Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-07
ENOUGH TO CONVICT HIM.

ENOUGH TO CONVICT HIM. = That's what sslecsnan white says or
 Superintendent sanferd-A Lad State
 of AGairs Existlng as the AInshouse
 Brought Out at an Investigation ef
 Charges made by Steward Y. Knight
 Sperry-His Resignatlon is Accepted.
 The board of selectmen met last night to consider the resignation of E. Knight Sperry as steward at the almshouse, and also TO in vestigate the charges that he made, that he was hampered, in all his efforts to carry out the rules of the board, by Superintendent Sanford. Both Mr. Spsrry and MT. Sanford were present. Mr. Sperry was first called upon to testify. He appeared in pleasant l and affable mood. Colonel White questioned l him, and he answered in . thoroughly straightforward manner. | sT handed in my resignation," said MT. | Sperry, "because I could not do as knew
 the board wanted me to do; because could
 not adopt any method of receipts and checks; | because was baked in every movement by | Superintendent Sanford. He said that he
 didn't want any receipts kept, and this was
 in direct violation to rule laid down by the
 board of selectmen."
 rules and regulations that the board recently
 adopted, defining the duties of the superin- | tendent, steward and matron of the alms-
 house. The rule says:
 ''The superintendent shall receive and receipt
 for, or shail cause tho steward to receive. or re-
 ceipt for, all supplies received at the almshouse | Colonel White asked MT. Sperry if Super intendent Sanford had ever done anything to carry out this rule.
 'No," was the answer. "Has he ever told you to receive snd re- l ceipt for suppliesW
 'sNo.n
 "So far as you know, has the almshouse
 committee known anything of this utter dis-
 regard of this rule3"
 | ssMy impression is that the members didi' | Being questioned further Mir. Sperry said | "Selectman Sternberg took dinner one day | at the almshouse, and at the table Superin- tendent Sanford spoke of the new rules, and l asked whether or not it was meant that he should make report of what was used at
 stated that he didn't think the board intend | ed to include the superintendsnts table, | That is right, is 1t not Mr. Sternbergs" | Selectman Sternberg looked 8 little an. l noyed, but he maintained his usually cool
 demeanor. He took puff on his cigar and
 said that he didn't remember the circum-
 stance. Several of the selestmen smiled.
 Finally MT. Sternberg stated that if he did
 say what Mr. Sperry had said he did, he did
 not say it officially.
 "Well," exclaimed Sslectman White,
 "were you not at the almshouse on businesst
 Weren't you acting es chairman of the aims. house committeeY' "No, sir; was there simply as a member | of the committee" | "But you were chairman of that comnit-
 tee, thought"
 "Yes.n E
 "Then Mir. Sanford didn't pay any more
 attention to what you said than he would
 have paid to Coogan," sarcastioally remarked Sslectman White.
 'No." answered MT. Sternberg. | "The rule says" emphatically stated Col White, "that the superintendent shall receipt
 for all supplies received at the almshouse No exception is made; the superintendent's
 table is to be included just as much as the old womsn's table,"
 "Hss there ever been any effort on the part
 of the superintendent to help you in carrying
 out this rulea" queried Selectman White of
 Mir. Sperry.
 'Has any systematic record of supplies
 been ksptp
 s'No, sir; I did for time when I first went there, but found it impossible to keep
 it up. The supplies were not delivered in
 one place as the rule says. They were deliv-
 cred first in the north hall, then into some
 window; in fact there were several different | PA~SSc WAcAo sAc APPAAoS WOAO OOuSub, duu
 1t got 80 that never knew when they came
 It seemed as if there was combined effort l against my knowing about what wss going
 on. Every effort possible was made to de-
 feat a systematic plan of keeping record of
 all the supplies received, which was in viola- ! tion of the rules" Col. White read clause of the rules
 which stated that the superintendent should
 have one place where supplies were kept, to be given out by the superintendent or the
 steward. "Has any attention been paid to this rule by the superintendentt'
 "No, sir. I did try to carry it out, and bought look and key to put on a room so that the supplies could be received in one place. Superintendent Sanford baked me in this; he said the rule was not to be carried out"
 Seleotman White read: '.In the absence of the superintendent, hi: duties shall d.- that you had not power" "No, sir; somebody else always managed to do his duties. never felt as if was the steward"
 Sslectman Bseehsr did not seem to relish 1t because he had not known of this viola tion of these rules. "Why have you not re- ported this to the board befores" ''Some of the selectmen knew of it. had some little talk about it with the town agent"
 "You allowed supplies to come in at the
 windows, and also anywhere in fact" spoke | up Mir. Beecher.
 'T didn't know when these supplies came. Any attempt at authority that have made,
 even to tho killing of louse. has been taken away from me very abruptly" "You consider that you have done your | duty in not reporting this until just time for this board to go outF'
 "Considering that had no authority, do."
 "why did you not report this beforer' "Because had every reason to believe | I would not be backed up in it." Mir. Sperry gave an instance where his hands had been tied by Superintendent Sanford. "I found nearly twenty of the old
 residents of the Home covered with vsrmin, and tried to organize a movement to get rid of these body lice. As soon as Supsrintend-
 ent Sanford found out what was doing, he
 took 1t out of my hands and set two attend
 attendants M cam cam. to me ' and sssi ssiS
 they had not found . louss. thought this | funny report. Finally one of the attend l ants was changed and I met him in the hall.
 He told me that he had found lice on eight | persons while bathing them. What led me
 to this act was that two daughters of ono of
 the male inmates came to me and said that
 their father was nearly eaten up with them. promised to attend to him. found what | they said to be true. Lioe were running about his clothes. got an old suit of mine one l that was little moth-eaten, and tried to get | Mrs. Sanford to have ono of the inmates of the | female wards mend the suit, but she refused. I then had to give the suit to the man with | holes in 1t.
 "The fact is," said Mr. Sperry, 'I have
 been nothing more than telephone call boy.
 I cannot stay in a place when know that
 continually violating rules that know
 should live up to-"
 Mir. Sanford then testified. He did not have much to say, only making a sort of general denial of what Mir. Sperry had said. | He admitted that no receipts and checks of | supplies were kept. The rules were passed | just before the removal was made from the old almshouse to the now one, which was a | few weeks ago. He didn't think the rules applied to the old almshouse and 90 he did not try to carry them out. He had, how. ever, tried to work under the rules at the new almshouse, but had not got at it yet. He had not adopted any system as yet; he couldn't very we'll carry around big receipt
 book for supplies.
 Didn't I give you the orders of the board, |" said Town Agent Todd, "to get
 large receipt book to be kept at the alms- house and . small one for you ts carry around in your pocksti"
 MT. Sanford didn't know but what he did, but he had probably misunderstood. He said that he had not meant to violate any rules of the board.
 Seleotman White then urged the board to accept MT. Sperry's resignation, and it was