The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 14, 1898, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1898. AGNEWS REEKS _ WITH ScaNDAL ATTACHES ACCUSED OF GRAVE OFFENSE AGAINST MORALS Charges Which if Confirmed Must Result in an Official Cleaning of the Inpstitution. ° SAN JOSE, July 12.—The management of Agnews o g reeks with scandal. To-day there was the beginning of an © 0 expose which seems likely to send more than one attache into g © disgrace and out of authority. Some of the offenses men- g g tioned are almost unspeakable, and the aggregation shows © © that the asylum has been run with an appalling laxness. Of g g the people accused only one has yet had opportunity of mak- © O ing denial, and he did not avail himself of it. Later, each g g will be given a chance to answer, and if the allegations shall © O not be overthrown there i ape from the conclusion g g that the Agnews Asylum is a menace to morals, the execu- ¢ © tive unfit for a place of trust, and some of the employes as g g ble as the head of the institution, while the directors g © will be obliged to explain the whys and wherefores of many g g an vory episode. ° ! detective of Santa Clara County. To Frost's allegations Dr. Sponogle made no explanation before the board and maintained a stolid silence, despite a most dramatic finale by Frost, such as demanded instant reply. When he had finished the list of | erimes which he deciared had been laid at the door of Dr. Sponogle, Frost ex- claimed: “If those things had been said about me, or if the man about whom they were said had the least bit of manhood, some one would be going around with a | shotgun looking for his traducers, or he would turn the gun upon himself or | pack his grip and forever leave*the county of Santa Clara. Now, I say, either that man has been most un- justly slandered or he is not fit to ec- cupy his position in this institution. If 1 were In his place the least I would do under the circumstances would be mous her r g of the Board of Agnews State Hos- the Agnews In- 1sternation amon now of the oncer: h the institu- have many nd unexpected were the hey were met by that which is more eloquent | But the faces of sev- bers and attaches pres- that the shafts had hit and 1 deeply. Four people, A g Tachos Of‘:!r“nd:mmd an immediate investiga t d under fire, and |~ Everybody glanced uneasily about, th | expecting some outbreak or attack chairman of the | from Dr. Sponogle, but the nmn simply Committee, | kept his head bowed, listened and was |silent, {n all the asnect of guilt. As an offset to Mr. Williams' charge, Dr. Sponogle eclaimed that he con- sidered necessarv the examination he made of Mrs. Willlams, as she had been suffering great pain, and he felt it to be his duty to attempt to relieve and would-be Caesar the gentler f the Democratic who misses no op- a great moral and mer, who indulges himself 1 1 that the guberna- attracted to part as be specifi N e | her. ; e b h,hd g=r *3h | Later the doctor, on belng asked if he t about the discharge of a fe-|paq anything to say relative to the male attendant because she knew too | grave accusations made by Frost, n to the detriment of Gould's half- | simply gave a general denial of all that r This man is employed as sec- | Frost had stated. This was made to superintendent of | The Call's representative, but not to uld was further | the board. Gould was not present at the meet- |ing, it being given out that he was too | busy building fences at the Populist convention at Sacramento to attend to | his duties as a State official Incidentally charges of immoral con- duct were made agalnst T. T. Tour- tilotte, the half brother of Gould. His relations with one of the female at- tendants, who subsequently proved to gross e silence he v threats. 1 superin- told in the that charges had nst him of having mur- * In order to secure on her life; that |be Mrs. Madigan, were alleged to be ung girl in Fresno, .-mlgr than mere friendship would war- : rant. promise the | "4e the result of all these sensational charged | gevalopments all that was done in the Unnecessary | matter by the hoard was to pass a mo- f one of th tion permitting Mr. Williams to file writ- e latter's deep |ten charges at the next meeting cf the ul protesta- [ board, a month hence. Preparatory to was made by | filing these charges Mr. Williams had who Is now the hus- | his wife make an afidavit to-day that g woman in question. |is given herewith. It gives the facts in you woman whose | connection with her discharge on the Gould brou ut | motion of Gould, after Gould had tried al- |and failed to induce her to keep silent by | relative to the conduct of Tourtilotte at nd Mrs. Madigan. MRS. OLIVIA P. WILLIAMS. (From a Photograph by Bushnell.) [sXsRogeTaReageFuFeRegugageFegogeFeyaRugeFeLeRuoRaTaFoFuTaFoRagaRaTaFuToRaFoTeToRoT ok oo RoR e oRoR B oRod ot that institution. sane Asylum. to hold their respeetive positions. That she answered: serious.” Mrs. Olivia Barnhisel-Willlams, the undersigned, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is a resident of the town of Santa Clara, county of Santa Clara, State of California. That she entered the employ of the State as an attendant at the Agnews Insane Asylum vears ago, and that her services had always been appreciated and her conduct approved by That without good cause or reason she was discharged in March, 1898, from her position, which was then head night watch in the female department,by formal voteof the board of managers of the Agnews In- That she believes that her dismissal was the result of her having knowledge of certain acts of two of the employes of the institution, which were serious violations of good moral conduct, and which made ‘them unfit That the persons referred to are T. T. Tourtillott, secretary to the medical superintendent, and Mrs. K. Madigan, head attendant in one of the female wards. That she conveyed her knowledge to Dr. J. N. Christal, one of the staff of physicians of the institution, who, she has reason to believe, informed Dr. Sponogle, medical superinterdent. That she also informed Frank Gould, one of the members of the board of managers, by letter of the im- moral conduct that she had reason to believe was being indulged in by Mr. and asked him to endeavor to correct them in their behavior at the asy an embarrassing position, both personally and in her relations to the bo rd. That at one of the regular meetings of the board of managers, prior to her discharge, Mr. Gould sought and obtained a private interview with her, and informed her that it was necessary for her to maintain silence in reference to Mr. Tourtillott, who Is a half-brother of Mr. Gould; that he (Gould) had always been her friend; that she owed her position to him, and that if she did not maintain the strictest silence Tourtillott-Madigan matter he would give her a “hasty walk down the avenue with her grip.”” “I am not responsible for the conduct of your brother. building—the way he has carried on with Mrs. Madigan. It is no fault of mine that the That Mr. Gould responded that he had investigated the matter and believed, on brother, that his brother and Mrs. Madigan were innocent. Mrs. Madigan are guilty of immoral conduct, but, personally, I That at the meeting immediately following this interview between the deponent and Mr. Gould the lat- ter moved that the deponent be summarily dismissed on the ground that she was a nervous wreck and was subject to mental hallucinations; which motion was duly carried without any investigation and without afford- ing the deponent any opportunity to say anything in her own behalf. That this affidavit is made in order to facilitate the investigation which the board of managers at its meeting held July 13, 1888, decided to institute at its next regular meeting in order to ascertain the facts in connection with the charges made by the deponent against T. T. Tourtillott and Mrs. K. Madigan. That the names of other witnesses who can testify to the facts as stated herein are Miss Ella Royce, for- merly matron at the asylum; Mrs. White, head attendant in one of the wards of the asylum; F. P. Kerns, head night watch at the asylum; Miss Rose Ryan, an attendant at the asylum. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of July, 1898. S. THOMPSON, Notary Public in and for Santa Clara County, State of California. 306 30 206 306 30 Y06 308 06 X0 308 06 308 0 306 00 108 0 300 0 308 0% 30X 308 306 0% 0 308 308 308 06 XK 308 306 406 K00 306 308 306 0K 308 308 30¢ 40 30 108 30% KX K CF CH 0K MRS. WILLIAMS DISMISSED BECAUSE OF “HALLUCINATIONS.” about seven the officials of Tourtillott and Mrs. Madigan, "m, as such conduct placed her in in reference to the It is common talk about the matter has grown the statement of his He added: “You may say that my brother and don’t beleve it.” MRS. OLIVIA B. WILLIAMS. CUGUOVSOCOV OO DO OO0 0 Q00000 08O 00008 08 08 X0 108 £ 308 € 08 08 100 Y0 308 308 308 306 08 300 O 0 08 T o ARt R - -R R - -2 R R -E -3 -3 -F-1-F-F-F-F-F - F-F-F- R-F- R P - poges however, to warrant the intervention of the Governor to the extent of seeing that the internal affairs of Agnews Asylum are thoroughly sifted, and the blameworthy exposed and- punished. This was the day set by the board for he opening of bids for