The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-13

tion as to whether or not it was true that
the Overseer of the Poor was living at
the city's expense ana he was compelled
to answer that he did rot know, but that
he would find out. lie called on the city
auditor and from him learned there were
bills from the city poor department,
which indicated that Mr.. Cummings was,
in fact, living at the expense Of the city;
that the city was paying for articles
which Mr.. Cummings was using for him.
SELF This lead MIR. Reynolds 10 tell AL
derman Lansing, the chairman OF the
committee on poor, that hereafter he pro-
posed TO examine minutely every bill pre-
sented IN the future. lie looked over
the ordinances and i'm them found no
warrant for the use OF any o the moneys
OF the poor department except for one
purpose the relic. of the poor. lie asked
Mr. Cummings IL he was in the habit of
feeding the poor eggs at 40 cents a dozen
and celery at % cents head, and he re-
piled that he ate them himself. Mr.. Rey-
nolds further stated that in calling of
the bills. instead of examining them
item by item, he had departed from his
usual custom on other committees. Here
after, however, he would go back TO the
old plan.
Mr.. Comstock wanted TO know what
particular items Mr. Reynolds objected
TO, and Was answered that the objection
was TO the bills in general because Mr..
Cummings admitted that he had used
part OF them himself.
Mr.. Darcy asked il any of those arti-
cles were used in any particular depart
ment, TO which Mr.. Cummings replied
that they were for general use. Some
went up stairs and some went down
stairs. He wished TO state that he did
not tell Mr.. Reynolds that he had eaten
all those articles himself. lie had simply
told him that he had eaten part of them,
his share OF them.
In reply TO a question by Mr.. Colwell
MIR. Reynolds stated that he never under
stood that Mr.. Cummings lived at the
poor department at the citys expense.
He had looked in the directory and he
found from that that Mr.. Cummings had
an, address other than that at tho poor
department. Nor did he know there was
matron and a cook living at the depart
ment.
Mr.. Walter Wightman. after vigorous
protest from Mr.. Comstock, was al
low I'd TO state what he knew OF the man
agement OF the department in previous
years. He stated that during the pc
riod his father was Cverseer
OF the poor be never remained a single
night at the Charity building or par
took OF single meal there. Mr.. Cum
mings had shown his authority for living
there. but had stated that he did not
know what the custom of HE predecessor
was: AS a matter OF fact the question of
the matron remaining there alone at
night was settled at the time, and In this
way. The clerk was required TO stay
there, and both she aud the matron did
so. taking their meals there.
The clerk was paid Sl2 a month besides
her board. His father nor himself had
never eaten meal at the department.
a diet kitchen was established which
furnished eggs. milk and beef tea TO the
" N n
AT this point the bills from Calef
Brothers, which the committee on poor
bad refused TO audit, were read in full by
Clerk Hayden. They amounted in all TO
s42.6l
of these thing were FOR sick people and
were ordered by DR.. Palmer?'
Mr.. Cummings-"No sir; / simply saiu
DIR. Palmer ordered sick people TO come
TO the building and we gave them what
we thought was good FOR them"
AT this point there was lively inter-
change between Mr.. Comstock and Mr..
Reynolds. The latter insisted that his
attention had not been called 10 the-fact
that the overseer was living at the city's
expense by a reporter Of THE NEWS. He
had never been approached by nor had he
talked with any News reporter either be-
fore making the discovery or since, and
he wished Mr.. Comstock TO distinctly un
dertand that whatever part he had taken
in the matter was not due to politics.
Politics had nothing TO do with 1t.
DIR. Palmer made brief statement to
the committee. Certain applicants were
sent TO him bv the poor depart ment for
examination aud he made such recon-
mendations as the cases called for. The
larger number of these applicants were
men of the poorer class, who claimed
they were sick and needy. II they were
suffering from some temporary ailmeHt,
net serious enough to warrant their being
sent 10 the hospital or the s'mshouse he
recommended that they be given ticket
20 a lodging house for three, four or i've
days and food at the charity building
while they were taking the Doctors
medicine. As to food this class of appli-
cants wanted more in quantity than
quality. Beans would do them as much
good as anything else At this season of
the year he would prOably send two or
three a week to the department. In the
summer there were peFy-few- such eases.