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Miscellaneous
Newspaper Articles
Articles regarding
individuals sent to the asylum and more.
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, Tuesday, June 16, 1896
"Arthur W. Platt, who, while an attendant at the Eastern
Kentucky Lunatic Asylum at Lexington, in 1885, killed
patient Jesse Tyree, of Rockcastle County, has been arrested
in Oxford, Eng. Platt escaped immediately after the
killing. No trace of him could be discovered until
recently. At Rochester, N. Y., before sailing for England,
his native land, he was naturalized as Ed. R. Taylor. He
was arrested at Oxford, charged with stealing. The Scotland
yard detectives, having been informed of the Tyree murder
and learning that Platt had been arrested this morning,
cabled Sheriff Gross to that effect. Steps will be taken
immediately to bring Platt to America for trial."
from same paper, June 26, 1896
"Green H. Hall, a prominent farmer of Powell county, was
tried for lunacy and sent to the asylum in Lexington."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, June 30, 1896
"Maud D. Riley was adjudged insane at Richmond Saturday and
ordered sent to the Lexington asylum. This makes three
lunacy trials there last week, and ten since January 1."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, July 3, 1896
Headings: Dr. Wagner's Condition, Lexington, Ky., July 2
"Dr. John W. Wagner, of Bellevue, whose name was connected
with the Pearl Bryan tragedy, and who was adjudged insane
and sent to the asylum here, now shows no signs of insanity,
and may soon be dismissed. Dr. Wagner has been a mystery to
the asylum authorities since his confinement."
THE WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
July
10, 1896
"John Board,
colored was tried before Judge Haggard Friday and judged a
lunatic; he was ordered to the asylum."
WINCHESTER
SUN or DEMOCRAT,
July 24, 1896
Headline:
Attempt at Self-Murder, Richmond, KY, July 23
"E. H.
Ballard, a Paint Lick farmer, was tried here for lunacy,
and Wednesday morning was taken to the Lexington
asylum. He made five attempts to end his life. He
belongs to one of the largest families in the county."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
November 13, 1896
Heading: Lexington,
KY Nov 12
William Fox, a
colored barber, was sent to the insane asylum Wednesday. Fox's
hallucination was that he had been delegated by the Almighty to
make speeches for McKinley.
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT
Dec 1, 1896
Heading: Sent to the
Asylum
Coroner Crim was
tried before a jury Friday, adjudged to be insane and was
ordered to be sent to the asylum. This makes a vacancy in this
office which Judge Haggard will fill by appointment. Mr. Crim
was liked by everybody and his many friends will regret to learn
of his great misfortune.
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
Dec 18 1896
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
February 11, 1898
Prominent Madison Farmer Sent
to the Asylum
"E. H. Ballard, of Paint
Lick, brother-in-law of the late Col. A. M. Swope, and one of the
wealthiest and best-known farmers of Madison county, was adjudged insane
Wednesday, and ordered to the Lexington Asylum. He imagined his cattle
were starving and his family in want and Tuesday threatened to cut his
throat with a razor. He is seventy-four years old."
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
February 4, 1898
"Aggie Sydner, an old colored
woman who claims to be 105 years of age, and who looks nearly that old,
was tried before Judge Evans and a jury Wednesday and sent to the
lunatic asylum at Lexington. She claims to have two husbands, one of
whom is John the Baptist." (Mary, I suspect that should be Snyder, but
the paper says what I typed.) (Some are funny, but sad.)
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
February 15, 1898
Insane From Alcoholism, Richmond,
Ky., Feb. 12
"Albert Long, a young man aged
17, living near here, took his first drink of whisky Christmas, and so good
was the liquor that he got roaring drunk. Since then, although no
intoxicants have passed his lips, all effort of his friends to sober him has
failed, and Friday he was pronounced insane from alcoholism, and ordered to
the Lexington asylum. It is not stated what brand of whisky he drank."
Same issue Heading: Results of
His First Drunk
"Albert Long, a young man aged
17, living near Richmond, took his first drink of whisky Christmas, and so
good was the liquor that he got roaring drunk. Since then, although no
intoxicants have passed his lips, all efforts of his friends to sober him up
has failed, and Saturday he was pronounced insane from alcoholism and
ordered to the Lexington asylum. It is not stated what brand of whisky he
drank."