new cottages to :79 bupilt f«i the institution. The bids were opened and the award made to Mr. Davis at $15,500. Before proceed- was asked if he wished to address the board. He sald that he did, and that it would take him but a few minstes He declared that he had been denounc- ed before the board by John Griffith as a blackmailer. He thought fore the board to answer the charge made by Griffith. He understood, he said, that Griffith had sald that he (Frost) had shown Griffith a typewrit- ten document, which was to be used to blackmail Dr. Sponogle. Frost denied that he had any intention of blackmail- ing any one, and then launched out unexpectedly as follows: From what has comeé to my knowl- edge I want to say this: Dr. Spo- nogle ought to demand an investiga- tion, or take his little gripsack and leave Santa Clara County. Either the doctor has been defamed, or he is not fit to be at the head of this insti- tution. Dr. J. R. Curnow here asked a start ling question of Frost in a way to show that he had received some previous in- formation on the matter mentioned. “Have you heard of any bribe money being offered by anybody in this in- | stitution?” was his interrogatory. “I promised not to mention the mat- ter,”” replied Frost, “but as you ask the question, I will say that I have been | told that Dr. Sponogle gave a certain | man $200 to prevent that gentleman's wife from being present at thig meet- ing.” Charles Williams, the IMsband of the young woman, who is said to have been discharged at the instigation of Frank H. Gould, was requested to formulate any request that he had to make. He stated that he appeared on behalf of his wife, nee Barnhisel. “My wife,”” he sald, “was let out here some months ago. The motive which brought about ker discharge was that she had certain information det- rimental to this board, and they tell me that my wife is a nervous wreck, and that she was laboring under a mental hallucination. I have made a very careful Investigation of her con- dition and if I am married to a ner- vous wreck I have not discovered it. 'She has told me that one morning it was her unfortunate experience to have seen the medical superintendent’s sec- retary come out of a room in the other end of the building, and I have a num- ber of witnesses and evidence to bring before this board in relation to a cer- tain woman. This matter has been talked about throughout the build- ing, and has given a black eye to this place. My wife reported the matter to The latter said that the matter was so important that he felt it was his duty to report it to Mr. Gould, which I un- derstood he did. “But Mr. Gould said she was simply being made a tool by some one who wished to injure his brother, Mr. Tour- tilotte.” At this juncture O. A. Hale, one of the members of the board of managers, objected to any charges being made against an absent member, referring to Gould. Mr. Willlams stated that he was sim- ply trying to give the facts that brought about the discharge of his wife, and said he thought he had a per- fect right to do this. He then con- tinued: “My wife believes that she was dis- charged because she -elated a matter that was entirely true, but which was against the interests of certain parties here. 1 don’t believe you gentlemen would have discharged her if you had known the facts. I believe she was dis- charged from malicious motives. In behalf of my wife and in the interest of falrness, in the'interest of good mor- als, I don’t see why my wife should have been discharged.” Edward White, another member of the board, here asked: “In case this board does not put vour wife back, do vou insist on an investigation as to her discharge?” To this Willlams revlied: “T shall in- sist on a thorough investigation of ail the matters that led to her discharge. T have the evidence of the immoral con- duct of some of the persons here, and 1 think it should be placed before the board.” Mr. Hale again interrupted to ask Mr. Gould and also to Dr. Sponogle. | [Seal] T = ] Enough was developed at the short | and exciting session of the morning, | charged. ing to other routine business Mr. Frost | he | gelf again in a position which might ought to have been asked to come be- | | vestigation if his wife were not restored | tion will be made.” Mr. Williams to correct his statement 1 fired the most demoralizing shot of the that his wife was maliciously dis- | session thus: Mr. Hale said that the board | pr Sponogle has been accused of did not act out of malice. | Mr. Willlams modified his statement | Iurdering his first wife, and obtain- on this point by saying that he knew ing the insurance money that he had