Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-25
LITTLE CARE FOR VETERAN
Shocking Story of ofi,ial Neglect at the
Soldiers Home.
INMATES APPEAL FOR BETTER TREATMENT
Commnndnnt Wilson Refuses 20 Grant
Committee Facilities for Maxi
Ing an Impartial In
ycstiEution.

! LINCOLN, Oct 4.-(speelal)-Along
about October 15 Land Commissioner Rus
sell had occasion to visit the Soldiers and
Sailors home at Grand Island on some
matters of business, while there he was
approached by a large number OF inmates.
both male ard female who poured into
his ears a sorry tale with reference to the
present management OF the home. AS these
| were by no means the first complaints that
had reached him. MIR. Russell, deemns 1t his
duty as a representative OF the Board OF
Public Lands and Buildings proceeded to
the womans wing OF the building and there
made what he characterl2es as a Shocking
discovery of the inadequacy of the cloth
ing and food supplied the old women. In
the hospital especially were the conditions
deplorable. many an aged woman having
little or no clothing suitable to the fall
| and winter season. The condition Of con-
| valescentS, who were too i'll 20 be out OF
an inllrmary and too we'll according to tho
rules OF the institution. to be entitled to
| treatment at the hospital, was pitable in
| the extreme; and all over the institution.
! from men and women alike, came the ap-
peal for better food and enough Clothes
| to keep them warm and half way respect
able in APPEARANCE.
With this preliminary statement of the
| causes leading up to the following attempt
to make an impartial examination OF tho
| wholesale charges by inmates, the following
correspondence will fully explain the effort
as made by Mr.. Russell to investigate:
| To General John NJ. Thayer, Mrs. Rosalie
| L. Condon. Mrs. Mary r. Morgan and Gem
! eral c. J. Dilworth: Information has come
| to the Board of Public Lands and Build
| ings that the inmates of the Soldiais' and
Sailors Home at Grand Island are not re-
ceiving such treatment as they are entitled
| women were not receiving such clothing as
| they should have at this time of the year:
| that the food is not what 1t ought to be, in
quality or kind; that husband and wife are
unnecessarily scparated; that gross par
! tiality and favOritism Is shown In the treat
| mcnt of inmates; that men are discharged
from the institution without sufficient
The Board of Public Lands and Build
| mgs, rcposing confidence In your honesty
and integrity, and reposnr confidence in
9Gth 10 The sodcrs home a Grand GrnTd sand H a4
make a thorough, careful ana impartial in
| and report the facts rs you find them, TO
the Board Of Public Lands and buildings.
any other matters touching the treatment
| of inmates of said home you will invest-
gate and report the facts Yours l,s,r[ respect
| Chairman Board Public Lands and Build
| ings
REPORT or CHAIRMAN THAYER.
To Hon H. G. Russell Chairman Board
of Public Lands and Buildings: Your conf
mittee, appointed by your honorable board,
|
| Grand Island and inquire into complaints
! of inmates of the home as to their trent
| ment by the commandant beg leave TO
| report that in accordance with your re-
| 22d inst.
on arriving there the committee made
| known the purpose of its visit to Colonel
! Wilson. the commandant. The chairman
! presented the lettcr Of Mr.. Russell. the
| chairman OF the Board OF Public Lands
! and Buildings, which stated the reason
| for the appointment Of the committee.
fin spF mi too xTArN
| courteously and treated II very kindly dur
ing the time it WAS there and offered to
| furnish every facility for making the in
| vcstigntion. but when 1t informed him that
they desired to have the investigation with;
began to make protests,
The committee had "A prolonged conversa-
tion with him upon that point; The COM
mittec undertook to convince him that II
had sufficient evidence to warrant them in
believing that tho inmates would be under
Rtd If hf Sss pre- sSGras of
| say which they We're not willing to say be-
| fore the commnndant, giving as II reason
| that they knew If they did testify to any
! thing rejecting ON the management of
| Colonel Wilson. they being under his con-
| bridge" (meaning they would have to leave
| the home).
| The committee assured the commandant
| that they would make known to him the
| testimony of the witnesses only withhold
| ing their names and that they would hear
| his own defense. After discussing the mat
| ter he persisted In objectins 10 any inVcsti-
procured The attcndance OF O. A. Abbott
an attorney: az ana a. inyitGd Mrs Abbott who
Board. to go to the home
The committee then proposed To him that
Governor and Mrs. Abbott should he pres
all was conducted In fairness. but he de-
clinod to accept that proposition and still
protested against ANY investigation in his
We adhered to our original position that
ShOnll
absence Ohe complaints / ing personal 10
the inmates of the home), because the
members Of the home who had made e
| complaints declined to give their testimony
charges related moro oarticulnrly TO his
committee caaai'5 decided tat he should not he
Your Investigation; but | viii have nothing
chamber proceeding" TIE committee then
assured him that they did not come there
Investigation, and then said: "lf that -
your feeling toward this committee We VIII
Your committee referred Colonel Wilson
to the fact that IT was customary for
Of the Communicates or supcrintcndonts of
institutions and cited the fact that in
mates Of the Soldiers home at Tcnvcn-
worth Kan. complained . few years ago
Of their personal treatment by the COM
mandant and that the committee went
there and stated to General Smith, tho
that he at once threw open the home and
assigned them a room and said that he
did not desire TO he present, but asked
them to make thorough Investigation.
Colonel Wilson still protested against the
committee making star chnribcr'' in
vostigatlon. We held no Investigation or
inquiry JOHN VI. TtiAYEK
EDEE TN EVNRV MAN