Interesting that the almost-same
article appeared twice in the same issue!
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
March 11, 1898
"Geo. Merz, was tried before
Judge Evans and Jury yesterday on a charge of lunacy. He is a native of
New Orleans, and is evidently a highly educated man. On most subjects
he seemed rational, but was wild on a financial scheme which he
connected some way with Masonry. The jury found him insane and he will
be taken to the asylum. He had been an inmate of a Southern asylum at a
previous period."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
April 19, 1898
Jackson Will Be Returned,
Lexington, Ky., April 15
"Superintendent Wiley, of the
Eastern Kentucky Insane asylum, who recently gave Dr. S. S. Johnson
permission to visit his sister in Augusta, Ga., where on Wednesday he
tried to commit suicide, had a telegraph from that place Thursday night
saying that the doctor will be returned to Lexington as soon as he is
able to make the trip. Dr. Johnson was a prominent dentist in this city
until about one year ago, when he lost his mind while at an Ohio summer
resort."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT, June 14,
1898
Conditional Pardon
"Last Monday, Gov. Bradley
pardoned John S. Harrod, sent to the penitentiary from this county on the
charge of mule stealing. The pardon is a conditional one and is on the
condition that Harrod be taken to an asylum having been adjudged a lunatic
by the Franklin Circuit Court, and should he recover he must be returned to
serve out a two year sentence--Mt. Sterling Sentinel-Democrat."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER DEMOCRAT,
July 19, 1898
An Unfortunate Family
A special from Owingsville
says: "Few persons have been so unfortunate as the Deatly family of
this county. In April, 1894, L. P. Deatly, with his three sons, Lee,
William and George, came from his home, in the northern part of this
county, to Owingsville, to attend County Court. During the day, William
Deatly stabbed Mark Cline, a neighbor boy, to death in a livery stable
at this place. He was arrested and his examining trial held, and in
default of bail was sent to jail.
"In a few days L. P. Deatly,
the father, together with Lee and George, were arrested, charged with
conspiracy to murder Mark Cline. At the October term of Circuit Court,
the men were placed on trial, and they were finally convicted.
"William was sent to the
penitentiary for life, and died a raving maniac in the penitentiary at
Eddyville.
"L. P., the father, after
being confined at Frankfort for some time, was removed to the asylum at
Lexington, and died only a few months since. A telegram has just been
received here from the authorities at the Frankfort penitentiary,
stating that George Deatly is hopelessly insane and cannot long
survive."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER
DEMOCRAT, November 25,1898
"Henry Woodard, aged
forty-three years, and one of the best colored men of our city was tried
before Judge Evans Tuesday morning and adjudged a lunatic. Officer Calmes
took him to the Lexington asylum Tuesday." Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
WINCHESTER
DEMOCRAT, Friday, December 16,1898
"Malinda Jones, a colored pauper
from the County House, was tried before Judge Evans yesterday on a
charge of lunacy, and was sent to
the asylum."
Contributed by
Mary Doyle Johnson,
Mdjjsd@aol.com
The Morning Herald (Lexington,
Kentucky); October 10, 1900
Escape of Henry
Meriwether
A Lunatic Escaped
A patient named Merriwether, of
Frankfort, escaped from E. K. (Eastern Kentucky) asylum Tuesday afternoon.
He was walking about the grounds with other patients and took fence leave.
The Morning Herald (Lexington,
Kentucky); October 10, 1900
Returned to Asylum
Henry Merriwether, the patient
who escaped from the Eastern Kentucky Asylum Tuesday, returned to the
institution Wednesday morning. It is supposed that he wandered aimlessly
about the grounds during the night.
Note: (added by submitter) Henry
Meriwether [TMSI #24770] was the son of Junius Meriwether and Charity Harp
of Frankfort, Kentucky. He was found in the 1900 census living at the
Eastern Kentucky Asylum for the Insane in Lexington, Kentucky. He was not
found after that date. It is thought that he died and was buried at the
asylum where there are thousands of unmarked graves.