the board acted on the recn?]mhendl:'uog placed on her life. He has been ac- of one of the members of the ard | 5 (meaning Mr. Geuld), because she had | CuSed, also, of ruining a young girl discovered Gould’s brother in a com- promising position. Mr. Williams then asked that his wife be reinstated in her former position. Chairman Curnow of the board re- marked that he understood that she had complained of not having been properly treated while at the institu- tion, and said he could not understand why she should endeavor to place her- ihe has a spark of manhood in him he | will demand an investigation of this ‘matter. He has either been vilified or he is unfit to occupy the postiion he now fills in this institution. It was then he reached a climax by | declaring that Dr. Sponogle ought prove distasteful to her. “Why does |either to be out gunning for his tra- she say that Dr. Sponogle had not acted | ducers or making tracks for parts un- right toward her?” he concluded. | known. “Dr. Sponogle did subject my wife to | o Fora a physical examination,” said wil- | DR. DAVID S. BANKS liams, “but he says that it was for the beneic of her hostn ‘ GOES TO HIS REST Willlams also credited to Dr. Spono- | e gle a remark concerning Mrs. Williams | Heart Disease Ends a Career Spent such as will not bear publication. | in Presbyterian Church Dr. Sponogle made no denial as to Servi the remark, but clalmed that Mrs. Wil- el liams, who was Miss Barnhisel at the | SANTA CRUZ, July 13.—Rev. David Stu- time referred to, was suffering great | art Banks, D. D., one of the foremost pain which he wanted to relieve. | Presbyterfan divines of the State, died | this morning of heart disease in his room Hale again came to the rescue of the man under fire. “If these statements,” he said, “are | in the nature of charges.they should be | heard before the whole board and the | charges should be in writing.” Willlams made retort to this as fol- lows: “I don’t think this board will ever come to the point where an investiga- at the Pacific Ocean House. this city on a visit. Dr. Banks has resided in California since 1888, and four years of the time was spent as pastor of the Presbyterian Chureh in this city. He also served the Preshyterian Churches at Berkeley and North Ontario. Dr. Banks was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1834, and graduated from Princeton University in_the class of '39. He was ordained on November 17, 1863, by the Presbytery of Hunllnflon in Pennsylvania. He served the following churches before coming to California: | Altoona, Penn., 1861-1865; Brainard Church, Easton, Penn.. 1865 First Marquette, Mich., 1873-1882 consin, 1883-18%6, sionary of L:l?(e This Induced Mr. White to again ask Williams if he would demand an in- to her former position. On receiving a reply In the aflirmative he made a motion that Mr. Williams be given an opportunity to be present at the next meeting of the board to make a state- ment of his case. Mr. White said that a ¢ery serious accusation had been made against an employe of the asylum. “It {s not | proper,” he added, ‘“that a report | should go abroad that Mr. Turtillott is under suspicion, and if he is guilty he should be discharged.” White’'s motion was “adopted. Frost again came to the front and | Appleton, Wis- He then served as mis- for ten vears on the south shore Michigan Santa Cruz Parocnial School. SANTA CRUZ, July 13—A parochial school for boys is nearly completed in this city and will be opened on the 25th. The school is situated next to the. Catholic Church and the new bullding is a sub- stantial one with two rooms, which will accommodate 150 puplls. Sisters of Charity from the Fast will instruct ~the 0y S. 4 CHARLES WILLIAMS, HUSBAND OF OLIVIA P. WILLIAMS. . {From a Photograph by Bushnell.) | | | in Fresno and of paying $4000 to get | out of the consequences of his act. If | He was in | Church, | fupon her parents. ANOTHER GOVERNOR GENERAL - BLANCO ATTEMPTS - TO COM At Least That Is MIT SUICIDE the Story Takeh to Key West by a Refugee From Havana. Fearful Conditions Now Prevail at the Cuban Capital and Many Are Dying From Starvation. KEY WEST, l'la., July 13.