Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1901 — AN INSANITY TRUST. [ARTICLE]

AN INSANITY TRUST.

MOBT PECULIAR FORM OF CRIME AT INDIANAPOLIS. Persona With Alleged Normal Miada Hare Bean A Treated, Examined and Confined. So Tbat Phyaiclans and Othera Might Profit thereby. A novel form of criminal offense Is under investigation at Indianapolis. It la believed that an “insanity trust” exists there, through tha operation of which lunacy proceedings are brought against sane persons and are conducted in such a way as to deny to the subject; the full rights given by the law. The belief is baaed upon the fact that 75 per cent of the insanity inquests held in the Hlosier capital are before a certain justice of the peace, that the witnesses la these cases are nearly always the same, that the physicians also are the same, and tbat these inquests have cost the county many hundreds of dollars, these fees presumably’ furnishing the motive for the operations of the persons concerned. Interest in the disclosures has been heightened by the fact that the proceedings in many cases are taken In secret, and that many of the persona who have been committed to the insane hospital did not know that their sanity was questioned till the officer placed them in custody, and, by authority from the commission, hustled them off to the insane hospital. Some casea, it is true, were not followed by verdicts of insanity, but, as the county paya the fees whether the person under suspicion proves to be insane or not, the ends of the trust were accomplished just the same. The particular case npon which the Attorney General is acting ia that of a domestic who had been working in a family for several months. Her mistreat never noticed anything peculiar in her actions. The first the girt knew of insanity proceedings against her was when the sheriff called with a warrant to taka her to the asylum. She protested that ahe was not iijsane and the sheriff said he knew nothing about the facts, but must execute the judgment of the commission. The employer of the girl then appealed to the Attorney General. All the facts so far adduced go to show that the girl was not insane, and the Attorney General is convinced that a grievous wrong has been done. He declares he will prosecute the witnesses against the girl for perjury and wijl sift the “insanity trust” to the bottom and hold all implicated in it to a rigid accountability for their acts. Another case in which charges are to be preferred is that of John Ross, which presents the salient features of those of many who have been udjudged Insane without proper compliance with the law. The justice did not examine Ross as the law requires, nor was the subject given an opportunity to v summon witnesses in his own behalf or to make a statement for himself. He received an Injury some time ago whila at work In the packing department of Kingan’n porkhouse, and went to the city dispenaary to get some medicine. The next thing he knew he was dragged away from his work to the hospital and investigation shows that he was adjudged insane, and that the witnesses who testified against him were dispensary internes who had given him a prescription for medicine when he called at the dispensary for treatment. The record of fees received by phyaiclans, justices and witnesses in insanity inquests since Jan. 1 shows that to one person was paid $450, to another $299, and to others, sl9l, $l5O, and various sums down to SSO.