Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-10-28
IOWA COUNTY POOR HOUSE.
Our Public Buildings as Seen by the
State Board OF Charities.

T. tie Editors of Iowa County
Gentlemen:
| send you copies If the report
made 70 The State Board Of Charities,
by its Secretary. Mr. A. O. Wright, of
lis visit f. and observations Of Iowa
County Poor House, Jail, AK.
AZ comparatively few persons
have i chance e. So the published
report Of our Board, perhaps it may
not be amiss that rs much of it as
refers u Iowa county, should have
place NJ your columns, Al it applies
II or institutions, Ill which Ill per-
Fonsln Ills county are, or ought to
be Interested Yours truly
JNo. Ii. VIVIAN.
lpNA cat.Nll pa0R HOUSE.
This poor house Is situated live
miles from tic county seat, upon Il
good farm. The buildings are poor
Is constructed, badly arranged and
greatly oycrcrowded They are very
cold ii winter anl full of bcd-bugs
iii summer And there is no proper
provision for tic separation Of the
stNes. The womens side Of the
house is crowded full Of beds, not
outstanding Which several women
haze t. sleep on the mems side
Tie womens sitting room is on the
meiis side and I'll account of the
snallno.s iii tile mems sittlng-room,
il used ~ both SEXES, being the
common resort Of all the inmates,
except the worst eases of insanity.
These arc confined i'll what is fitting
Ii called the Jail This is a small,
tNo-stnry structure, in which some
ne locked Up Iii cells, and others are
allowed t. roam about the corridors,
men aud women together. The
natural and inevitable result of this
mixture Of the SEXES, i'll spite of the
vigilance III those III charge, must be
much low conversation and action.
and the probability that the county
will some time have to support chill
,lren Of shame. the result of this
hef,ling together of the inmates.
tfherc are two good airing courts III
which thu insane III good weather
can exercise, each sex by themselves.
There are 1T present forty-one ill
mates, nineteen females and twenty
Two males. of whom four are BOYS
and one is girl The children are
II sound mud and body and are
kept iii tile poor house III violation
III tile law Places should lie found
tor them lit once, rs even the
best poor house is no place to bring
up children, much less the Iowa
county poor house. There are thir-
teen insane and I've epilcptics, who
are virtually insane, and one deaf
mute There arc several persons
apparently able to earn their Own
living. II they remain ut the poor
house, they should be compelled to
work regularly. Ii the county pays
tor their support, il is entitled
Il their services The poor house
should not Ia made free boarding
house for idle and vicious able-boa-
led paupers. several eases of in
mates arr the direct result of the
wee ct mtoNieaten.
i new .oyerseer has recently been
appointed. lie and his wife appear
u ho energetic persons, sincerely dc
slrous " dong their duty and max
ing their administration of the poor
house success. They are, of course,
hampered i'll their work by the poor
construction and over-crowded con-
ditlon of the poor house A vigor.
Gus attempt to enforce discipline
and secure labor from able-bodied
inmates, will doubtless be met by
complaints Of cruelty, which the
county board should give the credit
they deserve The overseer and his
wife were advised to visit other poor
houses and learn their methods 81
management, which they promised
to do.
The care of the insane of Iowa
county deserves the serious attention
Of the county board and of the
public generally. The crowded con-
dition Of the poor house arises prin-
eipally from the fact that several
insane have been returned from the
state hospital and more are to be re-
turned soon. The county board will
be forced to build something, and
while they are about it, they should
do something that will be a credit
to the county, and be true economy
in the end. If the proper buildings
are constructed and the inmates are
properly taken care of, the county
may receive from the state the sum
Of one dollar and half week fol
each one.
The system of poor relief is differ
ent from that in most counties.