The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-29
SCORES THE POOR FARM
STATE CHARITIES BOARD FOUND
MANY NEW THINGS.
All Employees to BE Changed Jan. L
Too Much Politics and
Extravaganza.


day that set them to wondering how it had
been possible for the institution to have ex-
listed for so long a time without having a
greater scandal connected with it than there
was at the time Superintendent Meyers was
arrested. Briefly summed up. the committee,
Chairman Ellison says, found that the trou-
BILE was first of all the result of too much
politics; that the institution is one of the
most extravagantly conducted of any in the
country; that the County Commissioners are
at loggerheads over the management of the
institution; that on or before the first of
the year the entire subordinate working
force of the Poor Farm will be dismissed to
man, and that in the meantime the COM
nnssioners have secured places for ell OF
them. Commissioner Hardings cousin has
bccE given place at the workhouse at en- in
creased salary; Engineer Edmondson, who,
according to ex-Superintendent Meyers, re-
fused to obey orders and left his post for
days at a time has been assigned to the
Board Of Children's Guardians for place
and Il. Sherman, a Farmland overseer, and
his wife, who is an attendant in the insane
ward, have been assigned by Commissioner
Greer to manage his farm
1t developed from the testimony yesterday
that the per capita cost of maintaining the
institution was $780, in spite of the fact that
from thirty to forty fat hogs and nearly all
the vegetables used there were raised on the
place. 1t was learned however, that the
old practice had been adhered to of selling
the hogs to butchers and afterward buying
pork of the same butchers to meet the de-
mands Of the Poor Farm.
Ex-Superntendent Flavius Meyers was
examined yesterday afternoon as TO the
management Of the institution during his
administration, but the committee did not
attempt to touch on that portion relating to
mis- recent peculations. He said when ne was
appointed by the commissioners he 1oullu d
number of subordinates at the Poor FafM
who acted in such manner as to in reanty
make him superintendent only in name ana
without any actual authority Several times
he complained to the commissioners ABOUT
the conduct Of subordinates, but they IN
variably told him that the people at the IN
stitution were appointed by them, and that
he must get along with them he as pest sa H9
that he could not get any one TO do any
thing he wanted done.
Edmondson, the engineer, he SAID, would
absent himself from his post for days at
time and the result was that the buildings
reason that the illuminating gas was gen.
Grated in the engine room from naphtha ana
required constant attention in order 10 nave
a steady supply.
A STORY ON HARDING.
the insane ward, where patients said en-
ploye Harding had not used them right, and
said that an attendant named Stern had told
him that he had seen Harding kick an in
sane patient in the body three times because
he sat down in the wrong place at table. He
further stated that one of the insane women
had complained to his wife that Mrs. Sher-
man had pulled some of her hair out, ana
that when Mrs. Meyers had questioned Mrs.
Sherman about ii, the latter admitted tnat
she had done so, and added that she was only
sorry that she had not pulled out more of it.
The committee then asked Meyers why he
was away from the institution so much, ana
he replied that he had no authority to do
anything about the place and no one paid
any attention to what he said, so that ne
might as well be away as there.
Mrs. Meyers was then placed on the stand,
but little was learned from her and no at
tempt was made to press any inquiry.
Brown, the cook at the institution, was
asked why complaints were made that food
was not properly cooked and said that the
only reason he knew for 1t was that the
inmates did not prepare their FOOD properly
vegetables in big pieces and some in small
pieces and as a result the small ones
cooked first and the others were not thor
oughly cooked.
Among other inmates Isaac Dunson, coll
ored, said that when he went to the Poor
Farm he did not expect to receive the best
of care and so was satisfied. Nothing of
any Importance was learned from any of
the other inmates The committee will re-
turn q written report to the Governor to-
day covering all the points of insight gained
as to the institution and making recon-
mendations concerning the future plans to
be followed.
STEWARD ROYSTER'S STORY.
Steward Charles Register was the first wit
ness examined yesterday morning He said
he ordered most of the supplies and that it
was always done by requisition. He did not
make it a practice of weighing the supplies
sent out to the Poor Farm on his orders,
neithel did he examine them to ascertain
if they were of the proper quality Mr.
Register said that the former superintendent,
Flavius Meyers, made it practice to visit
indianapolis nearly every day, but that
sometimes a week would pass without him
paying a visit to any of the wards When
complaints were made to him he would
some times investigate them and at other
times he would not. He found when he first
went to the Poor Farm to work that the
bedding was infested with vermin and that
some of the men would not keep themselves
clean. He thereupon made an order that no
man would be given tobacco unless he
bathed regularly and kept his bed clean.
Mr.. Royster said that he had never seen
any rules for the government OF the institu-
ton, either for the inmates or employees
although he had been told that there were
certain rules for the latter. AS a rule, he
said, the food provided for the inmates was
Of a good quality. Fresh. meat was issued
least one kind of vegetable given with the
meal No one issued the provisions to the
inmates, but each man went to the store
room and took what he needed. AS there
We're no facilities for roasting meats it was
all boiled. Some of the inmates had COM
planned from time to time that their food
was not properly cooked, and on investiga-
ton he had found that such was the case.
In answer to a question Mr.. Register said
that he had made extra effort to have the
building clean yesterday, as he knew of the
contemplated visit of the officials.
superintendent Smith when asked to testi-
fy said that he had been in office such
short time that he had not had time to fa-
miliariZe himself with the condition of things
at the Poor Farm. He said however, that
he contemplated making a number of
changes in the management of the institu-
ton and proposed to begin next week. He
said he had been asked by the commission
ers and County Attorney Brown to frame
new set of rules to govern the Poor Farm,
but that as they required careful considera-
ton he had been unable to complete them
yet.
Commissioner Greer asked the superin-
tendcnt several questions which brought out
the fact that after the first of the year the
superintendent was to be given full author
ity to hire and discharge employees and that
the commissioners were of the opinion that
as heretofore the superintendent has been
powerless in this direction this the
cause of much of the poor management dur
ing Superintendent Meyers administration.