The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-05-23
Reply of the Poor House Steward TO the
Charges of /" The VISITORS"
E1r WA Bloomfeld Tinll

Mr.. EDIToR-I see by the Report of the Poor
House Visitcrs that / am charged with harsh
and very severe discipline for very trining of
fences, and the diet is not of as good II quality
as the expenses of the house might warrant.
would like to have their authority for saying
so. Was il from some renegade pauper, or
where Two weeks before handing in the re-
port, the visitors were here and had an invest-
CATION of this same thing and on examination
they Informed the Directors in my presence, that
the complaints were without foundation. Why
then come out two weeks after and report diff
ferentlyl There seems to be something wrong
in this, or why such discrepancy in their state
ment so soon after?
They also speak of the coffee being domestic
coffee. ] suppose they mean Rye coffee. This
is not correct. Coffee is purchased at the store
and is made in the Stewards kitchen and car
ried to the paupers in the Poor House (about
two gallons each time) twice u day, and
distributed to the inmates, and not domestic
coffee as the visitors say. Where did the visit
ors get their information, | would like to know
As to the diet not being sufficient for men
who have to work. have only to tell them
that the paupers who work on the farm cat reg
ularly in the Stewards house ut the table of
the family and from b TO & or eat daily with
us, and about the same number of females who
attend to the hOuse-work, and If the visitors
had been in at the second table on days that
they had been here they could have seen what
their diet was. Why not then know better be-
fore making such public report
As to the spreading matter of which they
snpuk older and IGlitutp trpt -
regularly every meal.
As othe extra pay of the Steward which is
spoken of, we think one of the visitors had
been sufficiently informed about IL by one of
our near neighbors n short time previous to the
last visit, of whom the foreman Of the report
had made inquiry and If he could not properly
understand the matter, he should have applied
to the Directors for further information before
making such report, and as to burning lime
and other expenses which they speak of, |
would just refer them to the article between the
Directors and myself for information on that
subject. They can there at any time be mad c
sensible of their mistake. ...- .--
But this thing of the house being polluted
with bed-bugs, don't understand. All beds
that are slept in will have bugs in less or more,
and If they had made as close examination into
their own bedstcads they might have found
some there, at least find one on the wall to pick
of with a tooH-pick. My wife has been in the
habit Of having the bedsteads scalded and
cleaned of bugs about every three weeks, and
inmates who have been in the house for twenty
years, say that they have never known as few
bugs In the house rs mt present.
The two horses extra Is by order of the Direc-
tors for doing the work on the place that the
mule team may be employed in hauling for the
new building. This is by an agreement be-
tween the Directors and the COMMISSIONS rs
We wish the visitors of the coming wear
would notify us if their friends from the west
visit them and wish dinner at the Poor House,
and they could give us u weeks notice, rs one
Of the vlsters did last year.
would not by any means be disposed to find
fault with men in office acting under lawful
! authority for giving their opinion candldly and
4 honestly, but here everything seems to be ex-
aggerated, as though they were disposed to find
fault without II cause, and In Justification of my
character as Steward Of the institution, feel
In duty bound to make the above statement in
/ self-defence. II seems strange that all things
should appear TO be right during the visits OF
/ the year, until the last visit, and then 50 much
fault found, ~
T. B. TRosTLE, Steward.
May 10, 1871. r