—Accord- ing to advices from Havana received here to-day, Governor General Blanco attempted to commit suicide when he learned beyond doubt that Admiral Cervera’s squadron had been = anni- hilated. The earlier misleading dis- patches,” which gave the impression that Cervera had eluded the American fleet, caused the greatest joy in Ha- vana, but when the truth became known, with meager details showing the utter destruction of Cervera's squadron, all gayeties were stopped and | every public and many private build- ings were hung with crape and other black draperies. Blanco was in the palace when the intelligence reached him, and he be-| came almost frenzied. He was closeted | with his staff and General Arolas of the Spanish forces, discussing the news, when he made the attempt on his life. After a struggle he was sub- dued and disarmed, but the shock was | 80 severe that he was prostrated and compelled to keep to his bed for sev- eral days. When he arose his first order was to prohibit anv food sup- | nlies leaving Havana for interior | towns, where the distress is most | poignant and where many are starv- ing daily. This and other valuable information | was brought by Jose Pauline Blanco, who indignantly repudiated a sugges- tion of kinship with the Governor Gen- eral. He says he is a loyal Cuban and | escaped to avoid the necessity of fight- | ing against his cause as every male lni the island who is able to bear arms is being pressed into the Spanish service. He obtained a fisherman’s permit to go outside Morro and at 6 o’clock Monday | morning put off in a small boat. Thei United States gunboat Bancroft was stationed six miles out and he rowed to | her, the Cojimar batteries, east of Ha- | vana, firing two shots at him when he was observed passing beyond the pre- | scribed limits. The Bancroft trans- ferred him to another vessel and he was brought here, where the local junta will care for him. The sailors of two American ships made up a liberal money subscription for him and gave | him some new clothing. Blanco says the living conditions in Havana are constantly growing worse, the greatest distress necessarily falling on the Cubans, because nearly all the food is seized for the troops. Of these there are about 70,000 in the city, con- sisting of volunteers, mobilized troops, militia and regulars. Their rations are largely rice and beans, without even bacon. Jerked beef, Blanco says, sells for 30 cents a pound, bread of poor quality for 50 cents, lard $1, meat 75 cents, cornmeal 25 cents and rice 50 cents. Shark food is eagerly sought and the day before Blanco left the city one shark caught in Havana harbor sold for $13 50. The concentrados who have sufficient influence with the dispensing authori- ties sometimes contrive to get one wretched meal a day, but the others starve, and it is no uncommon thing, Blanco says, to see persons drop dead in the streets. Even among the Span- fards starvation is rapidly sapping their loyalty, and large numbers of men are banding themselves together, awaiting the first American attack on Havana as a signal of revolt. The grocery and provision stores are empty, and the only articles on the Havana wharves are about a thousand barrels of ce- ment, wet and useless. Only liquor is to be had cheaply. Work on the defenses continues with tireless vigor. Two lines of cables bearing torpedoes have becn strung across the harbor from the city side to Morro Castle, and the same has been done in the Bay of Mariel, where, it was reported in Havana, American troops are to be landed. Blanco further reported that three weeks ago the.Spanish steame,'s Monte- videc and Santo Domingo crept out of the harbor at midnight with all lights out and safely got through the block- ade. The Spanish ships now in the harbor, he says, are the gunboats Conde Venadito, Marquise de la En- senada, Neuva and Pana, Filiplnas and Nunez Pinzon, several of which are unfit for service. The guns have been removed from the cruiser Alfonzo XII and used for shore batteries and the cruiser has been converted into a hos- pital ship. There are also in the harbor a number of smaller warships of the nature of converted yachts. The merchant steamers Josefa, Adola gnd Marja Herrera are also in the har- or. D]VORCE SENSATION William T. Plunkett Is the Defendant. LENGHTY LIST OF CHARGES COMPLAINT TELLS A STORY OF CRUELTY. The Vacillating Husband, the For- giving Wife and a Num- ber of Letters in Evidence. A diverce complaint was filed yesterday with the County Clerk, in which Cora B. Plunkett is the plaintiff and Willlam T. Plunkett the defendant. Both parties are well known in San Francisco, especially the defendant, who was at one time a football player.of un- excelled reputation. He is a graduate of the University of California, class of 1896, with a record in the fleld of scholar- ship as well as on the gridiron. The plaintiff is the daughter of Norman Parrish, a prominent milling man of this city and at present proprietor of the Cali- fornia Mills. The complaint teems with sensational matter. A list of charges is brought against the young athletic husband, who, according