The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-03-25
Gov. SMITH MAY HAVE To co
LeavenwOrth Soldiers Home Case
Taken Up by Managers.
FINAL ACTION POSTPONED
Singular Complication Of Troubles
in the Kansas Institution Con-
gressional Investigation Resulted
in Conmeudation of the Cover
nor of the Institution.

The board of managers of the National
Soldiers Homes took under consideration
this morning the case of the Leayenworth,
Rams, branch. 1t went into executive ses-
sion over the case, and announced at =
O'Clock that final action i'll the matter had
bcen postponed until the next meeting of
the board, which will probably be called q
month from now by gen. Franklin, the PRES
ident of the board. The place of meeting
OF the next session has not yet been de-
cided upon.
MIR. .. B. Taylor, OF Leayenworth, is at
the Arlington this week, aud has been
waiting since Sunday to make an argu
nIenu for Mr.. Smith, the governor OF the
home, who is the gentleman in trouble.
He as a prominent kansas lawyer, and
comes representing great many Leaven-
worth bankers and other business men,
who believe that an injustice will be don C
Mr.. Smith il he is depoSed. He made u
strong speech before the board this morn
ing, and was perhaps the means OF having
the case postponed for further considera-
tiop.
The trouble at the Leavenworth Home
has received the careful attention of a
Congressional committee, headed by Mr..
Grolt, or Vermont. The report OF this
committee makes a bundle seven inches
thick Hundreds of witnesses were ex-
aInined Oh both sides of the case. The
history OF the trouble is a rather peculiar
one in its apparent simplicity and in the
complications that have piled themselves
up.
4.,i.. r.fff f.P
the home developed al animoSity against
Gov. Smith, the head OF the institution.
1t cannot be ascertained what the original
cause of the irritation was. Possibly it
was jealousy of Gov. Smith. This ruffle'i
condition OF things grew and the original
fault-fiuders enlisted their friends. GOV.
Smith also had a great many friends WHO
took up his side OF the quarrel.
When this affair reached Congress last
sessionit W as in the form OF formal charges
against the character, ability and manage
ment of Governor Smith. They were SO va
Tious, as one of the colnmittee expresses
it, that the V inclgded everything from muir
der to chicken stealing. But they were
made by permanent Kansas people, and
Congress thought it necessary To have an
investigation.
1ne result of this was that the committee
found Mr. Smith not guilty of murder. OF
chicken theft, or Of anything else in par
ticuIar; that they amended his nian-
agemeut of the Leavenwarth Soldiers
Home. and thatin general they were much
Iaorc cunImendatory than the other thing.
They recommended. however, that, for
the good OF the home. to establish harmony.
Mr. Smith be asked to resign.
The board OF managers Of the National
Home for Disabled Veterans, as the pres
ent body is favoraby styled. is now hold
ing its first meeting after the finding OF
the committee. The boards an appointiye
one, under the direction Of Con grcss. Its
disposition Of the Leayenworth case viii,
il is thought, be not much more than a
ratification Of the findings of the commit
tee followed by the action recommended
by it.
Judge Mcmahon. the secretary OF the
board. has been unable to attend the meet
ings OF this session SO far. He has an inn
portaut case before him in his court Of
special sessions in New York city. The
board has been holding its meetings since
Monday. and has deferred the conSidera-
tion OF the Leavenworth Home matter until
now IN the hope that ne would tie able
to come over to Washington today. He
did not arrive. however, and as the ses-
sion was already more than usually pro-
longed. tl.n mstter was taken up today.
The Soldiers Home board holds quarterly
sessions. two of them usually Y in W astiington-
They are for the most part taken up with
the consideration Of the routine business
of the government OF the several homes
in the various parts of the country, the
matters of expenses and admissions to
and discharges from the homes 1t is not
very often that an affair of this kind is
brought before them. The beard al journed
today until its special meeting next III onth-