The morning call., 1893-08-02
VETERANS WOES.
YOuntville Home Again in
Trouble.
AN INVESTIGATION ASKED.
Serious Cherges Are Made Against
the Commandant Who Was Ap.
pointed Three Months Ago.

The Veterans Home at Yountvllle is
about to produce an other sensation " hich
will no doubt be followed by an investi-
cation. and the sustaining OF half OF the
charges which are made would furnish the
ground for some very radical action on the
part OF the directors.
Just three months ago George Fl. A.
Dimpfel was appointed commandant of
the home, and almost Immediately COM
plants from the members began to be
brought to the attention of the directors.
But these we're not brought up 10 formal
way, nor was the substance of them sut-
fcient to warrant any recognition from the
board, and the new commandant has been
stoutly supported in everything that he
has done.
In the meantime the mem bership of the
home has fallen from 566 to about 800, and
this reduction in the number of names on
the roll has been caused almost entirely by
summary discharges. and. at the present
rate, the home would be depopulated in
little while if the dismissals continued.
The matter Is now before the board in
such q shane that even If 1t desired to it
cannot escape it, and it will be called unon
to decide whether the charges made against
the commandant are true. and, il so,
whether he should be continued In that
capacity.
At the next meeting of the directors E.
n. Pugh. lata commssary of the home,
and who has done the work in the adju-
tant's Office for the last ten mouths, will
prefer charges of a very serious nature
against Commandant Dimpfel.
The charges were ready to be presented
al the meeting of The board last week. but
the press OF financial questions prevented
their consideration.
Mr.. Pugh accuses the commandant of
"ungentemanlv, unkind aud overbearing
treatment Of the comrades of the home"
inaSmuch as he treats them as objects of
personal charity. thereby causing dscon-
tent and hostility in the veterans. When
r. A. Blanchard. member Of the home
who was OIL furl0ugh. returned there In
June on visit and went to the dining
room to get dinner he was elected there
from by order Of the commandant. The
commandments treatment of Charles Per-
kins, the homo barber, and Of James A
Savage is cited TO illustrate the conf
mandants autncratic and unkind be-
havior TO inmates. Savags withdreN from
the home rather than let his humiliation
continue. An old, sick and feeble veteran
of the Civil War, who visited the home
last June, was refused q meal BY the COM
mandant because he did not belong to the
".
reptitiously procured food for him. hut he
bad to SLEEP on the bare ground that night
1t is charged that the cOmmandant uses
for the pleasure Of himself and his family
the ambulance and team which were
bought bv the Wnman's Relief Corps for
the use of sick and decrepit veterans. He
uses it for excursions through Nara Val
ley as if it were his private rOperty. and
has roughly ordered veterans to get out
oft.
The third charge is that the commandant
took cigars and crackers from the canteen
without paying for them. This is called
"pIIfering."
The commandant is accused of having
gone on sproes that lasted several days.
While on one spree hs obtained from the
medical supplies, through Director Ar
buckle, five bottles OF whisky and three of
p0ri.
The fifth charge is that during a recent
hot spell when members went out with
their blankets to sleep on the porches or
verandas he ordered them to return to
their rooms and not leave their quarters
again for any reason during the night.
Old. sick and feeble comrades are COM
pelled to stand in line during Sunday
morning inspection, to the deiriment ut
their health. One Of them. Michael Mori-
arity. was taken " tn II hemOrrhage while
in line and died soon after.
"There Is not charge made that will
not be supported by sworn testimony"
said Mr.. Pugh last night. II myself will
make affidavit to what mention as know
Ing of my own knowledge, and there is an
abundance of evidence for all the charges.
II the present commandment DO continued
in his position most If the members of the
homo will not STAY there longer than
ne cessary for them TO get means by which
they can leave"
"Mr. PuRh is well acquainted with all
matters pertaining to the home," said one
of the members Of tho board yesterday
Indeed. General Barnes said when we
were making the former investigation that
he was the only man there who knew any,
thing about it. The fact that he brings
these charges. and is supporting them. will
have its weight with the board"