to the complaint, has so sinned against the sanctity of the marital re- lations that there are several causes for divorce. The married life of William T. Plunkett and Cora Parrish has not been a long one. They were married on October 6, 1897, not a year ago, and three months after the date of their unlon differences arose which have now terminated in an abso- lute rupture and which the courts are now called upon to decide. The complaint recites how the husband persuaded his wife to visit her mother in San Jose. From the Garden City the trusting woman sent missive after mis- sive to the erflng husband, but he was silent. Tortured by his neglect she came to the city and attempted to find him. They were then iiving at the Fairmount Hotel, and she ited for his return in rooms_ contiguous to her own. Plunkett came home, but he was not responsive to his wife's knocking for admittance. He finally came out in the hall, but refused to talk with his wife or explain why he had sent their common personal. property to her mother's home during her ab- sence. But he so far relented as to ap- point an hour for conference, which, as the complaint reads, was productive of tears and a temporary penitence. He left his wife in harmony and peace to at- tend his classes in the night school of which he was a teacher. Mrs. Plunkett, joyful over the reconciliation, waited for him when his school duties should have been completed for the night, but was met with a rebuke that drove her back In the few hours be- tween the short-lived reconciliation and the next meeting the husband had re- canted. The story told in the complaint ex- poses a man _crammed with the spirit of vacillation. Repentance followed this act of harshness at the end of this short- shrift penitence. The very next night the ex-football player wrote to his wife to return home, and she and her father ar- ranged for a meeting to discuss the mari- tal infelicities in all their ramifications. For the second time the husband re- retted his overtures of peace, and in a eliberate and studied letter, in which he analyzes his feelings, he tells his wife that their paths of life would better di- verge and not intersect. There is an- other letter in the complaint which shows the plaintiff in the repentant mood. ‘It was an incessant jumping from the black to_the white keys. But this is not all of the sensational matter in the complaint. It is alleged that the father of Mrs. C. Plunkett called on the husband at his hotel and found another woman in his room; which affair the defendant avers was entirely inno- cent, as the lady was only assisting him packing his trunk. After this another reconciliation was ef- fected. And then came the period of greatest suffering for the wife. Durin this time she alleges that her h\xsbflng treated her in a shameful and brutal manner, the results of which are severs mental and physical alstress. Mrs. Plunkett prays for dissolution of the marriage, a resumption of her maiden name and alimony. ATTENTION! The eyes of the world at this moment are on strength. The war goes always to the side of the strong. Are you a brisk, bright and a big, burly man, full of power, or are you one of the weak? Weak as you may be, you can recover your vitality if you to. Heart trouble comes from excess almost always. If you have it “Hudyan” will make up for your follies and the heart trouble will cease. “Hudyan” makes up for all losses of vigor. If you have overtaxed your stomach “Hudyan” will make strong all the weakness. No single way in which you have erred is beyond its curative power. It is a great remedio-treatment, It has cured about 21,000 men. It has made permanent cures in each and every instance. It will make of the weakling a strong, vigorous man. Strong and all- powerful, yet it is absolutely harmless, It is nature’s treatment for the erring and the weak of her sons. Try it. Send for testimony about it. Do not believe this statement without proof. Only ask and free medical advice as well as testimo- nials will be gladly sent you. Those who are in San Francisco will find the Institute offers a welcome that they migh, well accept. And those who write wil| be treated equally well—no matter what the disease. Blood taint is cured at once. The treatment given makes men as fit to fight the battle of life as. wish SOLDIERS HUDSON MEDICAL INSTITUTE, BTOCKTON, MARKET AND ELLIS 8TS., San Franieco, Cal. Superfluous Hair on the face is embarrassing and vt:moyin'. Dermatologist JOHN H. WOOD- BURY, 127 Yrfi )!I'D;"-d.ee‘l’ln? al.."Ne:' Yt)l;.ki removes it. ght by depilatory, if strong electricity. Consultation free. Charges mod- erate.