Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-11-21


metropolitan papers that
Yankton papers and correspondents |
are endesy oripg to lay the blame OF the
last asylum catastrophe at the feet OF
Messrs. Kean, the superintendent Of
construction; Psttee, the contractor; and
Gen. Gale, one of the board OF trustees.
There is nothing in human form much
more audacious than Mr.. Gale. He
could be nothing less than audacious in
attributing to newspapers and CORES
pondents that which wss officially decided
by coroner's jury sitter three weeks
Investigation The coroner jury placed
the blame OF the catastrophe upon
Messrs. Keen and Pattee--the pews-
papers have printed the finding Of the
jury and commented thereon. There hes
been no newspaper attempt to charge
MIR. Gale with participation in guilt, and
he lugs himself il from morbid desire
for notoriety, mistaking it for celebrity.
1t requires en- exceedingly large
supply of hsrdihood for set of men in
their questionable position TO attempt to
argue down the finding OF q coroner's
jury in case where the lives OF two men
have been sacrificed In most inexcu-
sable manner. Gale and his associates
are not wanting in this commodity. But
the highest degree of cheek ia attained
when they openly attempt to shift the
responsibility of the killing upon those
memo bers OF the board who opposed their
murderous construction work. In this
connection Mr.. Gales communication to
metropolitan newspapers says:
MIR. Woolley the trustee who recently
resigned, wes chairman of the building
loommittee. and ordered brick for the
new asylum wings from one Smith. MIR.
Keen condemned the brick, preferring
the Yankton pressed company's brick
Mr.. Woolley is cashier of the Yankton
savings bank and had mortgage oH
Smiths stock and desired to use his
brick. Mr.. Kean was compelled to use
this brick against his will. Since the
walls of the new east wing of the asy lum
; fell, Trustees Woolley and Quigley were
anxious to lay the blame on Kean and
Pattee.
Upon this point the coroner's Jury in
It's verdict says:
We find that the board OF trustees dit
sppoint of their number nj. 7. Woolley
lotto Peemiller and Robert Cox as
building committee, without any specia
powers, and the superintendent, ID. H
Kean, did not report omissions and fail
. ures OF the contractor, j. b. Pattee, Il
the committee or board of trustees in g!
off ,isl manner. Further, the contract
with j. b. Pattee for the construction OF
the additions, with d. Ell. Kean as sup
erinkendent and agent Of the board, con
| fers upon D. H, Kean all the power tc
say end to do in the construction OF th,
building. without regard to any restric
tions from ssid building committee.
This was what the coroner's jury as.
certained after an exhaustive exemina
tion-that 1the contract with j. B. Pat
tee * $ with D. H. Kean al
superintendent end agent OF the board
confers upon u. q. Kean all the powe
. to do and say in the construction of th
building, without regard to any restric
: tons from said building committee.
How then could Mr.. Woolley compe
Mr.. KeRn to order MIR. Pattee to pur
chase Mr.. Smiths brick? Mr.. Kean
under the contract and the bond givel
\ by Mr.. Pattee was absolute in his auth
ority. The truth is Mr.. Smith wa
startei in the brick business her
by Mr.. Gale and his associates because
they did not intend to purchase an,
n brick for the hospital extension from
Yankton manufacturers. Mr.. Smith
brick, however, proved to be of inferio
lquality-sDtirely unsuited to construc
ltion purposes. They we're therefor
used by Mr.. Kean for interior work
whore they would be covered from Sigh
U by plaster and better brick. Mr.. Kea
admits using these inferior brick an
Mr.. Gale now offers the weak excus
a that he was compelled by Mr. Woolle
to put them In the construction. Th
contract and bond of MIR. Pattee sho
that MIR. Kean was absolut
in his authority as superin
tendent, 30 of course Mr.. Woolle
could not have compelled him to do an.
thing OF the sort.
For further particulars relative to tt
use OF poor brick by Mr.. Kean the read'
is referred to the stidavit OF Smith, IL
brickmaker, published in this issue