Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-02
INQUIRY RESUMED AT LEAyEy-
WORTH YESTERDAY.
WARMER TAKING TESTIMONY.
YESTERDAYS TESTIMOy common
ORATIVE OF MJERs POWELL'S.
Several Veterans Swear TO Brutality
ON the Part of Governor Smith
defense Ia Have Another
Another Turn This
Afternoon.

Colonel Warner, Of the Fifteenth Illinois
| congressional district and member of the
! congressional committee investigating Gov
| ernOr a. ]. Smiths management of the
| Leavenworth National Soldiers home is
here representing said committee, for the
purpose of hearing corroborative and re-
| buttal evidence in the matter of the tes-
| timony recently given before the commit
| tee in Washington City by Miers Powell.
| Powell was considered the star witness
| against Governor Smith and gave most
| sensational testimony, charging the gov
| ernor with brutality, drunkenness and with
| putting refractory inmates in the insane
| ward at the home as a matter of punish
| ment and for the further purpose of fore
| ing upon inmates the Keeley cure. Colo
| mel Warner conducted his hearing to-day in
| the United States court room. Several wit
| neSses were examined and their testimony,
In the main, was corroborative of that
| given by Powell. 4 large crowd was in
| attendance to hear the testimony.
Major William Warner, Of Kansas City,
| appeared as counsel for Governor Smith
and Jesse George, of this city, appeared as
| a representative of the inmates of the
home.
| Miss Tulis. former nurse at the home
| who was there when Powell was in the hos
| pitai was the first witness. Miss Tullis was
| discharged from her position as nurse for
violating the rules of the hospital. An aged
| patient named Leonard Huson was so we'll
satisfied with the care taken of him Ly
Miss Tullis that he leIt her by will the
sum of $500. 1t Is a rule governing the hos
m
Sutution can receive such gifts, but Miss
Iullis insisted on her rights in the prem
ises and got her $500. but lost her Job She
IS a pleasant faced little woman. She tes-
tined as follows: Il have lived in Leaven-
worth all my life; was nurse at the home
IN April, 1885. One Sunday. in April. 1896,
Lr Jones and Governor Smith came to the
dispensary and Governor Smith asked me
where Miers Powell's bed was. | told him
and We went there, when Governor Smith
said: You are the man that said | was
oil nI-.,i 4 ~l.-l
and you can't deny it
Smith and Powell talked angrily and the
patient became greatly excited. Governor
Smith and DIR. Jones then went to one side
and talked and then the governor ordered
Powell removed from the ward to the am
mex and ordered his clothing to be taken
mat no one was to be allowed to see him.
/ carried out these orders Prior to this
te Lltne POWELL had not walked or been out of
Io pea; Powell was an intelligent man and
hePt notes on what was going on
Charles NJ. Hatton 4 member of the
nome, gave like testimony
Dr. o. G McNary, first assistant surgeon
OF the home testified as follows:
i, remember attending Miers Powell in
me hospital last year. DIR. Jones told me
Heweu wanted me to treat him, but | de-
GIihed, as Powell was in DIR. Jones ward
The latter told me not to mind that. hut
a week.
Il then had him removed to NV ward
from which he was dismissed in July He
was not insane in my judgment. Governor
smith said Powell was not 10 he given a
furiough. Powell was confined TO his bed
with rheumatism and an ugly ulcer on his
reg lie had been under my care twice
Deiore and was an unusually quiet pa
Louis Hellck testified next He said: 'I
nel0nged TO the Ninth Wisconsin during
Ehe wsr and have been an inmate of the
nome Tor TWO years: came from the Mil
waukee home. One afternoon | went ont
OF the nome and when came back l was
arrested in front of the barracks and then
dragged to the guard house. When they
got me to the guard house they knocked
me senseless and when l came to they
were pouring a. bucket of water over my
lace and | was in straight jacket
The guards then took me out and beat
me blue and all the beard on one side of
in} my face e was pulled out. Next day was
must take the Kelley cure. | told him | !
could not stand the treatment, on account |
OF heart trouble, and he then sent me be- |
tore Dr. Jones. | was in the Milwaukee |
hcme for four years and a month and in |
that time only received fifteen days pun |
ishment: | have been arrested five or six !
hcme. ! am 6S years old
Patrick Lands. who was the next wit |
ness, testified: II am 6S years old, and be-
lonred TO the Seventy-siXth Illinois regi- |
ment Have been five years in the Ieaven- |
worth home. Have been arrested seven |
house. The second time / was put in the |
sweat box. and the third time they left me |
Ill the sweat bOX all night
Patrick Toler, formerly of the Sixth Iowa
cavalry, and for nine years in the home
testified: Was in the home hospital, and
MierS PowellS bed was near mine. | heard
GcNGrnor Smith tell DR.. Jones to take
PoMelFs clothes away. and heard him say
to Powell: IN fix you
Powell saic % the governor: You are
nothing but an old insinuation you are not
it to govern old soldiers; you send them to
The insane ward to make them take the
Powell had n very bad leg. an ulcer.
and could hardly stand. He was a very |
nice man, and quiet in the hospital
Kelley cure a couple of times. l do not
know what Powell testified to before the
committee"
Joseph Mehappen testified: Belonged to
The Fourth Ohio during the war and have
been = member of the home for three
years. knew Miers Powell and was in
The hospital with him in April 1896. | re-
member when Governor Smith and DR..
tones inspected that ward. Governor
smith asked soon as he entered the
ward where Powells bed was, and being
shown, said: There is the man who said
was drunk He approached the bed and
said: Take his clothes off: Til fix him.
vas hot, and talked very loud. Powell did
lot talk loud. Powell only took two doses
II the medicine that was given him: the
est he threw in the spittoon. Mentally,
Powell seemed to mo to be all right
George Wallace, member of the home
when an adjournment until $50 |
clock tomorrow morning was taken. |
There are only three or four more wit
lesses in corroboration TO be heard, when
he defense Will be heard in rebuttal. Colo
lel Warner expects 10 finish the investiga-