March 29th, 1860, to July 3d, 1862:
Patients.—John P. Bacon, Patrick Mely, John Newbanks, John Beldon, William B. Gibbs, Sidney Betts, John Smawly, Capt. Lord, Mr. O'Donnel (destroyed Bible), Ebenezer Scott, Patrick Fitzgerald, Mr. Babcock (has lame foot), James Bolin, William Lewis, Alfred (the painter). William Anderson (helper), Isabella Anderson, helper (hanged herself March 16th, 1873).
From March 29th, 1860, to July 3d, 1862, then I was removed to the incurable house:
Attendants.—John Smith, Mr. Burr, Geo. Harrison, Charles Harrison, one, name unknown, Mr. Adkins (lunatic barber from Brattleborough asylum), Drs. McLean and Gregory; John Harrison, steward, Mrs Harrison, matron.
I am now writing a book for sane minds to read and peruse; and whether you judge the author sane or insane, he prays you may sympathize with the poor unfortunate beings herein mentioned who are still living. Some have gone to their long homes; and it is through the mercy of God that I am spared to make manifest things that I have seen and heard in this institution, and labor for the good of the poor.
"In a large house are many masters," so says the Bible.
At the present day lunatic asylums have become very popular; and it is granted by many that this Ida Hill Institution is well cared for, having twenty-six governors, and half as many doctors, to overlook, and a committee to inspect, and supervisors to visit. All this may be true. But where are these duty-bound men? One in the National Bank; another in the mayor's office; another in his flour store; another galloping through the city to attend to his own medical practice. All these are troubled about many things—the supervisors have their home cares also. These are governors without.
WHO GOVERNS THE INMATES?
But, says one, who governed these patients you have named within? This I can answer readily, though I had to learn it. Brattleborough and the Marshall institutions were high schools to teach human nature to me. I was on one of the halls of the Brattleborough asylum with thirty-seven patients, where blood was often shed; upon this hall was a patient by the name of Adkins, here I thought my attendants were lunatics, did not certainly know. But soon after I got into the Marshall institution, this same patient, Adkins, became attendant over me, I shall call him the Brattleborough lunatic barber, for he often ordered me into the shaving room and shaved me, and my Lord I was afraid to be shaved by a lunatic barber in a room alone, no alternative, be shaved I must. And when I was taken to the incurable house, Alfred and Thomas Haly, formerly patients, whom I shall speak of in future pages, became my attendants. These men had been self-abused; Alfred was a drunkard; the others were something else—they also knew how to abuse others; give such low, degraded men the keys, and a little authority, and their word is law, and they are lord of all. Such men govern within.
After suffering more than ten years in this institution, I graduated on the 13th day of October, 1870. If any one thinks that I have not got my diploma, please look at the accursed harness in the engraving that I bought in 1873 of Mr. Hogan of River street, Troy, similar to the accursed ones used in the Marshall Crazy House, to bind poor unfortunate men and women with, and then torture and strangle them. I have read of our Saviour casting out devils in kindness, and I have read of the devil being bound in everlasting chains, but it never came into my mind that such barbarous acts were practiced in these institutions, until I saw them with my own eyes and experienced to my sorrow.