Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-11-24
MANY TALES OF WOE TOLD AT
LEAyENwORTH YESTERDAY.
THE SOLDIERS HOME INQUIRY.
SEVERAL VETERANS TESTIFY TO
BRUTAL TREATMENT.
James Jones Not Permitted to Attend
the Funeral of His Children
The KeeIey Cure the Cause
of n Deal of tile
Trouble.

Leavenworth, Kas., Nov. 23.-(SpeciaL)
The congressional investigation OF the Sol
ders' home was resumed this morning in
the court room of the federal building.
Colonel r. 3. Morris, collector of inter
nal revenue for Kansas, testified that
when Governor Smith was called upon to
| pay the retailers license for whisky used
| in the Keeley treatment, the governor re-
| piled that the liquor so used was taken
out of the hospital supplies and was, there
fore. not subject to the license. After in
| quiring into the matter, he acquiesced in
| this view of it.
Collector Morris, further said he had
heard Governor Smith speak against Con-
gresham Blue and say that he ought not
| to be reelected to congress
August Schalz, assistant florist at the
home, testified that Governor Smith
shipped and sold to John Snyder. at Kan
| sas City, cut flowers and potted plants
out of the home garden, receiving pay
therefor; also that potted plants and flow
ers were freely given to officers at Fort
Leavenworth and to citizens in Leaven-
worth.
James c. Jones a member of the home,
said he was forced to take the Keeley
cure. and give orders on his pension mon
ey. On June 6, 1895, iie wrote a letter to
| Governor Smith, telling him that two OF
| his children were dead at Lexington, No,
and asking that $12 of the pension money
| that was to be applied to payment for
Kelley cure be given him so he could 20
to his children, promising to pay the Keel
| ey cure claim in full out of his next quar-
| teriy payment. The governor refused the
request. Jones produced the original letter
written by him to the governor, which
bore the negative Endorsement on the back.
Phillip MuIIenx. an aged and crippled
| inmate, testified that Governor Smith had
tried to induce him to take the Kelley
| treatment. in spite OF the fact that he had
never in his life used intoxicants.
| VI. \. Holloway. now a teacher in A COM
| mercial college in Kansas City, but who
! was a member of the home for six years,
| four years of which he was Governor
| Smiths private secretary, was called TO the
stand This witness said Governor Smiths
| treatment of the men was very notional;
| sometimes exceedingly kind, at other times
| the reverse, and that he had frequently
| known men TO be severely punished for
| light offenses, whereas men guilty OF great
| wron gdoings were not punished at all He
| himself had been fined 80 by the governor
| on the charge of being drunk, when he was
! innocent.
| Daniel Fraiser, an inmate of the home.
| and who for some time was a member Of
! the home police, testified to brutal treat
| ment of inmates. He said that ne had re-
| peated!y seen men knocked down in the
| guard house, bucked, gagged and placed in
| the straight jacket.
| He impIored the committee to visit this
/ place of torture at the home. He said he
| had known men to be placed in this
! straight Jacket and kept over night, until
! they were exhausted.
Dr. J. L. Viewer, Of this city, was the
! next witness called. DR.. Viewer was the
| former surgeon at the home between
whom and Governor Smith bitter feel
| ing arose and charges and counter charges
! were made. The national board of mana
| gers finally relieved Surgeon Viewer. He
| was surgeon at the home from January,
| 1855, to August, 1888
! In teStifying to-day, DR.. Viewer said that
! there was a patient named KaitmiIler in
! the hospital who was quite i'll: that on
! Christmas morning. 1888 Governor Smith
| came to the hospital. and, going to hait-
I miller. said: You have STAYED here long
| enough: you cannot remain any longer. as
! you are getting pension of sT2 per quar-
/ ter" The shock was 50 great that the pa
| tieEt was prostrated, and in few days
| died.
! Captain James A Drake. Of COMPANY
! al the home. testified that the treatment
| of the men at the home by Governor smith
| t!gation was ordered.
! He said that a member OF his comna1v
z. years of age, was out on a pass and on
/ his way home was knocked down and
| robbed. In consequence he was nor 9hla ~
| get back until the morning after the mass
| expired. The man was taken before tho
! governor for being absent without Ies+te
| and given thirty days on the dunn ,TT5fs
vas last November. and he was compelled