Adams County, Nebraska - Chapter 23: Ixgleside, 1916

Chapter 23: Ixgleside

The Ingleside H()s])ital for the Insane, located a little more than a mile west of Hastings, is the largest institution in Adams County, and one of continuous interest. The bill locating the hospital was passed by the Legislature of Nebraska in 1887, and $7.5,000 was aj)])ropriated for the erection of buildings. The appropriation was made on the condition that KiO acres of land should be donated at Hastings for the use of the hosj)ital. Forty acres were given by Adams County and 120 acres additional by A. L. Clarke, Samuel Alexander, James B. Heartwell and a ninnber of other citizens.

The first bill for the location of the hospital at Hastings was introduced in the Legislature of 1885 by Fred P. Olmstead, representative from Adams County. JNIr. jNIatthewson of Xorfolk was the speaker of the Plouse in that session, and favorable to Xorfolk; the net result of the legislation was the substituting of the name of Xoi-folk into ^Iv. Olmstead's bill in place of Hastings. One of the weaknesses in the proposition for Hastings which jNIr. Olmstead was authoi'ized to make was the offer of forty acres of land, while Xorfolk offered S-iO.

The contract for the erection of the original building, the administration building, was let to Ellis Reynolds & Sprecher. C. C. Rittenhouse was the architect and S. J. Weigel the superintendent of construction. The cornerstone of this building was laid Jidy '25, 1888. By subsequent appropriations the land area of the institution has been increased to an aggregate of 0291/. acres, less the rights of way of the ]Missoin-i Pacific and the Burlington railroads, which leaves a net of approximately 620 acres. The lands are located as follows: 120 acres on section 9, 40 on section 10, 320 on section 16 and li.il^ on section 1."). all in Denver Township.

Tn 1891 the north and south wings were added to the original building, and in 1897 the South Annex was built. In 1902 the North Annex was erected. The cornerstone of the newest building, the

Cowles Euilding, was laid April 26, 1910. In 1904. and 1905 Amusement Hall, where the patients' dances and various entertaimiients are given, Avas built. The hall is 60 by 100 feet. During the same twoyear period, the farm cottage on the northeast quarter of section 16 was built, and two new greenliouses were constructed. The dairy barn on the northeast quarter of section 16 was built in 191J<. It is a modern, sanitary barn, equipped with James steel stanchions, and will accommodate sixty-six cows. A large herd of Holstein cows is maintained at Ingleside. About seventy-five are milked at the present time, the milk and cream being used by the dwellers at the hospital. The cost of the dairy barn was $.5,500, in cash, but the patients ]3erformed a great deal of the labor and the barn is valued at $10,000. The hospital has its own electric light and power plant and waterworks system.

The Superixtexdexts

Dr. ]M. W. Stone was the first superintendent of the institution. Doctor Stone came from Wahoo and was appointed ]May 1, 1889. J. W. Liveringhouse of Grand Island was the first steward.

Nebraska jjolitics was convulsed in 1891 by the struggle of John JNI. Thayer and James E. Boyd for the governorship, and the struggle is reflected in the records of Ingleside. Governor Boyd served first from January 15, 1891, to jNIay 5, 1891. On April 20th Governor Boyd appointed Dr. G. W. Johnston sui^erintendent. On jNIay 5th Governor Thayer resumed his seat as governor and on the same date removed Superintendent .Johnston, who had sei'ved only twenty-four houi-s. Governor Thayer then, 3Iay 5th, reappointed Dr. F. G. Test, Avhom he had first appointed ]\Iay 31st and who had served until his removal by Governor Boyd. On September 15, 1891, Doctor Test was removed and Dr. F. J. Bricker appointed. February 15, 1892, Doctor Bricker was removed and Dr. G. W. Johnston reappointed. Doctor Johnston assumed control of the institution February 15, 1892, and served until Dr. Robert Damerell, of Red Cloud, appointed by Governor Holcomb, ^Nlarch 28, 1895, assumed charge April 10, 1895. Dr. J. T. Steele, of Hastings, was appointed assistant by Doctor Damerell. succeeding Dr. W, B. Kern, who had filled the position under Doctor Bricker. Doctor Kern had come from Wood River, and this was his first connection with the hospital.

ruarv 1, 1901, and S. Woodard, of Aurora, was assistant physician. Doctor ^Voodard was later appointed superintendent of the Lincohi Hosjjital by Governor Shallenberger. Harry C Haverly, of Hastings, became steward with the superintendency of Doctor Kern, and Alma J. Chapman second assistant. Mr. Haverly continued as steward until December 1, 1907, when he resigned to become landlord of the Bostwick Hotel. He was succeeded as steward by GeOrge James.

Doctor Kern was superintendent continuously from February 1, 1901, to February 1, 1909, when he was succeeded by Dr. M. W. Baxter, who was appointed by Governor Shallenberger. Doctor Baxter served until February 1, 1911, when Doctor Kern again assumed charge, having been appointed by Governor Aldrich. When Governor INIorehead was elected, he again appointed Doctor Baxter, Avho served from February 20, 1913, until his resignation, which took effect January 31, 1916. Upon that date the present superintendent. Dr. W. S. Fast, assumed charge. Doctor Fast was a])pointed by the board of commissioners of state institutions, and M as formerly superintendent of the school for the feeble-minded, at Beatrice.

