The trial of Ebenezer Haskell, in lunacy, and his acquittal before Judge Brewster, in November, 1868 : together with a brief sketch of the mode of treatment of lunatics in different asylums in this country and in England, with illusrations, including a copy of Hogarth's celebrated painting of a scene in old Bedlam, in London, 1635.

  • Haskell, Ebenezer.
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The trial of Ebenezer Haskell, in lunacy, and his acquittal before Judge Brewster, in November, 1868 : together with a brief sketch of the mode of treatment of lunatics in different asylums in this country and in England, with illusrations, including a copy of Hogarth's celebrated painting of a scene in old Bedlam, in London, 1635. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

    14/174 (page 4)
    his sons, and sent him to the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. Thus, as Judge Brewster so forcibly says in his charge to the jury in the same trial, (Legal Int. Dec. 4, 1868, Vol. XXV, No. 48,) it appears that a defendant under commitment for a breach of the peace, was taken first to the Almshouse, and then, upon a certificate obtained by the statement of his sons, to an insane asylum. * * * * '' If such proceedings can be tolerated, our constitutions and laws pro- fessing to guard human liberty are all waste paper. On the 12th of June, following, he was released by his wife. On the 28th of September, 1866, at the request of his wife and three sons, and upon the following certificate : I have seen and examined B. Haskell, of Philadelphia, and believe him to be insane. C. S. BAKER, M. D., 623 Master Street. September 25th, 1866. He was again admitted to tho insane asylum. The physician who gave this certificate, subsequently said under oath, on the trial of the inquest of lunacy, that he had no con- versation whatever with the patient, against whom this certificate was given before signing it, and that he had not had more than two or three brief opportunities of seeing him even. On the 19th of November, following, he escaped. On the 7th of January, 1867, he was agaiu ai'rested and returned to the asylum. On the 5th of February, following, having been previously in- formed that an inquest of lunacy to test the question of his insanity would commence proceedings that day, and not being permitted to attend these proceedings, as it had been promised him he might do, he again escaped, but was arrested on the same day, having made no attempt to do more than to be personally present at the inquest in which he had so vital an interest—lodged over night at a station house of the Philadelphia police, and taken back to the asylum the next day. At all the subsequent meetings of the inquest, which were held weekly, and continued till into April, he was present—but always in charge of a keeper, with little or no opportunity to confer with either counsel or friends, or to summon witnesses. He having been found by this inquest, tried under such circum- stances, insane, and his hope of escape by means of a verdict in his favor thus cut off,—on the 25th of April, 1867, made his third escape, and left the State.