Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-08
A FEW OLD BARRELS,
One of the Charges Against the Intend
ant of the Asylum.
OLD MATERIAL SAID TO BE SOLD AND NO RETURN
MADE-How THE EXPLANATION OF TIE INTEND
ANT, THE RECORD AT rHE COLLECTORS OFFICE
AND THE STATEMENT OF THE PURCHASERS DIFFER


ANT, THE RECORD AT rHE COLLECTORS OFFICE
AND THE STATEMENT OF THE PURCHASERS Differ
Mr.. Stoutenburgh, the intendant of the
Washington asylum, came to the District
building this morning and had a long inter-
view with Commissioner Wheatley, who has
been making inquiries to satisfy himself
whether there is any grounds for the serious
charges preferred by Mr.. ]. ]. McGuigan, late
engineer at the asylum, against the manage
ment of the institution. These charges, as set
forth in The STAR, are directed against both
the intendant and the matron, whose habits, it
Is alleged, are of a character to unfit her to
have the charge of the inmates of the aims
house. among whom are many women and
children.
One of the most serious allegations against
Mr.. StOutenburgh, the intendant, is that he
has disposed OF property belonging to the Dis
trlct and made no returns of the proceeds. One
OF the chief items coming under this head, it is
stated Is that OF old barrels. In the bakery at
the asylum STAR reporter was informed that
one hundred barrels Of flour were used
month. These barrels, together with the fish.
vinegar, molasses, and oil barrels used at the
asylum make considerable item, amounting,
according to a STAR reporters information, to
$500 or 400 year.
When STAR reporter was present at the
District building Friday Mr.. Wheatley made
some inquiry of the property clerk concerning
ing this material The property clerk stated
that he had sold, in the usual manner, two tons
OF old iron and junk for the asylum, and he
thought material sold by Mr.. Stoutenburgh, the
attendant, were noted in that Off, erss detailed
annual report. search through the reports
OF recent years, however, failed to discover the
fact of such sales. Mr.. Beckett, the property
clerk, suggested that the barrels might be sold
by the baker.
MIR. sToUTENBURGH's STATEMENT.
Later in the day Mr.. Stoutenburgh had an in
teryiew with Mr. Wheatley, who seemed to be
favorably impressed by the fact that Mr.. Stout
enburgh, when asked about old property, i'm
mediately made an explanation concerning the
old barrels. Mr.. Wheatley gave The STAR re-
porter brief account of the interview with Mr..
Stoutenburgh, which was substantially as fol-
lows: MIR. Wheatley asked Mr.. Stoutenburgh
about old property sold at the asylum and Mr..
Stoutenburgh spoke at once about the barrels,
saying that there were some old barrels sold
and some broken up for kindling; that they
were small sales, amounting to seventy-tve
cents or a dollar, and he made no return of
them at the time, in order to save the trouble
of having to get so many different papers passed
and approved; that he did make a return of all
property he sold at the end of the year, depos-
ltlng the money with the collector, and that his
accounts were all straight.
WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW.
The books at the collectors office show no
deposits from the Washington asylum in recent
years, except an item of $25.5s for vegetables
sold in 1886, and an item of S24 received for
the board of an inmate. The officials in the
Office had no recollection of any returns other
than these.
A STAR reporter looked over the records Of
the auditors Office and found no account there
of other items except those noted in the col
Loo +Ar'- N+@an ,,Nfor
the auditors Office that all moneys received for
old material sold was received through the
property clerk; that is, the sales were made by
order of the property clerk and the money
paid by the auctioneer to the collector: that if
any property or old material was sold by any one
other than the property clerk, it was in direct
violation of an order by the District Commits
sioners forbidding any employe other than the
property clerk to sell or dispose of District
property. The auditor has no separate account
of any kind with the Washington asylum for
old material sold.
THE MEN WHO BUY THE BARRELS.
STAR reporter has investigated the matter
of the sale of barrels with some interesting re-
suits. There are two men who give direct tes-
timony. One is Charles Pryor, driver for
Jas. OR. Kuhn, a Georgetown cooper Up to
about year ago Pryor purchased some of the
surplus empty barrels at the ASYLUM, his pur-
chases averaging, he says, about 80 per trip.
He made, he says, two trips month during a
period of about three years. For flour barrels
he paid 1215 each. while for mOlasses and vine
gar barrels his prices were, respectively, %
cents and 40 cents. Coal oil barrels brought
from so to IS cents each. Fish barrels were
worth only about 10 cents.
THE barrel transactions were always for
cash" said Pryor to STAR reporter. Il paid
most of the money to Mr.. Stoutenburgh's son,
but sometimes when he not there gave
it to Mr.. Stoutenburgh in person. l haven't
bought any barrels there for more than year
past.
THIRTY-FIvE DOLLARS MONTH.
Ambrose NJ. Gosnell is a cooper on jefferson
street, Georgetown who has for more than
three years past been a barrel-purchaser at the
asylum. He has taken the business from Pryor
because he paid higher price for the barrels,
his figure for -four barrels being Is cents each.
He now he says, buys all the barrels because no
one will compete with him. He makes trip.
he states, about every ten days, and each time
he buys a load of about 10 barrels, paying for
them at the rate of Is cents each. He buys
but few of the tight barrels, such as are used
for oil, vinegar or molasses, but when he does
he pays the highest market price for them.
TO whom do you pay the money!" asked
the reporter.
TO different ones" was Mr.. Gosnells re-
ply. sometimes to Mr.. Stoutenburgh; always
when he is there. If he is away then turn it
over to the head baker, and he gives it to
StOutenDurgn Al one time PAID 1t to the
doctor when Stoutenburgh was absent. l pay
about S35 month for the barrels"
THE ORDERS FOR LIQUOR AND LAUDANUM
Mr.. Stoutenburgh, the intendant of the
asylum, has made an explanation concerning
the orders sent by the matron to the dispensary
for liquor and laudanum. He SAYS that when
Mrs. Stoutenbough desires whisky or brandy
for use in havoring buildings or desert of anv
kind she sends an order to the dispensary He
denies that these articles have been used to
excess either by his wife or himself. The
morphine powders ordered, he said, were for
his own use taken as a remedy for nervous
headache, and Mrs. Stoutenburgh, he saws has
taken the same drug by order of his physician
but never at any other time.
THE DECORATED CHINA SET.
1t was stated i'll The STAR Saturday that the
bill for the decorated china set for the poor
house was disallowed by the controller The
ia = that the controller called for an explana-
Ii II this unusual item of expenditure and
the Commissioners returned the goods to the
merchant from whom they were purchased
The story. as shown by the records at the
Treasury department. is as follows: Controller
Durham, on the 9th of December 1886. adj
dressed a letter to the District Commissioners
calling their attention to certain items in their
account for expenses of the Washington
asylum. These items were follows: One doz
decorated dinner plates. S13; one dozen deco
rated breakfast plates, SIP; one dozen deco
rated tea plates, : 10: one dozen decorated soup
plates, S13; one dozen decorated ice cream