The Murder of John Rose at the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane

 

West Virginia State Hospital 
for the Insane-Weston, WV
July 10, 1884
Source: WV History on View

On October 7, 1881, what started as a normal Friday night at the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane at Weston (now known as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum) would turn deadly for one inmate. Blaine Starry, an inmate from Jefferson County, WV, was in his room for the night---Room No. 6, to be precise. He was alone, but his room was separated from another patient room by means of a mere flimsy partition that didn't even reach the ceiling. In the adjoining room were John Rose and an unnamed roommate. John Rose, described as an inoffensive elderly gentleman, was from Point Pleasant. 

For whatever reason, Starry, in possession of what one newspaper article called a 'club,' climbed over the low partition into Rose's room and beat the man to death. He severely wounded the roommate as well before guards could subdue him. Starry was said to be a powerful man, wielding his weapon with terrific force, so I can imagine how violent and brutal the death of Mr. Rose truly was. And, unfortunately, it would become just one in a string of brutal killings committed by asylum patients against their fellow inmates.  And, like, so many other deaths of this nature, may have been preventable---at least in the eyes of one citizen from Wheeling, WV.

Going by just the name 'W.,' a gentleman wrote several letters to the editor of the local Wheeling Daily Register newspaper about the incident. He states that although the murder was discussed freely around the town of Weston the next morning, the local papers didn't cover it. Even the Wheeling paper failed to mention the rumors of a coroner's jury. Would this tragic death simply be played off as just an unfortunate accident, or would someone be to blame for Rose's demise?

Obviously, if the events took place as described, then Starry would obviously be guilty of the crime, but could the administration and staff at the hospital helped prevent it? It seems likely, as W. goes on to mention the rooms the male patients were in were both too small AND the partitions, being designed for the female patients, were too low. Was there neglect on part of the current superintendent? Perhaps. 

Back in April of that same year, a board had voted to replace Dr. Camden, long time superintendent of the asylum with a new, inexperienced doctor named Dr. W.J. Bland. This decision was apparently upsetting to, well, just about everyone. It is said the patients, upon hearing the news, screamed and cried and carried on. The general public was outraged as well, and sent in letters of support, petitions, and prayers in order to keep Dr. Camden instated. But, on May 15th, 1881, Dr. Camden was out and Dr. Bland was in, without any reason ever being given as to why the switch was made. 

The mysterious W. of the editorial mentions that there's no way that the new superintendent could know what was going on with the patients. Unlike Dr. Camden who made it a point to walk the wards multiple times a day and speak with the patients, Dr. Bland maybe visited the wards once every 2 to 3 WEEKS. He also failed to keep up correspondence with friends and family of the patients, missing out on valuable insight into their behavior and state of mind. Also...just where were all the funds set aside for the improvement of the hospital going exactly?

These are all fair concerns and questions, and so many years later, we'll probably never know the full truth. Unfortunately, I could not find any death certificates or any additional information at all on John Rose.  I was able to finally track down Blaine Starry in the WV Vital Statistics Death Certificates database. It seems as if Mr. Starry passed away from unknown causes at the asylum on February 6, 1891. He was 44 years old, and had been diagnosed with 'insanity' since he was a teenager. He was buried in the hospital cemetery. 

Want MORE tales from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum? Check out my page:

Collections: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Sources:

The Weekly Register (:Point Pleasant, WV). 13 April 1881. Page 2

South Branch Intelligencer (Romney, WV). 21 October 1881. Page 4

The Daily Register (Wheeling, WV). 12 October 1881. Page 1

The Daily Register (Wheeling, WV). 19 October 1881. Page 1

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. 12 October 1881. Page 4

Starry, Blaine. Register of Deaths for Lewis County. WV Vital Statistics Database

Reasons for Being Admitted to an 1800s Asylum

This image has been passed the internet for quite some time now and shows the 'reasons of admission' to insane asylums between the years of 1864 and 1889. The first time I saw a version of this was in the appendix of A Short History of Weston Hospital: Weston, WV by Joy Gilchrist-Stalnaker (2007). And as many readers will immediately recognize---Weston State Hospital was formerly operated as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a name that the current owners have re-bestowed upon the now-closed mental health facility in central West Virginia.

A similar list can also be found in the more recently published, Lunatic: The Rise and Fall of an American Asylum by Edward S. Gleason and both books contain lists with even more reasons for admission not included in this particular infographic. Further, according to the website, Appalachian History, a published list of rather strange reasons to be admitted to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum appeared in an even earlier publication---a pamphlet from 1993 written by Marjorie E. Carr, which states that these reasons were pulled from the early log books of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum between October 22, 1864 and December 12, 1889.  So, its pretty well established  WHERE these strange reasons came from...but were people REALLY admitted to an insane asylum for things like being lazy and reading too many novels?

