Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-26
THE INIQUITY.
WHICH Has BEEN PRACTICED III
THE ST. PETER ASYLUM.
Resume of the Situation by the "G1obe"
Correspondent-How DIR. bartlett Was
Trapped humanity Shifting of Re-
sponsibility--W What the Papers are Saying.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. /

lOpeCldi lelcgrdIu 10 inc ulODe
ST.. PETER, Aug. 25.-Your correspondent,
first to arrive and last to leave when news is to
be had, has made good Of every availa-
BILE minute to investigate for the
GLOBE and ascertain the general SEN
timent of the public here upon those
matters already brought prominently forward
by the indefatigable and shrewd efforts of the
commission. The early part OF the inquiry was
Immensely expediated by the concise and elab-
crate tables of vouchers filed in the State audi
tors Office by the steward. But the Secretary
and Treasurer Kerrs accounts had not been SO
tabulated, and owing to this fact and the I'M
Ineligible vague and defective state of his
books, or book, the committee were put to no
end Of trouble, and their secretary to great
labor in looking any matter they might feel
anxious TO pry into. The confusion of the rev.
erend treasurer accounts, and
the total inability of the
peculating clergyman to understand them him
self was the reason of the committee adjourn
ing for few days, 80 that their secretary and
expert could have an opportunity to make out
complete balance sheet of the money received
by the treasurer and it's disbursement. He
will also show the exact arRount grabbed by
each of the trustees in the shape of mileage,
subsistence and per diem money. Besides
these he will prepare for the committee a full
account of money paid to Snyder & Damren
their contracts and for extra work. showing
how much these chronic contractors have drawn
from the State funds since the shoemaker for
sock his last for the draw-shave
a LITTLE JOB ON BARTLErT.
1t will be remembered that when
the $l35 sofa and $50 chair mon
strosity came up before the committee,
DR.. Bartlett. denied that the rooms in which
these expensive articles were placed were his
private rooms. He stated most emphatically
that they as much open to the public as
any other part of the building ard for the
use of visitors, not of his but of the institu-
ton. In order to test this question--not that
your correspondent doubted the veracity of the
doctor, for there is great difference between
the doctor and the bland and plausible dis
penser of scripture and scrip--but that the
GLOBE readers might have practical demon
stration of the fact, a job was put up on the
doctor. Some ladies of the highest respect
ability and position called at the institution
for the purpose ostensiby to admire the won
derfuly orderly and systematic arrangements
of the place They went through the whole
length and breadth of the asylum proper even
down to the kitchen and bake house and laun-
dry One lady carelessly remarked to the per-
son showing hem round-Alrs. Dunn, the
lnal matron-that she would so very much like
to visit those rooms about the furniture of
which the papers were making so much talk,
and asked Mrs. Dunn if it were possible for
that these rooms were the private apartments
OF Mr.. and Mrs. Bartlett and no one
was permitted to see them. And these
lady visitors to the institution were denied ac-
cess to these rooms which DR.. Bartlett says are
furnished elegantly with Sl35 sofas for the
accommodation of visitors In this connection
it should be stated that public opinion here
condemns the doctor for doing mean and
ooWardly act in throwing the whole onus of
buying the $l35 sofa and $40 bedsteads upon
lir hpftn E,IF +. l.
say who are not familiar with the interior gov
eminent of the institution, how it came to
pass that Mrs. Bartlett was
placed on that purchasing committee seeing
that she ostenslbly holds position in the
hospital-neither attendant Aor matron laun-
dry woman nor cook. The only way it can
be explained TO their satisfaction is in the sup
position that the furniture was intended for
her and the doctors private rooms. But those
who are familiar with the interior arrange
ments are not bit surprised at the lady's
name being on the books as one of the COM
mittee or that she was the active member of it,
One day last week a male attendant, who
one would think would not come in contact
with lady who has nothing whatever to do
with the institution. was discharged because
Mrs. Bartlett interfered with him in the ex-
eeution of his duty, against which he de-
INJURED.
GETTING STIRRED UP.
NV
to the conviction that there exists a greater
spool of abuse at the asylum than they had
ever imagined. III treatment of patients they
have known all along is practiced; that the
food has not at all times been of desirable
quality; that purchases made only of or
through certain favored few; that contracts
have been grossly awarded to incompetent men
for consideration, personal or otherwise;
that work has been sighted;
that fraudulent payments for pretended extra
work have been made; that outrageous prices
have been given for goods; that trustees have
at all times charged common laborers for
their daily hire, but they were not prepared to
find that the treasurer had taken money de-
lberatey out of the funds of this great chart
ty and put it in his own pocket. They were
prepared to hear of indirect steals. but did not
expect TO hear of down light deliberate pllfer
ing.
KERR PROMOTED.
1t is well known that the trustees have ap-
pointed the reverend peeulating preacher stew
ard Of the branch institution at Rochester.
Nominally he is superintendent of building
but in reality he is also steward, although the
trustees clio not want that fact to leak out till
the commission reports. The set of books that
the reverend accountant will keep can be easily
imagined, if he should be allowed to execute
the duties OF the Office, but it would be difficult
to imagine the state of confusion,
the overcharges and immense losses
that would fall upon the State. The idea of a
man who hesitates not to deliberately put in
his pocket paltry $3.50 not belonging to him;
who allows to overdraw their accounts for
ten years; who is grossly ignorant of all
principles of bookkeeping as to pay to debtor
the amount of his account instead of charging
1T to him-the idea of such man having the
handling of thousands of dollars annually
and having the purveying for hundreds of per-
sons every day, is preposterous i'll the extreme.
1t is bad enough to appoint very poor par
son who knows little beyond compiling
Indifferent sermons to the superintendent
of carpentry and masonry work of which he
is as ignorant as he is of bookkeeping or
honesty but to make such a man steward of a
noble charity, is an outrage to which the peo-
pie will not submit and the investigating
committee will take effectual measures to pre-
vent it.
Il little Thin.
Mantorvile Express.
Without entering Judgment on what has