Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-02
CONFEDERATE HOME.
Statement Of What Has Been Done by
the Managers of that Institution.
An Endowment Fund of al Least One Hundred
Thousand Dollars is Needed to Make the u.
Home What 1t Should Be.
To the Gazette.


peal to the people of the state issued
some time since by Governor Ross .afd
his associates, [ ask space in THBSf5A-
| ZETTE for brief statement of whatssSE.
| been done by the managers of that lnsti=
ton, and what is hoped for by them from
this stirring of the waters. -
The home was opened in November,
! 1856, without an endowment or anysRsr-
manent source of income, the difB85o3
trusting to Providence for the. MEANS IS
keep it running. Thus far that reIia1se
has not failed them, but there hayysieen
! times when their hearts failed tlfsHh5aand
/ they saw before them nothingsHat fail
ure. The building and grounds cost
about $500, and the institution started
| free Of debt From that day to this that
condition has been maintained. No
matter how gloomy were the pros
poets of permanently, all debts con-
tracted were promptly paid and not
dollar of Indebtedness is now out
standing. The gift concert, after paJ-
ment Of necessary expenses, realized
about ten thousand dollars, and with
that sum, supplemented by occasional
contributions TO the agents sent out, The
home was maintained to its full capacity
until the fall Of 1888, when the funds
began to run low and utter collapse
seemed inevitable. Realizing from ex-
periCnce that il was useless to rely upon
the means hitherto employed, the direc-
tors (or majority of them) resolved
upon the project of sending an agent to
the North to solicit aid. This step was a
dernIer resort and was not taken until
after careful and painful deliberation
by the board of directors, meeting with
intense and bitter opposition among
themselves. But the majority seeing the
utter futility of any longer reliance upon
the people of the state, seeing the apa-
thy and languid indifference with which
their appeals we're met, resolved to
overcome their natural repugnance to
seeking aid from their former enc
mics, and to throw themselves upon
their generosity. 1t was neck or nothing.
1t was abandonment of the enterprise or
its continuance by means Of the money to
be obtained from our frieuds-the enemy.
The agents employed in this state can
YasSiug for the home met with poor sue
cess. Their salaries and expenses alb
sOrbed a large proportion of their collec-
tions. The agent sent North received no
salary. His compensation depended en-
tirely upon the success of his efforts. If
he collected nothing, be got nothing.
His mission and its results are well
known, BY the efforts of a portion of
our state press the mission was a partial
failure. The Northern people naturally
did not desire to contribute money where
it was not wanted or ungraciOusly ac-
cepted. Yet II was not Il total failure.
He returned, ana the home fund was
benefited to the extent of over four thou
sand dollars, at not one cent cost TO its
resources. What he might have accom-
plished, if unmOlested, can never be
known, but it is believed by those in
position to judge that the returns
sR0td have been magnificent.
That being a LOST opportunity, the next
and last resource was an appeal to the
people of Texas, and it has been made
with the name and sanction of their
governor. What will Fort Worth and
the great Northwest do Dallas has
broken her silence and is coming nobly TO
the front VIII Fort Worth, always
generous, be found tagging in the rear?
An endowment fund of at least one
hundred thousand dollars is needed.
That sum, properly invested will enable
the management to care for 100 veterans
of the Lost Cause-these men who,
manned in body and broken in health
and spirit, have no government to look
to IN their hour of need. The present
capacity of the home is thirty-four.
Number of inmates now present, twenty
eight. The total number admitted
since its organization is eighty.
OF these ten have died, and two
are now nearly in a dying con-
dition Eight are absent on furlough.
Thirty-four have been restored to
health and been discharged. The COM
mands represented by the inmates cover
the whole Confederacy Texas regiments
are represented by Al, Louisiana by 6 ,
Alabama by 3, Arkansas bv 3, Georgia
by 3, Kentucky by ,, Mississippi by 2,
Missouri by 2, North Carolina by 2, Ten
-nesse by l., Virginia by 3, the regular
sarmy by 3, the navy by 3, Maryland by
New Mexico by / All branches of
the service are represented. Six have
lost a leg, one an arm, two are totally
blind, two hOpelessly paralyzed and two
partially so, six chronic incurables, and
the the remainder disabled by age and
infrmties incident thereto. Any needy
and worthy disabled Confederate soldier
er sailor is entitled to admission as long
4as there is room, no matter from what
state he may have come, or where he
may have served. All that is asked is
"'Are you worthy and needy,
sick and disabled, and were you
an honorable soldier or saIlor?'' ''Sick
and wounded, poor and needy - here is
thy home. Three of the directors have
the cOntrolVof the management of the
f6me-One of them visits it every day.
No one connected with il, save the cook,
receives a salary. The secretary of the
board gets Q small salary for keeping the
books. doing the correspondence, etc.
The directors give their time and their
means for love of the cause. The
monthly expenses are now about $500.
With increased numbers they will be
greater, of course. In the expenses is
included everything, provisions, medi-
cines, clothing, etc. There are no
aalEses employed. The poor fellows help
1each other all they can. If anyone can
look unmoved on the scene daily pre-
seated there he must be callous indeed. |
Methinks it would move a heart of stone.
Brave men and gentle women of Fort |
Worth and North Texas think |
of this, and come to our
aid. Remember how these men fought |
and suffered for our dear Southland |
Think OF the wreath of glory which they |
have entwined around their country, |
which will make il live in song and story