The morning times., 1896-02-03
COL. TRACEY IN Defense
But Only Answers Maj. Burke's
Charges Where Specific.
POINTS OUT SOME ERRORS
Allegations Regarding the Disposal of
Dead Veterans Body Alleged to
Have Occurred Long Before Es-
tablishment of the Office of Super
intendent of Charities, He Says.

The charges made against the depart
ment of charities by Mayor Burke before
the House District Committee have pro-
voked Col Tracey, superintendent OF public
charities, into n defense in Two points in
the attack made by MAZE Burke.
One OF the allegations is that in 1887
the body of a soldier who died at rovidence
Hospital was found in the dissecting room
OF local medical college. MAJOR Burke
states Jhat the Department of the Potomac
Il. A. k. gave burial TO what they thought
was the body OF their comrade, but he
learned later that another bUuy uau been
palIned of ON the burial committee, and the
BODY OF the soldier taken 10 the college.
Col. Tracey said:
This Is alleged 10 have occurred in 1887,
which was 1Udr years prior to the estab-
lishment of the office OF superintendent
oi charities. and six years prior to my APP
pointment.
NAME NOT GIVEN.
The name of the medical college Is not
given. There is nothing To show how the
body was procured. lt might have been
stolen from its grave. The hospital re-
ferred to is not one of those appropriated
for in the District bin pending at the
time Of the hearing of tue committee OF
patriotic citizens referred to in the pub
lished allegation
MAJOR burke makes a strong attack on
the House of the GOOD Shepherd, denounccs
it as private jail, and alleges that infor-
| nation concerning its management is ae
| MED the public. In reply To this Col.
\ Tracey said:
In n recent report on house bill No
/ 3i97, having for its purpose the creation
of new place Of confinement for women,
/ expressed the opinion, and this was con
| CURED in by the Commissioners, that the
House OF the Good Shepherd is a proper
| place of detention.
MY report upon this bin was a simple
statement or facts as to existing facilities
| for reformatory and correctional work in
| the District. 1t included n list of inSti'
| tutioDs legally established, showing how
many are accommodated in each Cne and
| the capacity OF each. The established in
| stitutions enumerated were: WorkhOuse
| of the District, Reform School Tor Girls
| Board of Chi.dren's Guardians, Associa
| ton for Work OF Mercy, House or the
| Good Shepherd and others. No opinion
no Endorsement OF either was made by me
HOUSE OF GOOD SHEPHERD.
THE paragraph about the House Of the
| Good Shepherd contained i'll that report il
asfollows: The Houseof the Good Shepherd
| with an average of ninety-one inmates
comes under the act OF February 13 1888
| prpvlding for court commitments with
the consent OF the institution concerned, oi
| Yagrant destitute aud abandoned children
| or the inmates OF the House of the Goot
| Shepherd about fifty are actual, moral anC
! legal delnqueuts, the remainder beiD Z
| wayward girls of the preservation class
| separately cared for
| II could not, in reporting in response tC
| the Congressional committee, withheld {
| statement of the existence and operation:
of this institution and OF its capacity fol
caring for inmates of the class sought tC
| be provided for by new measure. NJ,
statement on the sub ject was merely
| statistical.
The bill in question called for an eX
| penditure for site and construction of al
institution to be established and maintaine'
! exclusively at District expense, but Will
out any supervision or control Of Distric
| authority. 1t was essential TO the ques
ton involved that there should be d stat,
ment made OF existing provisions for thi
purpose within the District, and how muc
has been spent in establishing femal
reformatories of all sorts, both of privat
and of public moneys. and of the curren
| public cost OF maintaining them.
1.-The House OF the Good Shepherd receive
an appropriation of S2,700 a year fC
the support OF an average of ninety-on
inmates, an annual public cost OF $500
RULES ABOUT VISITORS.
! ut was incorporated April 15, 1877
and the people Of Washington are familia
with its record and its methods. As a
establishment in receipt Of public funds
its accounts and workings are open I
public inspection. IFS financial agen
and bonded disbursing officer is Thoma
E. Waggaman.
Like other reformatories, 1t has rul'
about visitors, but such rules do not int
fere with official inquiry. ] know thi
not only from my own experience, an
that OF my predecessor, as shown in II
report but also from that of the Boar
Of Childrens Guardians, which, havin
wards at this reformatory, is allowe
through its proper committee, to hay
private and unrestricted private conve
| SationS with them.
MANY Of the inmates Of this reformation
are taken there by the police agent of I'll
Humane Society, but never without Il
written request made on the police for
of the parent, guardian, or by other reco
niZed legal process"
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