The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-03-13
The T.lsnl,s PO0r.
VISIT OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC CHARITIES
TO POOR HOCsE-sHAIEFCB TREAT
MENT OF IC5sANE PAUPERs-SHOCKTNG
REvELATIoEs AND sICKESISG SIGHTS.
fFrom phila. Rullctin- 1lh.f

the State without compensation of any
kind, and who are devotiug much time and
personal labor 10 the arduous duties of re-
forming the abuses that abound IN many
parts Of the State, in the care and treatment
of the poor, neglected, defective and deSti-
tute classes.
Among The du,ies Of the Board is that
Of visiting aad inspecting the iails and
alBslouscs Of the State. This duty is
performed by the General Agent Of the
Board, who, during 1873, visited every jail
and almshouse, and reported the condition
of each to the Legislature. This work Is
. not confined, however, 30 the General
Agent, but is supplemented by visits from
the Commissioners themselves Some Of
( The instances OF horrible neglect and Ill
treatment discovered by these viSitations
have been published in the Annual Report
Of the Board but many others have not
. reached the public ear. The public needs
/ information unnn this point. Terrible
abuses have slowly grown up in this and
/ other States which could never have eX-
/ listed had the light Of public and official in
( spection Gcen allowed to penetrate these
rcceptic!es of the poor and UnfOItUuats.-
/ Wherever exposure has been made, reform
has quickly followed ; and for this reason,
and for this only, "e propose to publish,
from time to time, the plain facts that
come to our kuowIcdCc, confident that
much good must follow the publication.
To day we present our readers the PIC
ture of a county pooT-house, drawn du ectly
from personal knowledge, and portrayed
q without any single shade Of eXaggerat.ln II.
/ This poor house, which shelters in ail about
200 to : 70 paUPerS, II situated IN a some
what out-of th--way locality, not on any
railroad or important highway, and there
fore not liable to much incidental vista
tiou. We take our narrative Of it from =
competent aud experienced eyewitness.
We reached the place soon after noon,
and armed with the requisite authnrity
ut once entered upon = tour of inspection.
The steward WAS absent, and the engi-
neer of the establishment, an obligIng
/ German, speaking enough English tu be
lntel.I-Ible. Was detailed as our guide
We selected the Insane Department a., our
first point. 1t was a th.Ce-stOry NTicx
building with a half basement. On entering
We were presented to the person having
charge OF the insane pIupers. a tall, elderly
. German. nat SpsHEEgJ 1T tCarI 0T En.G.yh.
aU,i OI coarse unable to con.m;SIicate- with
the more than haifOf his patients who only
speak English. Accompanied 10y our two
attendants, we went through the three
upper HDar, one Of which WAS devoted to
ncn and the others TO women. Beyond a
general aspect of total neglect, there was
Eo special feature plcseur, dilesiug ma
teTiAlly from what Is u be f8ual IN tile
average county poor house. There was
some attempt at ventilation. and none of
the inmates were under mechanical re-
straiut.
w now descended to the haIfbasemcnt,
which is on the ground level at the front OF
. the building, and under ground at the
rear. vt one end of the building, a door
vas unlocked, and
sEI'ToCATIEG STENCIL
which poured out, warned us of what we
might expect within. With a moments
hesitation and eulp Of fresh breath. We
eateEed, and found ourselves in a passage
way about fOar feet wide, lined on one side
VITA
/ SIX WOODEN CAGES,
soidly boarded mp - the low ceiling. with
solid doors, ~ which an opening is cat
about two feet long by eight or ten inches
wide. ! hiS opening is protected by iron
4 oars. These cages ave each partially lght-
ed by small window looking outward. -
They are abOut seven feet Square. and their
furniture consists of piles Of loose straw,
and nothing else. To the honor of The
. eo-''ty be 1t recorded that the straw APP
pcarcd 10 he clean.
/ The atmosphere of these six cages is
simply indescIbable. No English Ian
2uage can convey any adequate conception
OF the
FOUL, SICEENING ODOR
which pelvades them. How any animal
life can be sustained amid such rneuhitic
denominations * Il mystery whiGh We can
not su!Vc. Again and again we weIe
driven to the outer air for gasp Of purer
breath, and tie horrible etiluvium cling
. to our clothes for hours after we had left
the dreadful spot miles behind us.
In these cells, nedGed down upon this
straw, breathing this horrible atmosphere.
are
SIX HUMAN BEINGS
who for tw" hong years, have fingered in
-,
silently rotting. in brain and BODY, upon
these heaps of straw in these h1lrsub-
tenaneSn Gens. Let US look at them. in
succession.
In Cage no. I there is a man named
George j.. He rose from his straw AS
we entered, and stood on his wet floor
baIe-iooted and clad III 4 pair of trowsers
aud ragged knit shirt. His Iiaht hand
was torn oil ny an agricultural machine
lie W;lS quiet and civil, and from hin, and
our two attendants we gathered that he had
been brought TO the poor house efglEeen
OF twenty months age, being deranved. It
was not alleged that he was violent or M,
manageable, bat, having no parfic,1Iar
place to put him in, he had been pnt into
rms den, and has been there ever since.
IN Ca@e No. : miserable looking crea-
Lu''' S'olAe@ u, sat Crourhcd upon 4
He'p OF straw against one corner of tbo
wall. HIS one garment was a coarse bI,Ia
lfocHr reaching 20 his knees. He neither
spoke nor moved when we addressed him,
UNI we repeated our invitation to cf,,,t.
and speak with rs. lie then made q vi,
ient effort to rise, 3ut, alts the knee ioirfs
Had Sb.tened with long crouchiru in his
enforced attitude, and refused e. relax, and
ne Ieli over feebly on his side. utterly NM mn
a1.e /" stand. He had gone into his den.
7. l"o Is''I9 ago erect and sound, and. to-
"Hy' he sits hudCled in his IoatIson,n cell
in silent despair, wretched orinr,Io oT',, 81,
In Cage No. nothing was visible rt
another heap Of straw. But as we lo,,.r,i
~ lHe heav moved, and out from under -
\ NAN STARK NAKED
who rose and came 10 the H. ,,s,.
N Ihuhio ohnG petition for some tohaco',''
Dle OF our altann.l1ts- ,,-..L:-.-l IN