The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-13
VERDICT ON POOR FARM
COMMISSIONERS SAY THEY FOUND
VERY LITTLE COMPLAINT.
synopsis of the Lengthy RepOrt-Fire
Protection, the Engineer
Thinks, Is Sufficient.

following statement: 1.-THE board, in con-
nection with the county attorney. has made
as careful an examination as the time would
permit of the Marion County Asylum hav
ing examined every employee, including the
superintendent and assistant superintendent,
| and some of the inmates. We find the SAN
itary condition of the institution to be good,
and the board, with its attorney, has given
the superintendent such Instructions as to
the best of it's knowledge would be to the
betterment of the institution, if it could be
bettered. We have authorized the super
intendent to inaugurate a perfect system
of management in all Of the departments,
holding each head of the department re-
sponsible for the conduct in his depart
ment."
The finding of the board is embraced in
lengthy report of the proceedings which
took place the day the investigation was
made. The report contains 100 typewriter
pages and contains the questions asked each
witness and his reply. The investigation,
for the most part, was conducted by the
county attorney, although the commission
ers put such questions as they desired.
Among those examined was Charles Roys-
ter, assistant superintendent and steward
at the farm. He told the board something
dDOul Wlldl iliS W6LC anu Wilol INC
people at the farm have to eat. Royster
has been connected with the institution for
three years 1t is his business to look after
the provisions and see that the building is
kept clean. He also looks after the sick.
Register said that for breakfast they gem
orally have bread and coffee and what
they call gravy For dinner they have
coffee, bread and beef regularly, and change
from potatoes to turnips. For supper tea
and bread and molasses are served. Register
said that the meat and bread and coffee are
always good. He considered that the food
was wholesome and we'll cooked, but some
times an inmate complained Of it. This
complaint was usually in reference to the
meat not being well cooked.
Royster was asked If he knew of any feel
ing that existed among the employees. lie
said that last summer some kind of mis-
understanding arose over one of the en-
ployes wanting to use one of the horses
He wanted TO attend his lodge and there
was some objection. The matter was OF
little consequence. Royster said that the en-
gineer and the gardener were on the pest Oh
terms
Asked if he had ever heard of any cruel
treatment being practced on the inmates
Register replied that he had not except that
there was one old lady who would complain
to anybody who would hear her" rms
woman had been an inmate of the insane
ward Royster said he did not think think mere I1',
treated. John f. Smith, the new superin-
tendent of the asylum, told the commission
ers that he thought the meat furnished was
of fair quality and that the food was good
He also thought the sanitary conditions of
the place We're all right. Charles Edmond
he considered the boilers in his charge in
tirst-class condition. He also considered the
water supply for fire protection as ample,
and the water used for cooking and drink
ing purposes firSt-clasS.
The board examined William r. Sherman
and learned from him something about the
farm work at the institution. He said there
was some i'll feeling among the employees
put 1t was not Of character that prevented
them doing their work faithfully. Asked
If this i'll feeling was such as would iniure
the institution in any way, Sherman replied:
IT Is not If it don't crop OUT" He referred
10 the difference between himself and James
Gibson who has charge of the cows on the
farm. He jumped on me one day." said
sherman, while we were down in the stable
Inc Iact Is nad never spoken a word to the
man, lie told me he understood / was a
mlschlef maker here, and he threatened if he
would never do it again. Sherman said
mat Gibson accused him of bearing tales
ana giving away secrets"
NO IMPROPER RELATIONS.
Frank Gibson, farm hand, was asked If
ne knew of any improper relations existing
between the sexes at the farm He said
ne did not, and that everything had been
cSA-A5 oAVho SlllOOlLiy RIlOuSn, except the
slight differences he had had with some of
the men. James Gibson, who has been con-
nected with the dairy department of the
farm for two months. was asked about the
food, and replied: LAS a rule it is pretty
fair Sometimes it is not as it might be.
Sometimes ] find that at our end of the table
llere Is an inferior quality of food to what
~ ds ans o5ner end of the table. Gibson
complained that frequently they had fruit
ana CAKE at the other end of the table" He
SAD SAID It looked as If they didn't want him to
G GaNe any Of H. and he never asked for it.
Ilpson spoke of man named Lewis Smith
son, employed at the farm who tried to
run IN MS horse over him one day
board and was asked about the alleged mis-
trs e;i of one of the inmates. He said:
ca Tnere n was one of the girls who had be-
the straightjacket on her. She nearly cor
the pest or my wife, and / went to help her
there for six or eight hours she W Kspt s fer
IN ner limbs when she went to get out of
the the crib RIB and fell down, striking the side of
Makepeace that ] struck her. just as true
as there is a God above me, gentlemen. /
put The eo isaet that woman only helped
Wheh we helped take Emma Bowers down ia
me me,e cell That was ordered done by Mr.
III my face and | took the back of nv hand and
ana slapped her" | left no mark whatever
'' After ney sber struck any woman but her.
I
ibroWn remarked to him: You should not
nave done that, William 40
wen, IL is pretty hard, gentlemen to have
man. ASPieu 0her-
during the examination of Engineer Nd
ttnoHpson ne told the board that in relation
10 the hre-fighting department there were
t TIiSF connections on every floor of the
LTuiiulng, so that fire hose could be used
IN the cellar is a water tank that viii hold
oIe hundred narrels of water. Besides there
ne cneHacalS that are always ready for use
Inc engineer said he had thrown water To
one Iourth story Of the building from the
sag 1 room. Sarah j: Ruark the assistant
hldtIoIl was examined. She seemd very well
satlsned with the place and knew of moth
hg wrong or improper going on at the in
sututlon she had heard some of the othprS
complain. out she only knew what others
salu. Attorney Brown asked her If it was
not ner business to learn what was going
on. She replied that "she tried to look after
me rest Mrs. Ruark further said: Some
times we were short of pillow cases and
SneetS 1t seems like they carry them away
1t seems to me by making so many every
month we ought to get enough ahead some
tme some OF them say that John Bell
everything Is laid on John Bell-they saw he
takes them off and trades them but I don't
know" Lydia Thormeyer. seamstress az fbe
farm, was also questioned. She knew of
nothing improper going on. Miss Ollie
Meyers, the cook at the institution WAS
asked to explain why it was that on one oc-
caston there was spoiled bread on one end
of the table. She said it happened through
mistake of one of the girls who was as
sisting her. She said there was no discrim-
ination made against employees at the table
and that all could have fruit and cake, If
J. they would ask for it, Mrs. Anna sherman