Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-21
THE CASE OF PATRICK LEE,
DIR Burdick Explains But the
Matter is Not Improved.
1t Was Case of Sweep or Leave
the Farm.
The Doctors Letter to supervisors-The
Cold Facts About the Old Fellows
Physical Condition-He is
Being Cared For.

! DIR. f.. u. Burdick, euperlntenueht VI
the county poor farm. yesterday sent to
the board of supervisors the following
communication, in relation to the case
of Patrick Lee:
GENTLEMEN-In the Los Angeles HER
AID OF yesterday and today appear sew
ere attacks upon me for alleged mis-
treatment OF an inmate OF the county
poor farm, named Patrick Lee, based on
Misrepresentation of facts made by him
to that journal. deem it my duty to
you and myself to submit a statement
of the facts in the case, and ask you, or
any one, desiring corroborations OF the
same, to call upon any, or all the in
mates or employees at the county farm:
Patrick Lee has ward with nine
others in about the came condition,
physically, as himself. His bed is
about in the center of the ward. Each
one in his ward sweeps around his own
bed, and each one sweeps the dirt FROM
his bed into the hail. then an
other man from another ward
sweeps the hall. This 10 done
early in the morning, after they get up,
and the beds are made. At times Lee
would get contrary, and would not
sweep until the rest would get through,
and would wait until after the h<t1 had
been swept, before he would loo Yep;
then he would sweep his dirt sles4.the
hall, and some of the other patients
would have to clean it up. Each ward
has pail and dust pan, and the other
patients would try to have him tAke
up his own dirt, instead of'BWeeping
it into the hall after everything had
been cleaned up. He has done this
several mornings during the past month.
This morning the nurse told the steward
that Patrick had swept his dirt into the
hall again. The steward went to him
and asked him if he would not take it
up, and he told him to go to h-ll; then
to ask Patrick If he would not take it
up, and he said he would not. Said l,
"Patrick, you will have to, and he said
he would not; then said, "You'll have
to leave the farm" He said he would
not leave the farm a id bit. ] told
him he would get nothing to eat, nor
could he sleep there unless he would d
take up his dirt. He waited until nearly
dinner time; then sent the steward
again to ask him if he would not take it
up. He told him not to ask him any
more, for he was just exercising his jaw.
When the dinner bell rang,
I went to him and told him
it would take but minute for him to
clean up the dirt. He said he would
not do it then told him he would have
to leave. Every few days Patrick Lee
has disobeyed the rules Of the institu-
tion by going to Downey without per-
mission, but as there has been no harm
come from it, 1 have overlookedit. This
is walk Of five miles. He goes
after breakfast and gets back before din
ner. This shows that he ie able to walk
and to clean up what little dirt that ac-
| cumulates around the bed. Patrick Lee
has not been asked to do any work for
two years. He has swept around his
own bed the same as the others and has
always taken care of the dirt, excepting
during these contrary spells. He was
not sick at the time Of being discharged,
and has not been sick, to my knowledge,
since he has been at the institution.
| E. l.. BURDIcK,
Superintendent county farm.
This is Doctor Burdick's side of the
case. Still it does not justify his turn
ing an old Irishman in second childhood
out to starve, even if his statement all
the way through is true. In the case of
Lee some discretion, judgment and
humanity should have controlled. The
cold facts are that he is cripple, 68
] years old, on the verge OF the grave.
To turn him into the road to die, simply
for petty breach of discipline, is
neither humane nor just.
Nevertheless the board of supervisors
passed a resolution in which they
directed that the clerk inform DR.. Bur-
dick that they had the utmost conf
| dence in him and the manner in which
he exercised his authority at the poor
farm.
The moneys that have been received
| at the HERALD Office for Lees relief
have been turned over to Mrs. LouisLe-
grand, who keeps the Lafayette hotel,
/ on Ducommun street. She will take
care of the old man until he is provided
for in some public institution. There
has been some hitch about getting Lee
into the county hospital. Technical OBJ
jections are raised that he is not an in
valid or suffering from disease. John
Faulkner yesterday left 81 at the HER.
AID Office for the relief of Lee. 1t will
be applied.