The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-06-17
.INFIRMA2Y AFFAIRS.
The CASE OF MANAGEMENT
TO THE JURY

than the death of Mrs. Red in ih'
pest house at the Hooking count,
Indrmary Fortunately there ar,
few such cases on record. A wo
man of sense, of christian training,
carried away to filthy pen. and left
to the tender mercics Of 4 simple
old man, where harassed by the
babble of an idiot and the incohe-
rent jabberings of a lunatic, await,
the last call!
A rude, board bunk, filed wit 4
rotten straw. and covered with q
curtain from q buggy top for sheet,
was. a fitting bed on which che
should end her last days. She was
an inmate of the Poor House. The
poor. labor worn hands that clutch
ed and twitched in the poisonous
atmosphere Of this Infamous den,
as they felt the first touch of death,
were instrumental in bliiding the
Infrmary. She, in common with
hundreds of Others, had labored for
years that, the poor, stricken by
misfortune, should have decent.
respectable place in which 10 die.
But what is the result! When God
called that tired spirit to its reward,
it left behind rotting tabernacle
that was touched with decay. sim
ply because the chosen stewards of
the people, paid by the peoples
money, cast aside one of the peo.
ple's wards as they would an old
shoe on trash pile or a dead rep
tile ON a dung heap.
Is the Sentinel wrong in bringing
this fact before the public? Is it
wrong that the people should know
all the facts? We think not.
We challenge a denial of the
statements regarding the death of
this woman. There is not one man
connected with the institution that
dare come forward and say it is not
true. There is no interest in the
world that demands the covering
up of such dastardly work, but
there Is every reason IN the world
why the people should be assured
that there will not be a repetition
of it.
Now there is no argument in the
plea that the Sentinel lies about
the Infrmary. 1t has furnished
the proof of all that has been said,
and though the grave clothes of
Mrs. Red may be shaken In the face
of the people of this county and
their power de6ed, a day of relribu-
ton will surely come. But ncw
let us look at another feature of the
business.
The manager of that place
admitted before reputable witnesses
in the Sentinel Office that he had
whipped inmates Of the Inirmary.
Nancy Log-fon; an inmate, came. to
this city and made the statement to
a dozen persons that thiss same man.
ager, whipped a blind woman nam
ed Maria johnson, numerically,
and that charge has since been sub
stantiated by other witnesses. Mr..
d z. Black came to the Sentinel
Office and stated that he had seen a
poor idiot brutally treated by an
other inmate and this before the
manager, and without any protest
on his part.
Mr.. William Waner, a we'll
known citizen of this city, states
substantially the same thing
Daniel Heft tells how the manager
kicked a small boy with zeal that
could not have come from a chris
tain heart. John Schemp and
Emanuel Crook tell how they took
a poor crazy woman to the Infirn-
ary and that the treatment she re !
ceived in their presence, would
have suited the hardy nature of a
wild ass, but was nearly death to a
woman, mere child in size and
weight, and like a Feather in the
hands of hsfkeeper. We would
ask in all sincerity, even if this
work is to go on forever, if these are
pleasant things for the people to
contemplate? How many men
are there in the Hooking hills TO-
day who will not protest against
such work !? Are there moi hun
dreds of families shat have denied |
hemsel yes the necessities of life,
that they might pay the pi itance
by law for the sustalnance
of this institution? The widow
who struggles to support her family |
Of little children. takes a carpet |
from the loom. and hallowed by IFS
baptism of tears. it goes to the mar
ket and sends back the widows
mite to the poor; the poor man.
that earns his bread by the sweat of
his brow may be harassed by the
cries of his hungry children, he
may look into tn e empty cupboard,
he may look at the infant tugging |
at the dried up fountains of the
mothers breast, but he may not
escape the lax that will save his |
little home and that goes. in part to
furnish comfort to the pour; the
man, who by his frugality has gain
ed competency is expected to con-
tribute largely to this same fund and |
yet tits possible a. in the case of Mrs. |
II 4