Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-19
INSANE INQUIRY .
RESULTS OFTHE EXdMIN.1TION YES
TERD1Y.
Especial TELEGRAM to the Globe. j

Special Telegram to the Globe.
ST. PETER, Aug. 16.-The investigation into
the affairs of the insane asylum have got SO far
along that it is possible to prognosticate with
almost a certainty what the finding of the
commission will be. The committee have been
quits free in expressing their opinion upon the
financial management, although they were ret
icent when investigating the charges of cruelty.
1t is safe to say that if no other
evidence of material Importance comes
up when the committee again took up the SUBJ
ject of cruelty the commissioners will find
that Drs. Bartlett and Bowen are thoroughly
competent and we'll qualified for their posi-
tlons; that they have uniformly conducted the
hospital upon the most approved plans and
with the view of the health and comfort of the
patients, but that more strict supervision of
attendants and exactlng inquiry into reported
cases of cruelty would be advisable; that Belts
is not man who should be put in authority
over other help, nor is he fit man to have
charge of patients; that he has been
PROVED GUILTY OF BRUTALITY
to helpless inmates. The board will no doubt
advise his summary dismissal. In one respect
the management have anticipated the COM
missioners, report-they now kill their
own meat. The committee will find
doubtless that sufficient care has not been taxi
en- In inspecting meat and that the contract
or has been allowed to furnish inferioD meat
to that for which his contract called, and in
some instances meat unfit for food has been
supplied, and that the contract fol meat has
not been properly awarded. With the accounts
it is probably that the finding will be that Mr..
Dryer has kept them systematically and well
that no imputation of peculaton attaches to
him, but as purveyor for the hospital, he has
not taken advantage of the markets. but has
almost, without exception, given more than
top prices for provisions. There is no doubt
the committee will be
SEVERE UPON THE TRUSTEES.
as they have throughout the inquiry spoken
mostly emphatically their opinions of the men
and their transactions, Kerr and Talbot cspec-
tally coming in for bitter censure. They will
find that the trustees,
INCLUDING HON. H. b. STRAIT,
have been illegally charging the State with ex-
penscs never incurred by them; that they have
wantonly spent current funds intended for the
comfortable support of the insane for their
own pleasure. The investigation proves the
trustees are not men who should have the man
agement of SO important a charity. Future
developments may perhaps call for severer re-
port, but from the present stage of the proceed
ings some such report as above fore
shadowed may be expected. One
gentleman openly asserted yesterday that
of all the appointments of Gov. Pillsbury not
one was so despicably contemplate as that of
Talbot-an unmitigatcd government dead beat,
ont IIuIr lie.
fattening like leach upon the asylum.
THE ACCOUNTS.
This morning the committee first commenced
by calling the attention of the steward to a
A whole batch of vouchers of his were looked
over to-day showing his charges for supern-
tending work at "a q day, and for working as
carpenter on the same buildings at 81 per
diem, amounted in one year to s. ,S53-a good
round salary for a carpenter with peculiar
qualifications. The committee also found
vouchers where
KERR AND BROWN
were both drawing a salary as secretary TO the
building committee.
During the morning Mr.. Dryer read a letter
from Hill and Acker in relation to the crude oil
at Is cents per gallon in which they say that at
the time the oil was shipped it had gone up
considerably in the market, and that supplied
sAAS >'e''
an accommodation and billed at 10 cents was
bought when oil was much cheaper, and the
company merely charged what it cost them.
1t is the intentionof the committee to get to
the very bottom of the building committees
transactions, which they expect will occupy
them two or three days.
Before adjoining this morning the chair
man compimented Mr.. Dryer upon the way
he had kept his accounts; they were credit to
HIM and the large institution with which he is
connected. The committee after adjourning
expressed themselves freely upon the extrava-
CANT way things have been conducted-from
the purchase of the most costly furniture to
the supplies of groceries and provisions. They
think there has been the
MOST RECKLESS
disposition on the part of the management to
spend the public money. 1t seems as though
they can never cease talking about Talbot's
$3.50 trip to Philadelphia, and his SIS lecture to
the lunatics. 1t was suggested if the speech
the gentleman made at Philadelphia was worth
$780, the poor lunatics who were compelled to
listen to his SIS lecture were to be pitied in
earnest.
The commission will meet aoain IN Monday