Courtesy of Valerie
Brock Valerie.Brock@ky.gov
Owingsville Outlook, 1903.
Insane- Nathan Kinney,
until recently, living with his son near Bethel,
was adjudged insane at Mt. Sterling and taken to
the Lexington Asylum last Thursday. He is over
60 years of age. M. C. Gudgall, of near
Sherburne, Accompanied the party taking him
there.
Courtesy Carol Lovitt,
rdlwcl@alltel.net
1910-03-29 [HOSPITALS. EASTERN
STATE.] [Leader. p. 1 col. 2] 700963
"Insane"
So affected was Andrew McMullen, a young man
whose home is near Natural Bridge on the
Lexington and Eastern railroad, by the failure
of his mother, Mrs. McMullen, to recognize him
when he visited her at the Eastern Kentucky
Asylum in this city Tuesday morning, that his
mind became unbalanced half an hour after he
left that institution and he had to be arrested
by Patrolman Robert Hale and other officers and
placed in a cell at the police station.
Source: The Leader, Lexington, Ky., 29 March
1910, p. 1. col. 2; Contributed by Ann Minter (ann_minter@eee.org)
Miller Loses in His
[Illegible] Against Brown Jury Finds for the
Former Official of Infirmary (News Article)
Source: The Leader, 31 March 1910 p. 12.
Contributed by Ann Minter (ann_minter@eee.org)
Committed to the Asylum
Andrew McMullen, aged 37 years, was tried on a
lunacy charge, in the Fayette Circuit Court
yesterday, found to be of unsound mind, and
committed to the Eastern Kentucky Lunatic
Asylum. McMullen was arrested Tuesday by
Patrolman Hale and other officers with some
difficulty, while wandering aimlessly about Main
street.
Source: The Leader, 31 March 1910. Contributed
by Ann Minter (ann_minter@eee.org)
See also
Andrew McMullen
Obituary
Leader
(Lexington, KY), p. 5 col. 4, 12/23/1913
In
State Hospital
Mrs. Lillie Gibson, of Nicholasville, who shot and
killed Mrs. Ida Smith at High Bridge last September, was brought to
Lexington Monday evening and placed in the Eastern State Hospital.
Courtesy
of Lisa Sanden
LDSanden@FayetteCoCemeteries.org
Bourbon News, Paris,
Ky.-Friday Jan. 12, 1917
Two Adjudged Insane
Mrs. Horatio N.
Wilkins, well-known and highly-respected Paris woman, was tried
in Judge McMillan’s Court, on a lunacy charge. The jury adjudged
her to be of unsound mind, and ordered her committed to the
Eastern Kentucky Hospital for the Insane at Lexington.
Mrs. Wilkins is the
widow of Horatio N. Wilkins, who will be remembered by the
citizens of Paris as conducting a tin shop and stove store at
the corner of Main and Fifth streets on the site now occupied by
the Bourbon-Agricultural Bank and Trust Co.’s building. She was
twice married, her children, Charles Ross and Horatio (“Birdie”)
Wilkins, having died some years ago.
On the same day, a
nineteen-year-old colored girl was adjudged insane and was
ordered sent to the State Hospital. The two unfortunates were
taken to the institution together.
Courtesy Mary Hatton
Thousandsticks newspaper Middlesboro KY - August 10, 1911
Meeting of State Physicians in Corbin To Consider Situation
Corbin, KY, Aug.9 - Physicians from all parts of the State are here
today in consultation with a government specialist discussing the
prevalence of pellagra, which has been discovered in Eastern KY and in
the insane asylums of the State.
Among the physicians present are Dr. McCormick of the State Board of
Health, who called the conference, Dr. Vernon Robbins of Louisville and
Dr. Smock health officer of Jefferson county.
A number of the victims of the disease appeared before the doctors, who
examined into their habits, the food and manner of life, in an effort to
determine if possible the real cause of the disease. The physicians will
continue their work until tonight and will go to Lexington to prepare a
report.
The claim that there are several hundred cases of the disease among the
foreigners in the mountain counties is declared to be a gross
exaggeration, but the doctors throughout the State are determined to do
everything in their power to keep down the malady. It is likely that
some plan of campaign against the scourge will be decided upon at
today's meeting.
