The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-20
CITY HOSPITAL SCANDAL
BOARD OF HEALTH sTRENUOUsLY
ATTEMPTS TO HIDE 1T.
Mrs. stewart President of Training
school for Nurses, Threatens to Elk
pIode "a Mine of Information.

The city officials are making strenuous
efforts to conceal a scandal at the City
Hospital, which apparently has to do with
the MANAGEMENT of that institution and the
Training School for Nurses, Last night the
entire board, consisting of Drs. Morrison,
Fields and Cline and City Sanitarlan Fer
guson, held a long secret conference with
Mrs. Stewart, president of the board of
trustees of the Nurses Training School,, to-
gether with the secretary and two other
trustees. The conference behind closed
doors lasted over two hours ana a half.
Most Of the talking was done by DIR. Nor
rison. The ladies were very earnest in
their efforts to bring the board to make
certain concessions without avail. After
the conference, finding hat no information
was to be obtained from the board, a re-
porter appealed to Mrs. Stewart.
II was cautioned not to speak to you
reporters about this natter said Mrs.
Stewart. land I am not prepared to do
so at present. But this I will say; if the
board does not right this wrong we will
nave a lengthy statement to make that will
be Of interest to the papers and the tax
payers of Indianapolis"
Just what TIE wrong is to which Mrs.
Stewart refers could not be learned. When
asked whether the trouble related to the
financial management of the institution or
m-istreatment of the nurses or patients. DR..
Morrison replied:
II have nothing at all to say"
That the scandal has to do with the man
agement of the hospital is borne out by
two or three circumstances. DR.. John d.
Nichols, superintendent of the City Hos
pital, was not admitted to the conference,
but was deeply interested in what was go
ing on behind the closed doors, and when
the meeting adjourned, after he had wait
ed two hours and a half, DR.. Morrison
came out ahead of the ladies and other
members of the board and had a private
conference with the superintendent.
What have you been doing this evening,
Doctor?' inquired a reporter of DIR. Nor
rison. who are those ladies?"
'Oh, they are some ladies who wanted to
form a free-silver glee club. They have
been trying my voice, but don't seem to
think can sing bass"
Other members of the board replied to all
questions tina. they wanted TO sing bass"
Questioned as to whether it was the in
training school,, DIR. Morrison pretended
not to know what the trair ing school was.
Other questions as to whether it was the
intention to increase the force of nurses,
now that a new wing is about completed
and the facilities of the hospital increased,
were met WITH lOOhS VI dSSulliCo dSlOilioI~
ment.
It could not be learned whether the serv-
ices of Miss Wicks, principal of the training
school, are satisfactory. Size was brought
here from New York nearly two years ago.
After spending fifteen or twenty minutes in
idle talk and a determined effort to spar
off every question tending to give an ink
ling as to the affair which is brew
ing, the board filed from the baseme EN-
other trustees of the training school were
still standing on the sidewalk, discussing
they had just passed, with considerable
spirit AS a last resort the reporters APP
pealed to Mrs. Stewart. WheIt she uttered
that the identity of herself and the other
ladies was known. When asked whether she
had any objection to stating who the ladies
with her were, Mrs. Stewart said that she
would have Ito consult our secretary" The
secretary seemed to think that it would be
inexpedient to say anything at all until
after the board has told it's story. After
that" she said, I'VE will be ready to talk"
That they requested a public investigation
they did not attempt to deny.
No amount of cross-questioning served to
v~ouchsafed in the expression of Mrs. Stew
art: If this wrong is not righted, there
will be something of interest TO say" She
did add, however, that she believed the
board intended to be Fair. but her voice
had a slightly menacing ring. That the
trustees of the training school for nurses
have everything to demand and nothing to
concede to the board was plainly evident
from the confident manner in which the
- = bAANy tEO-%( VIZ a11SISas IG
ladies drove away in their carriages, leav-
ing the reporters stanoing on the sidewalk.
Meantime the members of the board
walked slowly up Delaware street to Mar
ket, where they stood waiting for the re-
porters to overtake them. Then from the
interviewed they endeavored to become the
interViewers, and exhibited great concern
as to what the ladies had revealed. 1t was
intimated that lit is not best to publish
everything You are told
DR.; Morrison, president of the board, was
reached by telephone an hour later. but
declared that he still adhered to his de-
termination not to say anything as to the
meeting.
Does the trouble at the training school
refer to the financial management of the
hospital or mistreatment of nurses and
patients? ' he was asked.
II have nothing at all to say" he re-
piled.
An effort to reach Miss Wicks at the City
Hospital by telephone was unavailing, the
inferno responding to the ring. declaring
that there was no speaking tube to the
training school building, and that he would
have to dress and go after her, a task he
seemed to regard as a hardship.