The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-30
POoRHoUsE CONDITIONS
ASYLUMs OF SOUTHERN INDIANA
SAID TO BE IN BAD SHAPE.
The State Board of Charities Will In
bOis and Harrison Counties.

Secretary Butler of the State Board of
Charities, will shortly make a tour through
the southern part of the State investigating
the condition of poorhouses, which is re-
ported to be very bad. This condition is
not new one. In the records of the State
Board of Charities may be found many COM
plants of the distressing way in which the
inmates of the poor asylums of many coun-
ties are compelled to live. This condition
Is more especially true of southern Indiana
The houses usually are old buildings seldom
repaired, and some of them are not fit for
human habitation. The State Board of
Charities has been, bending its efforts for
yearssto have these conditions remedied.
County commissioners have sometimes paid
no attention to the advice of the board or
have replied that the asylums were good
enough for their purpose and that the
benefit derived from erecting new buildings
or improving the old ones would not be
equivalent to the money it would be neces-
sary to spend on them. These matters have
been made public and county officials have
been sharply criticised for not changing
things for the better The State Board of
Health has succeeded in doing great deal
of good by forcing changes in county poor
houses which would bring about better sani-
tary conditions but in many cases the
boards work has been limited because of
the fact that the buildings are too old to
admit of much sanitary Improvement. Sec
retafy 8 Butlefs3 has visited some of the
investigation is finished he does not desire
to mako public specific cases.
Dubois and Harrison counties have for
years had pQOrhouses that are not what
they shotld ne. The records of the State
Board of Health of nine years ago condemn
the Harrison county asylum. Now a new
poorhouSe for Dubois county is being built
at Jasper, and plans in the hands of
Secretary Butler for a new asylum for Har-
rison county at Corydon The old Harrison
county poor asylum is collection of build
ings or the .side~of a hill. Rains run down
the hillside ana into the buildings. There
has been no provision for separating men
and womenA@The- plans for the new insti-
tuition provide for a brick building two
stories high. The mems department is on
one side and" the womens on the other
The superintendent's apartments are in
front. The sanitary arrangements are good,
modern furnishings, 1t will be built on
farm outside The town. The land cost 81 600
The building will cost about $l2 900. The
Harrison county asylum is to be built after
the planspf the Dubois county institution
The jail at Peru is under the courthouse
The prison is said to be like a dungeon
The State Board of Charities has at last
persuaded the County Commissioners to
this city and shown through, the Marion
county jail in order that the commissioners
might see what a modern prison is like
The result isgthat Peru is to have a Jail
IN hne eqiddag built be after steF uRtodate
Charities fels1that there is a great field in
Indiana for reform among the county in
situations. and while much Improvement is
shown already the work will not be sus-
pended until the best results possible are at