The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-24
SOLDIERS HOME
lNYES n|GA nc. 15I0N.
Legislative Committee
Making rogress.
FIVE MEN TESTIFY.
Captain Dashiell Severely ctritioiises
the Food Served Out.
EXHIBITED SEVERAL v SAMPLES.
EXHIBITED SEVERAL SAMPLES.
Major Gait. Another Witness. Said He
always Treated the Commandant
Kindly and the Lattcr Always
Rcciprocatcd He Was a
Drinking Man When
He Felt Like It.


TO investigate the management of the Sol
disrs' Home met at p. M. yesterday.
Captain pashiell, oG Norfolk. was the
first witness He read the complaint
signed by himself and oher inmates, siv-
ing the daily bill of fare at the Home, etc
He said that during the winter months
pEly two meals PER day were served VII
hess exhibited samples of the bread and
sausage that were served for breakfast
.1e claimed that the quality of food con-
tributed to the death roll at the Home
Witness said Hollywood hash was an
.invariable infiicion. every Tuesday
fsnorning for breakfast He claimed that
kl,e death rate at tie Home was larger than
that caused by the yellow fever Epidemic
In Norfolk in 1852 Witness thought It
was entirely due to the quality Of food
used
lie complained that the farm products
pf the Home We're not used at the Home,
land asked The committee to enquire what
b<lisposition WAS. made of Them by the
management. He also complained of The
.qual1ty Of clothing furnished the inmates,
sand said they could not attend Dr. Hoge's
funeral on account OF The lack, Of proper
clothing.
Witness said that for the slightest dis
obedence the inmates were arrested and
confined and their liberties abridged.
/ Continuing. he said that there was
Building at the Home known as the
s.Keely Cure ana the inmates were COM
rnitted there upon the slightest intractaon
of the rules. 1le charged discrimination :
in matter OF Issuing passes to inmates TO
go to church.
In answer 10 a question by Mr.. New
tlouse. witness said this discrimination
was due to the, particular religious faith
'of certain inmates. Said the inmates
were required TO do all kinds Of work
without pay
REFUSED no CUT TGR>IIPS. TOPS.
Chairman C,ie asked witness if he had
oever been court martialed. he said not
NE had never refused 10 obey orders, eS-
cept that he refused to Gu: tufnlp io.'s
some time ago.
Major n. " Randolph denied that the
,an-naies were prevented from 5oa',iis
Pickett Camp, as stated by Sapiaih
pashiell.
Ma5or Gait was the next witness exam
sned. He stated that. 1oui meat was
used on one occasion, and had mace All
who ats. it sick. He said ''wc dent maze
enough, and what we do have is not III
70 eat
He could not state whether the Com
anander used the same class Oh loou i o'' i-'s
own table as vas served the inmates.
Major Gait said he had always treateo
@4,a co-n7nandant kindly and had always
received the same kind of treatment from
him. Asked il he was 4 drinking man,
witness said he was. when he 1eit Ike ~.
He said Ire had the stomach Oh an o.
tricli.'' and, therefore could not say .inhi
the food served had injured his health.
Colonel Frank Langley. one OF the
+irners Of the petition to the General As
selnbly for IN investigation was next eN.
a,nined. Witness said he was small
eater. and, therefore. the 9uantlty OF
food served was sufficient Tor n2nl.
He thought the beef was always SDao.
and he rarely ever ate any himself. Two
officers, he said, ate at the comnaana-e
ants table. and had whatever the comr
,,,audant himself had. The other oiti-E
GERS ate with the privates. He said the
fond had been better for the past two
months, but he attributed that to the
fat that the Legislature was in ses-
sion. and that The Home had new ana
very much better cook than prior to that
time
He said he had always been treated
we'll l,y the management.
He did not ttirl. the present com.cand-
ant showed .s.ay more pa.t1ailty among
the inmates thar any other man Wa'iiu
6 do He Thought the bad fare contributed
to the Il, health and large death roll of
inmates.
PRINCIPALLY BREAD AND COFFEE.
+ Private Morrison was .he next witness
Ee stated that he had lived principally
on bread sud coffee, not eating any meat
s because the meat was Always bad. Wit
ness complained that the physician had
refused to let him have whisSeN in case
r,iT - ~ iffnS
the sausage furnished as he would
rattIcsnake. He claimed that the sugar
and coffee We're adulteratea- Said he
had friends in The city, and occasionally
got money from home, and did not rely
entirely upon the fare at the Home
81 He did not think the commandant treat
ed the men badly.
;s6 Mr. ". NJ Webb was next examined.
& lie stated that the commandant had
failed to punish an inmate for stealing
two hundred pounds of sugar from the
Home and selling the same.
s He said the commandant lived on the
best the market could afford. while the
inmates We're very poorly fed.
# Said command.nt had a woman to
keep the flies of him. while he ate.
Witness read from prepared paper, in
which he said The commandant treated
z the men very roughly.
s Iie gave bill of fare rather different
from that Of other witnesses.
q He said DIR. Fry. the resilient physician.
was good fellow, but ayas handicapped
by Colonel Bigger and Ad3ufan. Calwell.
# Witness claimed that the Ad1utarr was
y very rough in his treatment OF the men.
In tsl1s he was corroborated by Captain
ADashieIl. CAPTAIN nashiell also said the
y @Ahjntant had removed a patient contrary
10 the orders OF the doctor, and he
thought 4epts had sssused his death.
sSSss The committee then went into execu-
8Nsve session and upon reopen1ng its
doors announced that other witnesses
8lkom l,ae3 Homs would be summoned, and