The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-04-08
THE COUNTY POOR
HOUSE!
the CHARGES AGAINST ITS
MANAGEMENT INVESTI-
GATED!
The Testimony of the Witness
es Examined +!
A CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE!
AND THE COMMITTEE USE
wHITEWASH FREELY.
The People Generally in Coal Valley
Dissatisfied.

On Thursday morning the committee on
poor and poor farm, of the board of super
visors, composed of Sup'rs Krel, of Rock
Island, Kerr, of Black Hawk, and Smith,
of Andalusia, visited the county farm near
Coal Valley, to investigate the charges
made by Charles Nesler, recently dis
charged pauper, and with which nearly |
everybody in this county is already famil- |
lar. The committee was accompanied by
Z. c. Chopper. Rock Islands police mag
lstrate, and Charles L. Walker, 1.-THE form
er to swear witnesses, and the latter to
take the testimony down in writing,) and
also by reporter for this paper and one
for the Unioa At the poor house the
party found Sup'r Wright, of Rural, and
Sup'r Jacobs, of Coal Valley, also Drs.
Huyett of Milan, and Dewitt, of Coal
Valley.
The committee Immediately went to
work examining witnesses.
Mr.. Krell stated that he would like to
have the charges, or complaints, against
him investigated first, and VIM s. Bailey.
the steward, was then sworn and testified
as follows:
AS you will see by my books, on Jan. 6,
| 1874, | received $3l. % from Mr.. krell for
two hogs; the price paid was 1T cents per
pound, and | believe the market price was
only cents; he gave me $40 at that time,
but | put it down as paid in full, and if
there is any difference it is between Mr..
Krell and myself and not between him and
the county. Mr.. Krell also bought two
shoats from the county on May 90, 1875,
for which he paid me cash; they only
weighed about 27Opounds. On Feb. 18th,
last, sold him two little pigs, for which
he paid me So. / do not remember ever
having said to Nesler, couple of months
ago, Charlie, Mr.. Krell won't pay any at
tention to your charges against me. 1t
takes big fat hog to make him all right
me" These six hogs are all that MIR.
krell has obtained from me, to my know
ledge.
AS to the insinuation of Henry Dart, in
regard to the 500 which he says Mr..
Alanson Sinnet paid to Krell to settle the
board bill of his insane son, Henry Sinnet,
Mr. Bailey again referred to his books and
said:
Mr.. Sinnet's son came here July 22d,
1874, and was to be boarded at So pei
week. On Dec. %, 1874, | received from
= Sinnet, through Krell, $63; on May Goth
1875, Mr.. Sinnet and his wife came here
to see their son and they gave me $50
| made out a bill and called at hi,
n Sinnets) house, in Rock Island on Oct.
Y l4th. 1875 and received $73, which settled
. his sons board up to Oct, 1st. / mad,
: out another bill on March lst. and h,
II paid through Krell, his sons board up Il
= March LIST. $6470 Total $250.7O from
a July 22nd. 1874 to March LIST, 1876.
:, f. Krell, sworn, said: came out her
:, about December, 1878, and told Bailey
II wanted two hogs. l told him to brin
d them in for me, which he did, ] think, i
r January, 1874 l paid 44 cents per poun
!, when the market price was only cents. =
= | gave him $40 in cash. Mr.. Bailey cal
D ried the balance of the amount forward a
er cash, and it is now between him and mt
ID l never received one hog from the county
Il or anything else. bought two little pig
- from Mr.. Bailey in February. Mr.. KeI
III said they were worth about $3.50 each,-
n paid Sc for them.
as As to the last payment of money RI
II ceive1 from Mr.. Sinnet, | got it in Roc
Island in the forenoon and gave it
10 Bailey in the afternoon. The first none
i'd | received | gave to Mr.. Bailey the fir!
ne time | saw him.
or As to the report that | did not attend
:. my duty when told that things were stole
II from here: l. generally made it N
It. business to walk over the house, and Ia
st with the paupers when | came to the pot
al house. Last fall, think, went up stat
and Nesler was in bed. He told me TIL
IN he had something to tell me; that lie cou
he not stand it any longer the way thin,
ne were going on; that there were fellow
here who stole things out of the kitche
W and that the paupers had to drink wea
Is tea and coffee and eat bad bread, mea
an ETC., that they would carry things to Co
nd Valley and exchange them tor whisky.
=. told him | would investigate the matter
" | left him then. | came out here again
month or six weeks afterwards, and sa
rs him again. He made the same complain
no again, and cursed the cook, and said
=, could not get what he wanted to eat. L
gu was in a double room, and he shove
ok the small box, about ha
en- the size of raisin box He said tn
was the very box they carried the stol,
-, goods away in. He mentioned some nam
'o' Mcdowell, or something like that, as Of
to of the thieves. | did not examine the DO
but it was on its side and was empty. |
a said they had carried the provisions aw
., some months before this. ! told him
had investigated the matter as far as
knew how ihad called at three or fO
I'M saloons in Coal Valley and asked if tn
to had received any goods in exchange
be liquor. Only one place did | find or he
anything about the charges; that was frc
Mr.. Geisser. He said he had hea
about the paupers trading goods for liquc
that he had never received any goods
DIV given the paupers any whisky. / t.
Cal him if he did | would have his license
voked. He said Mr.. Bailey had made /
ger same threat. l also told Kerr. and Da
I'll and some others. Did not speak to Bail
Tor about the charges, / told Nesler thr
lad months ago / could not do anything, as
could not find any evidence. Mrs. Gel
ger Ter told me and Kerr to-day that the PAT
On ers always stopped at Jack Yreglon
ng, saloon, and she thought that was the pls
10 where the paupers exchanged {
ed. stolen goods. We called on him and
in said the only man who ever pawned al
ger thing was Geo. Brace, coat. Bailey got
est and promised to pay so cents due on
, in but has never done so. We also called
1t Mr. Miller, and he said he never recei,
ar any goods from the paupers, and that Il
IN, never came TO his placp