The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-08-12

ped and apparently paid without
question. This will be better un-
derstood when it is stated that in
1883, bills like the following were
| presented by the Steward for moneys
! paid out:
For Constable and Jusics fees zco
:" going to visit psupers nd bringing
them 70 Poor House 9l,I0
For Ashes Split Brooms Dinner beils, Cab
page plants and grea, many other things
bought from poor people, l0s, Il
Moneys paid ou; Iar biis ike thess on orders
Nos, Ito 10 i4s inclusive aggregate tssi,os-ail
on single order No. ia, the sum Of s2se, IS for
moneys paid cut in 1se2. This bill Is partially
itsmired, but is scarcely more satisfactory than
unot itemized At all Among the item. are these
for conveying psupers to Poor House, ~ ~ La
Dor On farm SEQ 90; Preaching. 100; Vegetables
$1,000; Drugs,sS,75 and ~ on.
Now these bills may have been
all right but it was the business Of
the directors to know they were so
before granting orders on them, and
this they could have known only by
requiring of the Steward more
specific statement as to when to
whom and in what separate amounts
these moneys were paid out. Apart
from the question as 20 the correct
ness OF these bills the custom of the
directors TO authorize or permit any
of their employees to pay out mon-
eys indiscriminnately in this way
is of doubtful propriety. However
fairly and honestly it may be done,
it cannot be long continued without
creating suspicion, and for this rea-
son if for no other it ought to be
abandoned.
THE MUssELMAN FUND.
Another matter which calls for
notice is the Musselman fund. In
1882 the poor directors purchased
from C. c. Musselman about nine
ty-five acres of land adjoining the
poor farm for s1,916,00. OF this sum
$4,000 remains a charge upon the
land as donation, the interest OF
which, $1,000. is annually to be APP
piled to the purchase of reading
matter for the education ard i'm
provement of the inmates of the
Poor House, as follows $500 or
SO much thereof as may be required,
shall be applied to the purchase of
one copy of every reputable news
paper published in the county, and
the balance if any to the purchase
of such useful books as the directors
together with the donor during his
life time may see proper, and the re-
naming $500 shall be applied in
the same way to the purchase of
books, stationary and apparatus for
the use of he school at the Poor
House. All books so purchased
shall be labelled County Library"
and an itemized account of the ex-
penditure of said interest shall be
made annually by the county audi
tors and styled "The Musselman
Fund"
These stipulations have not by
any means been carried out. The
directors seem to have had no def
mate knowledge as to the conditions
of the donation and consequently
were ignorant of their duty in the
matter. In the report of 1888 there
is reported expended for books pos
tage, etc, 1913. In 1884 for read
ing matter s2l,70, these were pur-
chased by the Steward with perhaps
one or two exceptions, without con-
sulting either directors or donor. Of
the amount reported in 1888, less
than one half and of that 10 1884
about one third could be properly
classed as reading matter. Since
the passage of the act of 1888 pro-
hibiting the receiving and OBTAINING
of children between the ages of two
and 16 years at the Poor House there
can Of course be no school there now
and the portion of this fund which
was to have been expended for school
supplies must be otherwise applied.
THE BOUCHER LOAN.
In 1860. or thereabouts. Solomon
Boucher made deposit of one thou
sand dollars with the County Com
missioners as a loan, the interest OF
which was to be annually applied to
the support and maintenance of his
son, lunatic, in the Poor House,
during bis life. The provisions of
this loan have not been carried out,
for it does not appear that the Poor
Directors ever received this interest.
or any part thereof, for the purpose
set forth. and to which they are en-
titled. 1t is possible that a neglect
to comply with the conditions ofthis
loan may work forfeiture thereof
in the lifetime of the beneficiary,
and for this reason, if for no other.
the attention of the County Com
missioner. should be called to the
matter
m