It is also asserted that Whitley county has been the source of several
cases of the disease that have appeared in the State asylums.
Twenty odd cases and three deaths have been admitted as existing in the
Lexington asylum and eight cases have been reported from Hopkinsville.
The Lakeland authorities have reported one case, but Dr. B.W. Smock
health officer of Jefferson county in which Lakeland is located has been
quoted as saying that there are more cases than in either of the other
institutions. This however is denied by Supt. Gardner of Lakeland.
Quite a number of physicians and business men from Middlesboro were in
Corbin yesterday to attend the meeting.
Courtesy of
Dusty Pilgrim
Middlesboro Daily News Middlesboro KY Saturday
October 14, 1922
The
average daily number of inmates in the Eastern
State hospital for the year 1921 - 1922 was
1,350
Courtesy of
Dusty Pilgrim
Middlesboro (KY) Daily News August 30, 1926
Bring seven to Bell poor farm
Feeble - minded charges enjoy trip
Charles Brooks, keeper of the Bell county poor farm,
accompanied by J.T. Lockard, and Esquire Harvey Hopkins
motored to Lexington the last week end and brought back nine
persons of feeble mind who will make their home for the time
being at the county poor farm. The latter are from Bell
county originally and have been in the insane asylum at
Lexington for several years.
It proved to be an uneventful trip, the charges showing no
disposition to make any trouble. In fact they were congenial
and cheerful and seemed to enjoy the outing.
Mr. Hopkins was much impressed by the wonderful order and
system that he observed at the asylum. He and his companions
were given a courteous welcome by Superintendent Larue and
his assistant and shown through the great institution. There
are 1600 inmates at this time and although many are
complete imbeciles, the order and discipline is perfect.
Every fellow seemed to have his hobby and he was permitted
to pursue, but when spoken to, they were all alike quick to
heed and obey.
The buildings and grounds are beautiful and the sanitary
measures as nearly perfect as possible. The inmates are
given good food and care and for the most part seem
contented.
In the party returned to Bell county were seven men and two
women. The men were brought back in the cars driven by Mr.
Brooks and Mr. Lockard, the women were brought by bus.
One of the women, about 20, seemed to be perfectly rational,
in fact intelligent. She had been in the asylum for two
years and _____? _______? (seemed overjoyed?) to be so
nearly at liberty again. She was given employment by Mr.
Brooks, doing house work at the farm for which she will be
paid.
Middlesboro Daily News Middlesboro KY Thursday
August 19, 1926
Much
has been written lately of the state's wards. In
Lexington, with the Eastern State hospital and
the houses of reform at Greendale located here,
it should not be necessary to read statements
from the outside to know what conditions in the
state institutions are.
Joseph E. Robinson of Lancaster, chairman of the
state board of charities and corrections,
speaking before the students of the Eastern
State Normal school summer school in Richmond
Monday, said that there are now 5,000 patients
in the three state hospitals of the state, with
a total capacity of 4,100. He could go further.
Even if there were only 4,000 patients in these
hospitals instead of 5,000, the facilities for
caring for them would be totally inadequate.
The
Eastern State hospital was the first institution
of it's kind west of the Alleghenies. Some of
the construction of 1817 is still in use. The
whole plant is a firetrap. Only through the most
scrupulous care have the superintendents of
recent years been able to prevent a catastrophe
that would bring the state to tears.
"But
more than one hundred years ago the same
buildings still are being used at Lexington as
were there in the first place. Properly
equipped, modern hospitals for the insane have
achieved a high percentage of cures of mental
disorders, some of them restoring as high as ?
(80?) percent of their patients, but in
Kentucky, with our equipment and devoted service
of the men and women in charge of this work. the
best we could do has been 7 per cent. Every time
one of these unfortunates is restored to his
family it means a savings of at least $200 a
year to the state."
The
legislatures and the people thus far have
refused to meet the emergency which has existed
and grown greater every year. In November there
will be voted on at the polls a bond issue which
will enable Kentucky to do what she should do
for those who are mentally ill. Those who fail
to give their support to this move assume their
part of the responsibility for the dire results
that will follow.
Courtesy of
Dusty Pilgrim
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