Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-08-11
Deaf, Dumb Il Blind institution.
srAuNroN, VA, Aug. 10th. 1882.

Deaf, Dumb Il Blind Institution.
STAUNToN, VA, Aug. 10th. 1882.
Editors indicator.
Gentlemen In the issue of the Vdtley
Virqinian for the Bird instant, IN the course
Of some remarks commenting upon an ar
ticle which appeared in the Lexington,
(Ky.) Transcript for July 2Sth. there ap-
pears the following reference to the Vir-
ginia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb
and the Blind:
A, to the Deaf and Dumb and Blind Institution.
the new officers will meet every demand that ths
faithful and efficient administration Of that charsY
may impose upon them The art:le is NOT shec =
with its charges as to this institution and well II ~
not for if ever there was pubic trust abused ana
| neglected, it was in the condition which the Deal
fsmnd by the new management We have been in
| formed by the new Steward and the new Executive
that It had neea s1 1 OF mss apsr
| from the furniture OF the rooms absn which W.
| heard nothng.There ware scarcely any tools found
in the workshops there as not an AK, hoe ShoVti
or pck on the place-th dairy was .ley id Of crock
or churn there was not p nnd Of flour o meal on
the premises and only 81 in. the Treasurv-mak IN.
it necessary for the ste ward TO advance so Of his
| own money to get immediate supplies he garden
had been allowed to gro mp in Wesds ana come
| ~
| dry, without being cut, and uegligence an waste
manifest in every dirsct ,n. One Of the Executive
Committee stated to MS tat II would take IT least
as 900 to put the institution in condition to meet
the demands upon it for the next session,
In reply to the general charge ''of neg
| lect and abuse of public trust" which
heads the list of specific charges and
! which is made under the inaprinatur OF
| the editors of the VALLEY Virginian",
Lave only to say that these editors have
deliberately and wilfully, for partisan pur-
poses, lied.
In reply to the first of the specific char
ges, in which the "ValleY Virginian says
| uuon the information of the new Steward
| Thomas s. Davis) and of the new Exec
| utiye Committee. that tit THE institution
had been stripped of nearly all that should
have been found upon the premises apart
from the furniture of the rooms, of which
we heard nothing" have to say that if
the new Steward or the new Executive
Committee mean to intimate that the In
stitution was stripped Of any part Of
what should have been found upon the
premises, whether it be furniture of rooms
| or any other article whatever, through any
| malfeasance or misfeasanca of myself or
| of any or the late staff of the Institution,
he and they individually and collectively
have wilfully and deliberately stated a
| falsehood.
With regard to the specific charge as to
| the tools in the workshops and in the gar
| den, 1 beg leave to offer the following GER
p, tificates of the Foreman of the Carpenter
| Shop, Capt. E. h, Moon and Of the Gar.
dener. Mr.. John F. Young.
STAUNToN, VA, Aug. 10. 1882.
hereby certify that when I turned
over the key of my shops to the out going
! Principal on July 1st. 1882, all OF the tools
| that were in those shops at the time when
the inventory was taken in May by Mr.. E.
M. Cushing, were still there, and furth.
er certify that there were there July 1st.)
| in those shops, abundance of tools of all
kinds necessary to carry on frst-class
carpenter and cabinet-maker's shop.
E. R. Moon,
| Late Foreman of the Carpenter and
| Cabinet Makers Shops of the ID. ID. u b
| Institution.
STAUNToN, VA, Aug. 10th, 1883.
certify that l left the Institution or
the 18th day of July. 1882, seventeen days
| after the new management TOOK effect) and
| that at that date all of the tools that were
| in the garden at the time ct the inventory
| in May, by Mr.. Gushing. were still there
| and in addition there was hoe purchased
| since the inventory was taken. And l GER
tify further that had up to the time Of
my leaving, plenty Of tools for all purpo
ses in the garden.
JOHN F. YOUNG,
Late Gardener of the D. D. & B. l.
AS to the ruined condition" of the gar
den, the appearance Of it now is sufficient
| evidence that it suffered no lack Of cart
| in the Spring or early Summer. AS furth
| or evidence upon this point beg leave tt
| offer the following certificate CT two vel
known gentlemen of the city.
| STAUNToN, VA, Aug. 10th, 1882.
1--WE hereby certify that on June 25th
1882, (six days before the ncw management
came in) we passed through the garden Of
the D. D. & B. Institution and were STRUCK
by its very clean aud well-kept appearance
| and by the forward condition of its vegeta
ton generally.
| G. Mon. WHITTLE,
W. PUkvIANCE TANs."
AS to the charge about the dairy, am
authorized to state by Mrs. Flynn, VINO
had especial charge of that department
until the 18th day Of this month (Augustl
that the churn Of the Institution is still
therein a dilapidated condition 1t is true
use having been made for the last year (ul
to July 1st,) of churn which belonged
and still belongs to Mrs. F. B. johnson
the late matron and that the milk there
was always kept in tin buckets and pans
| all OF the butter crooks and furniture gen
orally of the dairy that was there previous
to July LIST are still there and in use.
AS to the flour and meal. 1t il true that
there was none of either of these very nee
| eSsary articles Of housekeeping in the In
stitution at the time it was turned over to
the new management on July lst. The
endeavor of the Steward faithfully car.
ried out) was to have as few supplies OIL
hand as possible at the eud of his official
career, so that the new Steward might
start in with a ''clean deck" Breakfast
on July 1st was had by O'Clock; the new
Steward came In before nine, and there
was abundant time to make every provis-
Ion for dinner. If he made advances from
| his own pocket of 500, it was most silly
thing to do, for the institution on July
| 1st, did not owe more than $3.50 in the
| town, and the credit of the Steward was
practically unlimited. Several of the lead
| ing grOcerS of the town told me this morn.
| ing that they would have sold the lie "
| Steward on the first of July their whole
| stocks on the credit of the Institution.
I'm the Treasury there was only So!
| The Steward is not tie Treasurer of the
| Institution. There was in Bank IN Staun'
| ton on the morning of July LIST, to the
| credit of the new Principal and the new
Board. s329.58. The books of the Banks
show this.
AS to the last of these slanderous char
ges, 1 myself told the new Board and the
new Executive Committee, time and again
| that owing to the length Of time curing
| which the Institution had been carried on
| with an insufficient appropriation, at least
| $4,000 would be necessary to put 1t and its
surroundings INCLUDING fencing, gas
works, stabling, water pipe, &c., III q
complete state of repair.
To say that it would take anything like
that amount (S5 .O0O) to enable it to meet
| the demands of the ensuing session" Is
both false and absurd.
Now am done with the subject as far