 a room about
50 to 150 leet, which was useu
lor a sleeping, sitting and prom
enade room, and contained 80 pa
tients. Une day tor a sngnt in
fraction ui the rules I was taken
in hand by the superintendent
and tour attendants and thrown
on my back, one attendant held
my head down on the floor by
piacing his toot in my face, an
other attendant held my arms and
another set his foot in the pit of
my stomach; the superintendent
held my legs down and they all
heat and Kickeu me until i was
unconscious; when i revived 1
Jioditd my face was black and
swollen, and 1 could barely see
out of one eye; one tooth was
kicked loose and dropped out; my
body was bruised and in many
places turned black and blue.
1 he next day 1 was punished
in the following manner: They
put a leather strap around my
wrists, and a leatner strap around
my waist, fastened my wrists to
the strap around my waist with
a lock; I was kept in this condi
tion 10r 30 days and nights, i
had to sleep with the straps on.
And at no time did they give me
treatment lor insanity, i have
witnessed many patients receive
as brutal treatment as they gave
me. The sanitary condition of
the place was bad- The water
they gave us to drink was yellow
and muddy and not fit to drink,
and the room they kept us in was
not any too clean at times, aim
1 believe that Frank Litz’ descrip
tion of the place that was pub
lished in the two Nome papers
was very mild, as 1 myseii nave
seen much worse treatment dealt
out to a great many of the in
mates of that institution.
EDWARD J. FOX.”
Gentlemen: Your committee on
municipal affairs would recoin
mend that your honorable board
a BOUT your magazines and newspapers
not arriving from the outside, when
it is possible for every one in Nome to
subscribe for the Nome Daily Nugget
which furnishes the latest telegraph
news as well as local happenings.
| You do not even have to go to the
postoffice; you can have the paper
delivered to your home or office every
day day before supper is served
SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE
YOUR HOME INDUSTRIES
-l
DOLLARS spent outside go out of cir
culation and never return here again.
Dollars spent with your home mer
chants makes for honje Prosperity.
.. * i
' ■■ ' - 111 '"HUH ..Ji'-.’unnr Vffiiu '1 !' : ' '!.
*w
take immediate action on the
aouve statements niaue by sev
eral of our citizens who have
served time in the Morningside
sanatorium of Oregon, anu a
copy of their statements and the
committee report be sent to the
different chambers of commerce
in Alaska, and also to the cham
ber of commerce 9f Seattle, Gov
ernor strong, yeiegate \V icker
f .ham and the secretary of the in
terior at Washington, D. C., and
kindly ask them to co-operate
vith us in this matter and see
if something can be done where
by poor unfortunate citizens of
Alaska may receive a benefit by
being removed from that so-call
ed sanatorium and located some
where in Alaska where they can
receive good kind humane treat
ment.
Signed by the committee.
ROBT, JAMES, Chairman.
J- L. WESLEY Secretary.
FRANK J. MEILKE,
I. W. SEGERSTROM,
LEO E. SEIDENVERG,
“Our Enemy’s Spy,” Eagle
rail, Thursday. Friday night
thrilling sensational leap for life
Marie Walkamp, William Clif
ford.
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