Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-09-14
A BUBBLE EXPLODED.
The Tribune" Launches An
other Boomerang.
THE STATEMENTS NOT BELIEVED
The True Status of Affairs at the
Soldiers Home-Everything
Satisfactory.

Soldiers housekeeping
Satisfactory.
The members of the Grand Army of
the Republic were much bestirred yes
terday. In page article, the Tribune
had stated in its morning issue that the
veterans at the Soldiers Home near
Santa Monica we're residing in "a hell up
on earth, /" and of charges of "mismanage-
ment, brutality, reckless squandering of
public funds, ill.feeding and bad treat
ment of the inmates" had been pre-
ferred against Col. Charles Treichel, the
Governor of theinstisution. Those who
knew anything of the manner in which
affairs are run at the seaside retreat, at
once pooh -poohed the charges as false,
for on the face of them many were contra
dictory, and others were sheer nonsense.
The General feeling among the G. A. r.
was one of condemnation at the publica-
ton and committee was at once ap-
pointed and will proceed to the Soldiers
Home today where evidence will be taken.
That the public might know the real status
of affairs the HERALD Yesterday dis.
patched a man to the Soldiers Home to
make full investigations and to furnish a
complete inquiry into matters and to
write them up exactly as found. His
report proved to be as expected-that the
Tribune article was gigantic fake, writ
ten at the instigation of few dis
gruntled individuals. 1t is as follows:
AT THE SOLDIERS HOME.
On arriving at the Soldiers Home yes
terday afternoon it was easily to be seen
that something unusual was under way.
The inmates, instead of sitting about in
groups of two and three, lazily discussing
time, we're congregated together in large
groups, and by the animation that was
displayed they were evidently much
wrought up by something or the other. 1t
was, OF course, about the charges pub
lished in the Tribune, and when the
HERALD man announced who he was
and his mission, he was surrounded by
an eager throng of war-scarred veterans.
1t was easy to see how public opinion
was running.
"The biggest pack of lies ever read
in my life," said one old fellow, as the
reporter asked what he thought of the
charges. '"The only true thing about
the article was its headline Shameful
and that was fitting comment on what
had been written underneath"
L will tell you the truth of the whole
thing" said another old soldier.
"Among a large body OF men like this
there are naturally number Of black
sheep, as you will see by consult
ing the police courts at Santa
Monica. AS soon as they get
any money they go into town.
get drunk, aud stay drunk until they are
either imprisoned or run out of the
burgh, and then they come back here
dissatisfied and kicking at everything.
There are one or two agitators in Santa
Monica who have been trying to work
this scare up for some time past, but they
could not find tool until they got this
man Fairbanks, who inspired the
article"
Comments such as these were so
general that the reporter thought it un-
necessary to take down all the state
ments: it being evident that out of the
400 men in the Home, the few who aired
their kicks in the Tribune and perhaps
half a dozen more stood as a
very small minority against the $50
honest, sober men who were satisfied,
and who gave words of praise for the
Home and its management.
So much had been said in the charges
about the odious manner in which the
kitchen was run that the scribe thought
it advisable to take look over that
establishment. A better model of order
or neatness cannot be found throughout
the country. ga place for everything
and everything in it's place" was indeed
illustrated, and that the hand that
placed and keeps the machinery in
motion is master one no one
can deny who has ever visited the
culinary department. In point of fact
the Tribune in an issue some ehort time
ago alluded to the kitchen of the Soldiers
Home as model that far more preen-
tious establishments would do we'll to
initiate. As to the statements that
tainted, corrupt meat was served to the
soldiers, such an idea is simply farcical.
The beef that hung in the pantry was as
sweet and nice as any one could desire !;
it was not to be expected that there would
be sirloins and porterhouse steaks, but
there were good solid quarters of rosy
beef that, to man with the slightest in
d'cation of an appetite, would be very
enticing.
Commissary Roberts was, of course,
much incensed at the attacks made at
his department. He denied them one
and all, and urged the HERALD man not
to take his word for it, but to 60 among
the men and question them; 'they
won't say that things are 80 if they are
not" he remarked.
And the HERALD man investigated
until he got weary OF hearing the one
sided stories. They were all to the effect
that everything was all right, the only
dissenter being an old man without
teeth who complained that the meat was
tough.
COLONEL TREICHEL's STATEMENT.
The reporter visited Colonel Treichel,
who said: cit is, OF course, unnecessary
for me to state that / deny each and
every charge that has been preferred
against me-that would only be natural
under the circumstances. What l will
do, however, in my own defense will be
to take each accusation separately and
answer it in detail. In the fret place,
the Tribune makes the following lament
"One of the great evils. too, is the employ
ment OF civilians about the grounds, when there
are numbers Of old soldiers ready audwflling to
do the work at q much lower compensatory. a.
There are some fifteen OF these men employed
there at the present time drawing salaries
ranging from $40 to,$lCo. These, salaries, II