The Portland daily press., 1883-04-04
TEWKSBURY ALMsHoUSE
A Team That Went Somewhere
With Something.
A Witness Reluctant to Tell What She
Knew.

BOSTON, April 3,-In the Tewksbury Alms-
house investigation today, Miss Manning,
whose team transported the dead bodies from
Tewksbury to Bos ton, was the first witness,
and testified as follows; Lived with her now
deceased brother, Thomas Manning, for sew
eral years at Tewksbury; up to the time OF his
death he did a transportation business for the
almshouse; did not know what her brother
used 10 transport; he had two.horse and a
one horse wagon, and used TO somewhere every
week. sh0 once saw two pigs carried in the
wagon but did not know what the usual
freight transported was; after her brother died
she carried on the business OF TRANSPORTATION
herself, and wos paid so much apiece for the
things lransportedi witness received $40 apiece
lor carrying the things TO one place and $l2
apiece Tor carrying them to another, but she
persisted that she did not know what the
Things were, kept no books, but made mark
Tor everything carried, and rubbed 1t out when
she was paid; paid her hired man S25 month,
and did not 80 to see what he carried; her
first hired man after her brother died was one
Charles Phillips; later she had a man nam ed
Joserh Chase, and now ono Charles Rollins;
Thomas Marsh, Jr., paid for the transnorta-
tion. She admitted having conversation
with Thomas Marsh, Jr. about the price to be-
paid for the little ones" aud IL was agreed
thai they should be paid for thereafter; before
that time the little ones were sometimes paid
fca and sometimes not; she did not know what
the little ones We're, aud repeated that sew
eral times; "the business has not been so
honrlshng Of late; ''never was SO terrible
hourishing, for that natter" before her
brother died. there was some conversation
with Thomas Marsh, Jr., about her continu-
lng the business, aud Marsh said it would be
more convenient 10 keep the business In the
family Later she stated that Marsh hired her
man and team to do the transportation. She
would make no direct answer TO the question
whether, while this latter system OF transpor-
tatiun was in vogue, she was paid by the piece
or otherwise. Governor Butler asked her to
state on her oath whether she knew what was
transported. She trusted to Thomas Marsh,
Jr., TO settle the bill correctly-trusted to his
honesty; had not been paid for transporta tion
eiace November last, and could not tell exact
~ how many "things" had been transported
In that time; thought about five were
transported In January Here the witness re.
FUSED TO answer several question and was al
lowed 10 go. Counsel for defence said he de-
sired to ask her no questions.
The next witness called was Mrs. Charlotte
A. Thomas, who testified that she was en-
ployed at Tewksbury from 1870 to 1890 When
she first vent TO Tewksbury she had charge of
the dairy. Afterward she had charge of the
lying-in hospital. While in the latter capac-
ity Mrs. Marsh visited the hospital very sell
dom-not once during the first year, aud not
more thar three times in the second year
There were alaays inmates in the hospital
Witness stated four successive cases where
livered, died The cause OF their death, as
she believed, was the malpraetice OF DR.
Pease. This doctor had very peculiar meth
cd OF practice, compelling the patients TO take
doses Of medicine every fifteen minutes during
the twenty-four hours. Mrs. Marsh used to
have an immense number of dresses to rip up
which dresses Mrs. Marsh used to say she had
forty years ago, and ii became standing foke
what Gu immense number of dresses Mrs
Marsh had forty years ago; knew that relatives
fafF he ATr.x
very frequently at Tewsbury ON a VISIT the
visits In some cases lasting two years;
always when one Of the the relative Wis.
itors went home to New Hampshire a large
trunk vent too, and they always came without
trunks; IL was almost impossible to get clothing
enough 10 keep the inmates warm, and witness
had frequently been obliged to dress them In
damp clothing because there were no others;
when dead inmate was laid ont 1t was very
difficult TO get even an old dress to clothe il In,
Mrs. Marsh telling them that anything would
do; knew large amount of washing was sent
to the ainishouse by relatives OF the Marshes
living elsewhere, to be done in the laundry;
come OF this washing was from members OF the
Marsh family in Harvard College; Kate Furry
an insane patient, was, when sick, placed In 4
side room, of the bathroom; next day witness
weat In there and tho patient was dead and
her iace was badly gnawed by the rats; wit
ness had been told the patient died while the
attendant was asleep; while in charge of the
dairy, there were 32o pounds OF butter made
per month on the average; OF this amount one
pound per day was allowed the inmates; the
rest was sent down to the captains kitchen; on
some days as many as twenty pounds were sent
for, and witness noticed that On these days
some one Of the visiting children went to their
home IN New Hampshire; did not personally
see bilets OF wood placed in collins over which
services were held, but il was commonly un-
darStood that that was done: she could not see
With her WI eyes Tor the reason that the re-
mains were never exposed TO view during the
services; the cofiiu was practically always
closed during the religious services; witness
eorrohorated what Mr. Dudley had said about
seeing large dry goods boxes 10 the corridors
Al this point the hearing ajourncd until q
o'clock tomorrow morning.