The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-21

NONAN
scarcely determine whether it was boy or
girl.
CASE OF LITTLE JIMMY.
That's Jimmy" said Mr. Register, born
blind, deaf and dumb. His father owns a
farm, but says he would not have him
around for s. a day" AS Mr.. Register
stopped opposite his chair Jimmy" ceased
rocking and sprang to his feet. reaching out
for Mr.. Registers hand. BY what mental
process the creature had discovered his
presence could only be surmised Mr.
Royster gently pressed him back into his
chair remarking to ears that did not hear:
Your supper is not ready" Jimmy" re-
stunned rocking his chair. his sole occupa-
tloh Gay AFTER day and year after year. At
tacned TO the sick ward is a dispensary,
We'll stocked with drugs Mr. Royster COM
pounds the prescriptions made by the physi-
week.
through the engineers room and boiler
house Water for the entire institution is
punpeq from deep driven well and sent
through pipes to ali parts of the building
supplying the bathrooms Mushrooms and
iaVatories with hot and cold water. There
is gas plant, where, with gasoline and
naptna, enough gas for the entire instftu-
ton is made at a cost of about IS a month,
according TO the engineer. Coal is burned.
I1ere Is no assistant engineer, except that
Edrnundson is now assisted by one of the
inmates VINO was formerly a railroad man.
From the engine room the visitor was es-
eforted through the quarters of the farm
HdHus ana otnef employees. Including the
superintendent, eighteen people have the
care OF the 235 inmates now there. This
colder. and Mr.. Register said it will perhaps
be necessary TO crowd extra beds into spare
space in the halls. At present, he said,
there are only two rooms, each of which
contains two beds, that are not ventilated
from outside windows. Some portions of the
building are perhaps too warm for the ordi
nary person or healthy constitution. but in
those portions intended for the, healthy men
the temperature is about right and can be
cooled by opening windows, as it can, in
deed, anywhere. In the afternoons the
steam radiators are kept hottest, as about
TO O'Clock at night the fires are banked, and
by o'clock IN the morning, when they. are
stocked again, the mouse is chilly, but, 1t is
GAINED, by the time for beginning the days
endless routine, the steam is up again.
the quantity of coal consumed, and does
away with the necessity for keeping an as
sistant or night engineer. Formerly there
the steam in them died but Mr. Royster
did not know whether this danger had been
obvlated or not, 1t would appear to be wise
to have an additional engineer. AS 1T Is.
one man is constantly on duty night and
day.
The dairy. under the charge of Mr.. Gibson,
used in the institution. Mr.. Gibson showed
the dairy room in the basement; where the
milk is kept sweet and cool by running
jars were clean and sweet smelling.
The employees of the County Asylum were
perntcndent Meyer and the causes that led
up to it. They all said it was a complete
surprise to them. They were even more re-
luctant to discuss reports concerning fac
lions among the employees for publication
although they talked freely enough under
promise that their names would not be used.
1.-THE commissioners will have appointments
to make, and we do not want to lose our
jobs"
THE TROUBLE WITH MEYER.
AS nearly as could be gathered, the
trouble at the asylum has been that Meyer
was rather narrow in his views and placed
too many restrictions on the employees. For
instance, one man said Meyer objected to
allowing the five fraternity men who were
employed there a night off occasionally to
go down town to lodge meetings, insisting
that they were on duty all the time. While
openly expressing the best of feelings for
the employees, he was constantly making
complaints about them to the commission
ers. Counter complaints were made by the
employees, who thus obtained some redress
and were granted privileges which they as
serted they were entitled to. The men all
denied that there had been any drinking or
immortality. The reports of intoxication,
they said were due to the fact that occa-
sionally some of the inmates went down
serted that while some of the employees
were not on the most friendly terms, owing
to tendency one or two had to. gossip,
there was no strife among them. Meyer, 1T
was asserted, was OF g Jealous disposition,
and was always SuSpecting some one OF try
ing to Supplant him as superintendent. Such
conditions as this made friction and were
rot inclined to make the harmonious condi-
tionS necessary to get the best work out of
all. Charges of cruelty to inmates were en-
phatically denied. Some of the employees
said that they had not only been misquoted,
but actually lied about in newspaper pub
locations, and did not care to have anything
further to say.
I'VE have made our record my wife and
IT, said Henry Schurman farm hand,
male department, and we propose to stand
by that. don't want to be dtscourteous to
you, but think it better not to say more at
All the employees appear to be courteous
and intelligent. The inmates exhibit toward
them friendly feelings. ;.
necessary for Superintendent Meyer to get
acquisitions for hanging lamps? You burn
gas AL over the building. do you not
Hanging lamps were reported to be among
the goods recovered by the detectives.
Eyes, we burn gas said Mr.. Register,
lighting burner. II do not know what he
Mr. Royster was asked if there was any
sort of counter-check on the delivery of
supplies He knew of none. When he his his
the goods delivered to see if they CORE
sponded with the orders. He had nothing
to do with the clothing, shoes and supplies
of that kind which Mr.. Meyer handled.
They might have been delivered to the farm
and afterward hauled away for all any of
the employees know.
While at the Poor Farm. the reporter
learned that Meyer had had furniture made
there by carpenter who was an inmate.
1t was supposed by the employees that Meyer
bought the lumber and paid for the work,
as he had caused furniture thus made to
be sent to his own home. They did not know
whether a range costing $50 which he took
home, was intended for the county, nor
whether a set of dishes costing $l2 was in
tended for the officers dining room. Meyer
and his wife stayed at the institution Sat
urday night. They left yesterday morning,
Meyer saying they would return for their
furniture and personal belongings Tuesday.
There is likely to be some controversy over
the separation of the furniture belonging
to Meyer from that which the county owns,
and which was there when he became SUI
perintendent three years ago.
The employees asserted that the commits
sioners knew that the trouble at the Poor
Farm was due to Meyers overbearing and
narrow disposition, and that so long as he
remained. there would he trouble. No
one could tell why he was retained. His
appointment was secured, they said, by
Commissioner Harding. who has been his
friend and stood by him in conflicts with
the pYnnlOVGs