Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-10-27
MINERAL POINT, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 81 1881

children are of sound mind and
body and are kept in the poor-house
on violation of law. Places should
be found for these at once, as even
the best poor-house is no place in
which to bring up children, much
less the Iowa county poor-house.
There are l3 insane and epilep-
tics, who are virtually insane, and
one deaf mute. There are several
persons apparently able to earn their
living. If they remain at the poor
house, they should be compelled to
work regularly. If the county pays
for their support, it is entitled to
their services; the poor house should
not be made a free 6)ardiag house
for idle and vicious able bodied
paupers. The pauper,sm of several
of these eases is the direct result of
the vice of intoxication.
a new overseer has recently been
appointed. He and his wife appear
to be energetic persons, sincerely
desirous of doing their duty, and
making the administration of the
poor-house a success. They are, of
course, hampered IN their work by
the faulty construction and over
crowded condition Of the poor-house.
A vigorous attempt to enforce dis
cipline, and secure labor from the
able bodied inmates, will doubtless
be met with complaints of cruelty,
to which the County Board should
give the credit they deserve.
The care of the insane of Iowa
county deserves the serious atten-
ton of the County Board, and of
the public generally. The crowded
condition Of the poor-house ARISES
principally from the fact that several
insane have been returned from
the State Hospital, and several more
are to be returned soon. The Coun-
ty Board will be forced to build
something, and while they are about
it they should do something that
will be credit to the county, and
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
a half per week for each ore.
The system Of poor relief is diff
ferent from that in most counties
BY virtue of a special law, (as we
are informed), three members Of the
County Board are elected Superin
tendents of the Poor. Though this
seems in violation Of section 1926
Of the revised statutes.
Outside relief is non,inaly abol.
ishcd. In practice each supervisor
is allowed to grant, not more than
| ten dollars, IN case of necessity.
But no person is supported outside
of the poor-house from the coun
| ty funds, for any length of
time. Apparently this policy has
resulted in reducing the vice OF
pauperism. A few have been sent
to the poor-house who might have
been aided outside of it, but a great
number of leeches on the public
treasury have been thus cut off and
no one has suffered seriously.
IOWA COUNTY JAIL.
When visited there was no prison
er, and there have been only six
since the beginning of the year.
The Jail is only tolerably secure, as
the soft iron bars can be sawed
through with case knife. The
cells were clean and the jail seemed
in good condition, except the sewer
age which needs reconstruction.
MISErAL PoIEr LOOKUP.
This is dark and gloomy room in
the old Court House, which was
formerly the only jail in the county.
1t is not impregnable now, as the
marks of saw and lever indicated,
but it will hold ordinary police cases
of drunkenness and assault and bat
terry. There was u stove not yet
set up, and bedstead with a straw
tick and one blanket, making it
more complete than most places of
this class The great defect is the
narrow slit on the wall, which serves
as an apology for window.