The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-12

in any event. money invested in repairs
would he wasted The County Commission
ers We're urged to erect a new jail. The
newspapers have taken up the agitation, ana
as a result the State Board Of Charities
hopes that there will be a correction of the
evils that exist by the erection Of new
jail. In his report last June Secretary But
Ter showed that for the year ending May 81
1888, S07 persons had been confined IN "a
relic Of barbarism, to quote the grand jury
report, beside which 342 persons had been
given temporary shelter, making total OF
1 JAG that had spent more or less time IN it,
Another county institution that promises
to be reTnedied as a result of the efforts Of
the State Board of Charities is the Harrison
county Poor Asylum, visited last April
port indicating that the commissioners OF
that county had purchased new farm and
expected to begin the building of a more
habftable poorhouse in March. The board
believes that many of the reforms in county
institutions are brought about by the pub
hcity that is given To it's efforts. After the
Harrison county poor farm was visited, a
report was made showing most deplorable
conditions. The farm of one hundred acres
Of poor clay land on a hillside, worth $40
an acre. was provided with six frame hutS,
with leaky roofs, wornout floors, part or
the clustering off the sides ceilings unplas-
tered, openings around the doors and VIM
dows, with the glass often broken out. Sur
face water runs into the stable where the
horses are found standing in mud, notwith-
standing they had been heavily bedded.
The condition OF the inmates described was
most painful. In one of the cellhouses, "ly-
ing on a bunk, covered with clothing to
keep her warm. was found an old woman.
said to be almost eighty-four years of age"
In this asylum were found four generations
of one family none of sound mind. They
were illiterate, and marital laws were put
slightly recognized. The superintendent
subject to change every year, received
salary of $3.50 year. The cost of the poor
asylum, exclusive of his salary, was
S13S6.26 a year. out of which were main
tanned an average of tWenty-eight lnma ties,
the superintendent his wife and three chill
dren, or a total of thirty-three. At the
same time, the township trustees, who re-
fused to send any one to the asylum ex-
cept in most desperate cases, expended
So 365.s7 in outdoor relief. Mr.. Butler says
the conditions should have been reversed
The lowest amount possible should nave
been expended in outdoor or temporary re-
lief by the trustees. At the same time they
could not be blamed for refusing to send
human beings to such an institution. Yes
teroay the secretary received plans for the
new asylum which the Harrison County
Commissioners expect to begin building
next month. A fine farm has been pur-
chased where the backwater from hill will
not flow down into the buildings and cattle
sheds and stables, and with an institution
to which township trustees Will not be
ashamed to send unfortunates, the board
believes that there will be a saving to the
county that in a short time will more than
pay for the initial expenses OF new ana
humanitarian institution.