Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-02
A LIVELY REJOINDER.
Treasurer W. R. Thompson Enters
Into Interesting Explanations
ANENT A JOHNSTOWN MANS KICK.
How Rapacity and Greed Had to be Net
With InquiSitivs Firmness.
NO LOOTING OF FUNDS AT JOHNSTOWN

days issue OF The DISPATCH. Some G
ter are as follows:
There are some of us who would like to hav
| the modus operandi of the committee IN charg
| here ventilated. In the distribution o
money sent here these sentiments (succorin
''the homeless and needy'') were entirely los
sight of. do not mean to say that the home
less and needy did not receive any of the fund
but do mean to say that individuals who wer
not in needy circumstances received the larges
amounts, and in several cases individuals re
ceived as much as was sent to the town of Sout
| Fork. have no ak to grind. re
ceived more than 1 expected, not being on tn
inside or even a relative of any that were.
simply would like to see an itemized accoun
of the relief money distributed here. It woul,
be much more interesting than South Fork
| account JUSTICE.
JoHNsTowN, January 81.
Mr.. w. r. Thompson's attention wa
called to the com munication, and he yer,
cheertullY consen ted to supply the hiatu
between the facts and strong inueudoes OF tn,
writer of the letter. AS treasurer of thu
Pittsburg Relief Committee and the sue
cessor OF Judge Cummin in the first pay
ment of flood funds at Johnstown, Mr.
Thompson is able to throw some light upor
the extremely interesting subject. He said
ACAREFUL HISTORY.
1.-The work done at Johnstown by the dis
bursting agents intrusted with first payment
and adjustment of claims was of necessity oi
a very important nature. To arrive at q
clear understanding of the case, it will bt
remembered that the per capita of $40 had
been paid before took any of the actual re-
lief funds to Johnstown. In the meantime
the local Board of Inquiry had been organ
lied, and was at once intrusted with the
preparation of claims to be sent on to the
cashiers OF the fund, after having been care
fully scrutinized by the Finance Committee
of Johnstown. As remember the names OF
the Board OF Inquiry were as follows: Messrs.
Masters, Brown, Hannah and Condor. The
Finance Committee consisted of Editor
Swank, James McMillen, Mr.. W. G. Lewis,
and John D. Roberts. These were all lead
ing citizens whose integrity has never been
jmpugned in any way whatever.
"There might have been some partiality
shown as Justice hints, but the system
adopted made it rather difficult for the exer-
else of liberality after the style of nepo-
tism. Those who lost property, etc., were
directed to prepare a sworn statement of
losses, and bring the same before the Board
of Inquiry. There was appended variety
of questions, the answers being the basis of
credence as to the claim. AS is well known,
1 had been instructed to turn over $3.50, 900
of the money in the hands of the Pittsburg
Relief Committee to Judge Hugh NJ. Cum
min, the gentleman selected by Governor
Beaver as the disbursing agent. I went to
Johnstown with S110, 900 in silver and
smaller denominations OF bank and treasury
notes, and found that Judge Cummin was a
very i'll man. We met and were introduced
by Captain Mcclellan, and Judge Cummin
begged me to remain a few days, and assist
him in the payment. imagining, with good
cause, as it afterward proved, that the de-
tailed work comprehended would be ex-
tremely arduous. consented to remain two
or three days ..-'
JoHNSTowN MEN CHOSEN.
"Under previously given instructions a
great many of those to whom money was
due, had prepared their affidavits OF losses.
The statement was attested by the Board of
Inquiry and also by the Finance Commit
tee, all OF whom were Johnstown men, far
more familiar with the actual losses of the
applicants for relief than outsiders could
possibly be; but despite the double attesta-
tion, we had not proceeded very far before
we found that there was disposition-to
put it in the mildest language-to "gouge."
Applicant after applicant, when subjected
to close cross-questioning, came down in the
estimate ofloss. In no case was the full amount
of the claim paid, amounts being simply
paid out and credited to each applicants
name in the books of the amateur bank.
When the first days work was concluded
Judge Cummin and myself went to the
Cresson House. He complained of severe
naino ond fol-nn eiak x,ifhir ,
hours. He mentioned again to me the fact
that he had detected instances of greed
cropping out all through the days work,
and when he found himself unable to return
to work begged me to take his place and
complete the payment. 1t was tine illness
that ended in his death. Over two
weeks were consumed in making the pay
ment, and it is certainly true that an un-
pleasantly large number of efforts to secure
an indemnifcation of losses from an incor-
rect and excessive basis were made among
those who applied. One man asked for $16O
for baggage, clothing and books. When a
little sitting was done, his landlady testi-
fed that a linen collar and a suit of old
dannels were the entire property lost, and
so it went. People came in, and swore to
most lavish losses, and men standing in the
same room told us that the applicants had
1Ob pOSSCSScu Ou6-J6ulu VI What LleY
,laimed. And so it went. The payment
was delayed to some extent BY these inves-
,igatiops, and it was an unpleasant illus
ration of the meaner attributes of human
nature.
GLAD CARE WAS TAKEN.
'But your correspondent is calling for
ruth, and if it shows some ofthe Johnstown
people in an unfavorable light, the men who |
the money and sifted the ro-
nances related are not sorry now that the |
payment was made with such extreme care.
That first payment was the basis of the dis |
ribution oil 81 600, 900, and the records of |
hose who secured money on the first pay
nent were used as an index to the classifi- |
,ation system which was aiterwsrd adopted. |
hat struck me as singular phase OF the |
irst payment was the fact that some of those
Who asked for money had the hardihood to
leny that they had gotten the per capita of
10 which went to every man, woman and
hild. The printed form for application
the following question: What
money have you received from other
ources?'
despite the fact that through secret or
ers beneficial societies, and in many per-
onal forms, thousands OF dollars were dis
ributed among Johnstown citizens, it was
cry rarely the case that any applicant
cknowledged the receipt of any such sums.
hat was one question which baf1ed investi-
alton, for there was no possible way to pin
nyone down to facts without absolute
MANY DISTRIBUTIONS MADE.
"All sorts of distributions were made dur
ng the first months following the disaster.
he Mayor of st. Louis scattered So, 900 in
be place, nearly every secret society in the
ountry sent money in one way or another,
ut it was not heard OF extensively in
acknowledgements to the Commission that
uch money had been received. The worst
eature of the personal distributions was
nat the same old gang of FOUNDERS and
amp followers hung around, and cultivated