Home Social Landscape Featured Articles Encountering Emily: Alberta Women’s Responses to Magistrate Murphy

Encountering Emily: Alberta Women’s Responses to Magistrate Murphy 

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Murphy dismisses Clin's concerns with the cruelly manipulative suggestion that to pursue a justice based claim was to court the risk of further mental illness. In a difficult but compelling response, Clin meets Murphy's supercilious and condescending advice with a wild, courageous, and far more powerful eloquence. Through her pain, Clin's wisdom and sincerity emerges, and ultimately she has the better of the debate. Clin's allegations appear to be that she was forcibly and unlawfully confined in the mental hospital, that she was forced to do work there when she should have been receiving treatment and that she was made to do work on her Sabbath. Further, she suggests that improper nutrition in the hospital contributed to her mental and physical ill health. She also indicates her concern for the well being of other patients.

Halkirk, AB
February 22,1921

Mrs. E. Murphy

Received your letter tonight. You don't know me but am sure, Mrs. Murphy, that you will appreciated my feeling. I am sorry to say you know Ponoka Insane Asylum and I will get you acquainted a little more.

Like you, I say it is too bad that sometimes we have to bear ill health. But to stand a hell of 1200 days where you are force to work while you are there in Hospital, it is the limit.

Mrs. Murphy, if you give me the credit of being good hard working girl why in such a case would a girl have to work there at all? Don't forget the cash was with me. Why did they collect more?

I was refused leave on the 12 of December 1923 and I sent to the nurses home instead with a bad cold and pain in my right lung. Where is the doctor? Before that I was only kept to help for the bazaar and was made to sew on Sunday. All I got was suffer it all.

Don't you know with a little care a person will soon get better. But from the start to the finish there was none. I was so poorly physically when I left there not fit to work anyway. Not that I was incurable but neglected only. God is the strength to the one who are afflicted and always the best of Friend and never you are alone.

I am sorry to have to contradict you but no man living could cure insanity. If you are acquainted of some one, I would be please to be acquainted also. God Himself gives and takes away. He is the only healer.

My own brother came to take me home 10 days after I first was sent there. They laugh of my suffering.

Do you know that by taking care properly they would only have half the patients there. You tell me that if I brood over it I will break down and become insane again. I never made a God of money and only saved it for necessities like sickness and old age. Three years in my young life and turned out at the age of thirty five. It was a saving of ten years. I was working at thirteen. So I owe you educated people great thanks.

I asked while there to be move to jail, were it the proper way to punish people.

I believed the public respects humanity too much to ever leave those who are left behind me and I hope you be the first one to think of them. A citizen of Alberta I am and I do not wish for the money but truthfully expect Alberta to give little better service.

Virginia Clin.⁷

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