Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-02-28
THE OTHER SIDE.
DR.. Rodman Replies to DIR. Cooks
Article of Last Week.


munlcatlon from DIR. II. X. Cook, @
this place; published in the Courier
journal of the 18th inst, in whic
there were statements in regard to IN
that call for correction. l shoul
deem a reply unnecessary if the ma
was as well known to you as he is a
home.
"The charges in DR.. Cooks lette
are not inspired by any desire for tn
public good, but are the offspring o
righteousness that is only equaled b,
the lack of truth of the assertions
They are, in good part, very foolisl
repetition of what has been repeated,
investigated by committees of tn
General Assembly. First by one il
1880, composed of Senators Black
burn, of Woodford, and Wilkerson, o
Trigg; Representatives Reynolds, o
Nicholas, Ewing, OF Trimble, ant
Dycus, of Crittenden. The report o
the committee was an absolute ant
unqualified vindicatton of all tn,
charges made by him. His remova
from his position as Commissioner o
the Western Kentucky Lunatic Asy
lum by Gov. Blackburn soon followed
his attempt to malign those witt
whom he was officially associated
From that time on his only mission
in life seems to be to defame the Of
ficers of the Asylum.
'1n 1886 another committee com.
posed of Senators Price and Rigney
and Representatives Stone, Cleary
and Bradford, made an exhaustive ex-
animation of many days of the Asy-
lum, looking in the most minute way
into every department of it. These
gentlemen had nothing but words of
the highest commendation for its
management.
Later, another committee appoint
ed in 1887 under joint resolution to
investigate charge made by citizen
of Simpson county, had addressed to
it a communication from DR.. Cook,
embodying almost identically the
same allegations that were in his
minority report eight years previous
ly. This committee, composed of
Senator Wallace, of Laurel, and Rep
Nesbit, of Bath, Goodloe,
Of Mason, and Blakey, of Logan, af-
ter looking intothe matter contempt
uously dismissed it, saying: we ex-
amined the charges made by DR..
Cook, and, finding that they had been
ht, n oor,p,;t no of n ,1ro
vious Legislature, we gave them no
further attention. respectfully refer
10 the reports made by these commit
tees in 1880, 1885 and 1887 for con-
Iirmation of what / have said.
taking in detail DR.. Cooks letter
@ you: The suggestion that you
we're not allowed to see any one out
ide of chosen few is too puerile for
emark. That the General Assembly |
, advised as to what should be appro-
'riated for the Lunatic Asylums
f the Commonwealth is, l take it,
onceded. The Western Asylum is
ON exactly the same basis
s the other two. As to the office of
| dare say that outside of
ientucky-I am not advised or in
ormed as to it nowhere are not
alf a dozen asylums in this country
1 which this office does not exist.
he salary of my son in that position
as not 81 900, but less than half of
3. That of his wife as housekeeper is
300 instead of $500. The other Of
ces spoken of are created by the
legislature and their salaries fixed
Y it
"You are informed that the head
lrpenter gets S3 per day; this is true.
t his assistants, instead of $3.50 a
ay each, one gets $40 month and
le other 81 a day.
"Dr. Cook says: Or. Rodman had
,me years since all the money ap-
ropriated by the State taken out of
lie Bank of Hopkinsville and put in
le Trice bank l have never CON
oiled dollar of money belonging
} the Asylum nor suggested a depos-
Ory for one six-pence. l have never
ade thousands of dollars out of the
sylum's money, nor single cent.
"My private affairs, take it, are
ot proper subjects for public com
ent. Again DR.. Cook says: DIR.
odman had his "castle" built by the
5ylum carpenters If this means
at my house was built by carpen-
r who was paid by the Asylum, it is
lie, pure and simple. The certificate
Mr.. Salter, the carpenter who did
is work, is enclosed. l was, as Su- :
of the Western Kentuc-
7 Lunatic Asylum, entitled to COM {
rtably furnished quarters for myself
I'd family, by direct provision of law. |
OF one-third of the property in my {
,use was the States property. All 1
Ie more expensive articles were my
vn. When my term OF Office expired l
70 of the board of Commissioners
I'd the Steward were directed to value
lch things as wanted, and allow !
g to keep and pay for them at their /
Iluation. This | did to the amount
probably 5000. ] hold the receipt {
the Steward for the money. !
"In 1886 the Legislature passed an ,
t authorizing the Superintendent of ;
@ Western Kentucky Lunatic Asy- l
m to reside in the city of Hopkins
lie. Some time thereafter l occu-
ed my house in this city, and did so {
It'll my retirement from the Super c
tendency of the Asylum. | sup c
sed that under the law giving me 7
arters for myself and family l was /
titled to reasonable rental for it. L
pported, as | think, by the opinion
the Attorney General, l had placed i
fore the Board of Commissioners a
account for what l thought due. d
@ records were open to Inspector o
Her. In commenting upon that u
IT of them which refers to the trans s.
ion he remarked that in his judg- @
mt was not entitled to pay for the
, of the house. There was no rum v
s. no suggestion of my wanting o
earth Upon learning his views ST
onsulted my attorney, who agreed j
n Mr.. Miller. Since that time the tC
tter has not been mentioned. If it O.
right for me to be paid a reasonable S,
lount for the use of the dwelling /