The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-17
The Poor House Matter.
A REPLY TO THE GRAND JURY--"A
WRETCHED APPEAEANCE".--SOME
INTERESTING FACTS.


INTERESTING FACTS.
The Observer interviewed Mr. 7
B. Leitzey the past week with refer
encc to so much Of the Grand Jury IS
presentment as relates to the Poor
House. When we saw Mr.. Leitzey
he had already prepared a written
statement for publication, which is
printed in this issue. Mr.. Leitzey
talked very freely about the matter
and evidently thinks the Grand Jury
has done him an injustice. Much OF
what he said in the interview is
omitted here because it appears in
his statement which is given below
Mr.. Leitzey showed US the mer'
chants bill of goods bought for the
paupers the 23d Of January, iIclud
ing homespuns, osnaburgs and jeans,
The prices paid did not indicate that
the goods were inferior, and they
were bought from a merchant whose
reputation for fair dealing is suffi'
cient guarantee that they were all
they were represented to be. Mr..
Leitzey in his card tells bow the
paupers are clad. In addition, he
says one Of them has an overcoat
that be gave him which though old is
quite comfortable.
1t might appear to some that
straw beds are not very comfortable
in winter; but it would hardly be ex'
pected of the keeper to furnish feather
beds. Some the Grand Jurors sug
gested to the keeper, on their visit,
that he ought to provide mattresses.
lie gave his reason for not doing So
These reasons cannot well be stated
here; but suffice it to suggest they
are partly sanitary and partly eco
romical. The committee, Mr.. Lett
zey says, expressed themselves sat
isfed with the reasons given, and
agreed that straw beds, which could
be renewed as occasion required,
were preferable. On the day of the
Grand Jurors visit, ali the beds Mr..
Leitzey says, had ne" ticking on
them except two-these two were
made of corn sacks scwed together.
Mr.. Leitzey says that he told the
committee the Physician had left
medicine for the frost-bitten pau.
pers, and that he was using it &C,
cording to the Physicians directions.
The committee did not ask to see
the medicide and therefore it was
lot shown to them. He says he
cannot see how any one is to be
blamed Gor the two paupers having
their feet frost-bitten. They are
both idiotic and have not sense
enough to exercise any precautions,
They have good shoes but will not
wear them unless made to do it.
They have plenty Of covering, but do
not know how to manage it. lie
went into the room Of one Of them
a few nights ago, and found him ly-
ing on the bed with all the covering
drawn up around his head and neck,
while his feet and legs were exposed
to the cold.
There are twelve inmates Of the
Poor House, three white, and~nine
colored. Of the whites, one has
dropsy, one consumption, and one is
blind. OF the ?olored, two are blind,
one is deaf and dumb, four are
either half.witted or idiotic and two
have fts-epilcptic we presume.
Quite naturally they present wretch,
ed appearance, as the Jurors say.
Mr.. Leitzey says, with good deal
of reason, that the name Of tie insti-
tuition, instead Of being Poor House,
should be "burying ground for ne
groes." He thinks the negroes some
times send their old and infrm there
to save themselves the trouble Of at.
tending them through their last ILL.,
ness and of burying them. The in,
stances he mentions in his card seem
to T int that way. He says: Il
barely escaped the job of burying
the four, but had to bury the three.
Of the three be speaks of, one lived
near Chappells. He was over SO
years old, and had eleven grown
children. When ordered by the
County Commissioners to send for
him, he sent a messenger with his
buggy. The messenger found that