Xame And Purpose

T!ie purpose of the institution, originally, was to relieve the institutions at I.,incoln and Norfolk of those cases believed to be incurable, and the legal name was "Hospital for the Incurable Insane." A'ery emphatic objections were made by suiierintendents, in their reports, to this name. Doctor Johnston argiied that it was unfair to those individuals confined and who were able to comprehend their situation, to force upon them through the name the realization that they w^ere in an institution from Avhich they would not be released. It was also urged that the name was a misnomer, because in many instances patients recovered their mental normality of their own accord. Doctor Kern also urged this matter upon the Legislature. After 1895 the name appearing in the reports of the superintendents is "Asylum for the Chronic Insane." It was the Legislature of 190.3 that changed the name and character of the institution. The name was changed to the "Nebraska State Hospital," and instead of being an institution for the chronic insane of the state, it was made the hospital for all classes of insane in a district comprising fifty-three counties. The Legislature of 191;) gave the institution its present designation, "Ingleside Hospital for the Insane."

Postoffice Established

June 26, 1905, the United States Government established a postoffice in the institution, designating it as Ingleside. This was the origin of the present name, Ingleside. The superintendents were the IJostinasters until JNIarch, 1913, when Ingleside, together with all other fourth-class offices, came under the civil service. Percy ^I. Jones, tlie bookkeeper of the institution, became the first postmaster under the civil service and served until his resignation in the spring of 1914. At that time, jNIrs. Una Norris, wife of the present supervisor, assumed charge of the office. JNIrs. Xorris died in JMarch, 1915, and Miss ]Mae Baxter was acting postmistress until the present postmistress, ]\Irs. Golda V. Crutcher, qualified, August 26, 1915.

Until the Legislature of 1913 established the "Board of Commissioners of State Institutions," which organized July 1st of that year, Ingleside was in the care of a board of control composed of the governor, secretary of state and the commissioner of public lands and buildings. The institution, having its management strictly a matter of political patronage, has always been the object of a great deal of political maneuvering, and at intervals the newspapers of the two political parties have found much to say, sometimes sensational matter, about Ingleside.

The first disturbance came early in the history of the institution. T. H. Leavitt, a state accountant, having been assigned to investigate the accounts of the hospital, rejjorted August 5, 1891, for the previous twenty-five months. The report was made to the president of the Board of Public Lands and Buildings, A. R. Humphrey. The report charged lax methods generally for tlie ])eriod, and declared that it was impossible to trace where some of tlie public money had gone to. It could be seen, for instance, that on jNIay 25, 1889, J. V. Smith had been paid $300 for a team of horses, but to whom had been j^aid $106.35 for a barn, harness and wagon could not be ascertained from the record. After enumerating some of the obscurities, the report said: "Tliere are probably irregularities in the accounts in sight, covering from $12,000 to $20,000, which neither tlie papers in my hands nor the time to which you have limited me have made it possible to examine into." "liills have been paid in duplicate or in excess of what was due." "It is noticeable concerning the cliecks given to parties named in the payroll that some of them are far less tlian the sums named in the vouchers to the state treasurer." It was also charged that sj^urious names had been entered ui^on the payroll and money drawn to pay their salaries. Such is a sketch of early irregularities reported at Ingleside.

New Kegime

The theory underlying the legislative enactment of 1913, which created the board of commissioners of public institutions, was to improve the checking and accounting systems and to lessen the political patronage feature. Since its creation, this board has appointed the superintendent. Superintendent Fast being the first. If the theory works out, superintendents will not hereafter be necessarily changed as the fortunes of political parties change. The board is appointed by the governor, the members having six-year terms, except the first board, which gave Henry Gerdes, of Falls City, six years. Judge Howard Kennedy, of Omaha, four years, and Silas A. Holcomb, of Broken Bow, two years. At the expiration of his first term, jNIr. Holcomb was reappointed.

Growth Ix Value

When Superintendent M. W. Stone assumed his duties in 1889 the ])roperty put in his charge was valued at $80,.598.G(j. This included land and all other jiroperty. The last inventory made Avas February 20. 191.3, when the value of the Ingleside property was listed at $1,26.>.99.5.91. The estimated value at present is $1,. 500.000.

First Patients

Patients Avere first received at the hospital August 1, 1889. Fortyfour were brought from Lincoln on that date. The first of these to be taken, becoming Number One, was IMelvin JNIeals, who remained an inmate until his death, October 7, 1895. Of the party that came that day, Peter Hedstrum is the only one that remains. There had been received up to December 18, 1916, 4,115 patients in all, and the inmates ujion that day numbered 4<05 women and 7-17 men.

Xo'J'Ahle Patients

skill and feeling. Hans Albert relates that he was born in Austria and was brought to this country by JNIrs. Grover Cleveland. Another musician of much ability is George JMcPherson. He is a colored man and was graduated from several musical conservatories. He is a skilled i^ianist and sj^ends many hours at the piano, and has played at concerts. Another notable inmate, though with a different talent, is Bertha Liebbecke. She is known throughout the United States as "Fainting Bertha." She gained this name through her habit of falling in a faint into the arms of pedesti-ians on city streets. Generally, when the pedestrians had disengaged themselves and provided care for the fainting woman, they found afterwards that they had been relieved by Bertha of their pocketbooks, Matches, jewelry or other valuables. "Fainting Bertha" has escaped from Ingleside on some occasions and afforded opportunities for sensational captures.

The Staff

Ingleside is a world to itself, a comminiity full of human interest. Cheerfulness and optimism among the employees is brought into strong relief because of its nearness to the great tragedy enacted by the unfortunates who find their home here. Among the employees there exists a bright social life. By them the institution is often referred to as the "matrimonial bureau." Many marriages have resulted from acquaintances made at Ingleside. The care bestowed upon the buildings and grounds makes Ingleside, in spite of the nature of the place, an object of pride to the i^eople of Hastings and Adams County.