1889.01.11 English
- Edgar Collin, 1836-1906. Photo: The Royal Library in Copenhagen.
11/1 89[1]
Malling-Hansen (to Edgar Collin)
My dear friend!
Since the attached text has not yet appeared in the “Nationaltidende” – and since “Politiken” has published a dreadful article about the case, please be kind enough to make sure that the story is published as soon as possible – unaltered – in “Nationaltidende” – and adding _ _ _ ‘information obtained on the 10th of January’
The reason being that it should not appear as if “Nationaltidende” obtained the information after the article today in “Politiken”. - The claim voiced in Politiken that one single entrusted person could be responsible for replenishing the gaslamps is piffling nonsense which I don’t intend to respond to!
What if the janitor here (for example) or a gas delivery man had been ordered by me to also fill up the 3 private gaslamps with water every fortnight (the lamps of the institute are replenished once every fortnight), and what if he had forgotten the lamp of the nurse and she had died because of that, then the story would have been suitable for publishing in “Politiken”.
It is being said – but once again unbelievable – that it was not entrusted the nurse (who in the meantime has the exceedingly entrusted and responsible task to care for sick children) to take care of her own lamp.
She returned home, pulled down her already lit lamp in order to read in bed; she had no idea that the janitor had forgotten her lamp when he was doing the replenishment; the gas leaked out and she died! – It is then alleged that this must be seriously blamed on the principal, so much more since it was known at the institute that Miss Møller didn’t possess the necessary control capability, the olfactory sense necessary to detect whether there was any gas, whether the janitor had done his duty or not. –
To be sure, if that were the case, it should have been inserted also that the story about the lack of olfactory sense is – a lie - , and that the reporter has definitely not visited the Institute, such as he alleges.
Faithfully,
Your devoted
R. Malling-Hansen
[1] CB: This handwritten letter from RMH is extremely difficult to read. It appears to be dealing with an awfully dramatic event involving a nurse who was burnt to death – or possibly dies from gas poisoning. Apparently it happens at the institute of RMH? And has been discussed in the papers?
SA: Judging from RMH’s letter, it seems that the blame for the accident referred to in the article in “Politiken” is being put on the principal, i.e. RMH, the argument being that it was his responsibility to see to it that the gas lamps were replenished. RMH wants this assertion – evidently erroneous – and some other false information corrected through the daily newspaper “Nationaltidende”
- The original letter.