Yes and no. Indicating that greediness and bad company were enough for one to be deemed insane, and thus admitted to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and similar facilities is a little misleading unless you understand the state of psychiatric care in the late 1800s. The book, Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum, by Mark Stevens offers one of the most simplistic explanations for the rather disturbing nature of the list above.

Throughout the 1800s, most doctors focused less on a 'diagnosis' as we'd understand it today, and instead, would ascribe a "cause of insanity" to each patient. These causes of insanity usually fell into one of two categories: 1. Moral Circumstances, which would include things like intemperance and vice; religious excitement; being unlucky in love; anxiety; and poverty. 2. Physical Conditions, which would include fever, head injuries and childbirth.  So, just because you read too many novels in and of itself wasn't necessarily a ticket to the asylum; you actually did have to 'act crazy.' But, you weren't 'crazy' because of schizophrenia, depression, or anything else found in the DSM-IV...you were crazy because you read too much! There had to be a reason for your insanity, and eh, reading too much was out of the norm for the time period, so that must have been the cause.

Up until fairly recently, there wasn't a great deal of treatment options available in mental health and what was available was administered whether the patient suffered from schizophrenia, dementia, dissociative identity disorder, etc. And in a time where mental illness wasn't really understood, I guess it just seemed to make more sense to classify and group patients based on what triggered/caused their 'insanity.' So don't worry! Your son can get married, your husband can desert you, you can lose a lawsuit, or you can be imprisoned and it doesn't necessarily mean you're automatically eligible for a room with padded walls.

But...if you were a woman during this time period and your family or spouse wanted you out of the way, it was pretty darn easy under this system to have you put away for a long, long time.

Book Review for Haunted: Asylums, Prisons and Sanatoriums

Title:  Haunted: Asylums, Prisons and Sanatoriums
By: Jamie Davis, with Samuel Queen
Published 2013 by Llewellyn Publishing

First off, let me say that I really thought the premise of this book was a great idea.  Two friends with an interest in the paranormal travel the United States, investigating some of the country's most well known (and most haunted!) pay-to-play locations.  And, as the title suggests, many of these types of institutions that allow for public ghost hunting are places such as asylums, prisons, and sanatoriums.  Examples include Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Waverly Hills, Mansfield Reformatory, and St. Albans Sanatorium.

Each chapter covers a different location, with the main author giving a brief history of the location and the results of their investigative experience.  Included is the information that is desperately needed for those planning an investigation of the location.  This information ranges from the mundane, such as the nearest airports and where to eat nearby, but it also offers information that you rarely see in these types of travel guides.  The authors graciously provide handy tips such as if the location has restrooms on site, safe room amenities, price, and whether or not the facility operates as a haunted house attraction during the Halloween season.

I personally have never been a huge fan of the pay-to-play locations, but I fully understand that there are many people who just want to have fun with ghost hunting, or try a low-pressure venue to get their feet wet before investing their time, money, and sanity into going "full-time" in the field.  This book is a great resource for that purpose, and its a fairly fun read on top of that.

Unfortunately, I did have a few problems with the book that prevented me from giving it a higher rating than I normally would have.  For starters, the book just wasn't super well-written.  I know that seems a little nit-picky, but it felt choppy and amateurish in spots.  Secondly, there were two locations thrown in that although the duo did investigate, completely deviate from what the book was allegedly about.  One location was the Farrar School, which while does have a reputation, was a plain ol' school...it didn't house children who were physically or mentally ill or criminals--just normal kids.  The other place was Yorktown Hospital in Texas.  While it seemed to fit the theme a bit better, this location is actually not a classic pay-to-play location.  The closing remarks clearly state that this location is not open to the public and the owners must be contacted directly for permission to investigate.

But, the aspect of the book that just had me gritting my teeth in frustration was the investigation style of the pair, especially the main author.  As the book progresses, the constant theme of, "I'm not saying I'm an empath, but I'm an empath" was absolutely grating.  For one who claims to approach the subject with skepticism, this chick sure got the crud scared out of her a lot...and put a lot of stock into perceived events.

And, once again, I do realize that the authors don't dedicate their lives to the field of paranormal research, and aside from having the means to jet set all over the country for public ghost hunts don't have much experience...but the dedication to the "flashlight trick" as gospel was beyond irritating.  This method, which for those who aren't familiar with it, I'll post a link below, has been debunked numerous times, yet made up the largest part of these investigations.  Each chapter made sure to include a lengthy transcribed interaction between the authors and the suspected entities, with the author jumping to conclusions, making assumptions, and adding her own lil' commentary. The appendix even contains a list of questions to ask during this process!

Anyway, I know I was pretty hard on this one, but its not an awful book.  It's not necessarily one I would recommend to seasoned investigators, but again, its a great resource for those looking for play-to-play action.  I especially enjoyed the section of the appendix with additional tips on what you should and shouldn't do on public ghost hunts.  There was some great information there that even though it may seem like common sense, isn't really something you necessarily think about, especially when you're excited and ready to get down to the hunt.

Here's the video from Colorado Para-Tech investigating the flashlight method: