The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-01-30

The last sitting of the legislative
committee to hear evidence on behalf
Of the complainants at the Soldiers
Home took place Friday evening. Dur
ing the three sittings the committee
had many of the inmates Of the Home
examined. Some of them, judging
from the clear and forcible manner in
which they gave their evidence. were
men Of intelligence, and all testified to
about the same effect This testimony
shows
1. That the officers at the Home are
rough, harsh and, sometimes, even
cruel to those placed under their au-
thority. 1t is also stated that they show
favoritism, Furnishing some for the
most trifling breach Of the rules, while
they allow others, guilty Of greater Of
fences. to 60 free.
,. That many Of the employees and
one Of the veterans are guilty OF steal
ing and carrying to different places
about the city the supplies purchased
for the inmates Of the Home, and, al
though they have been repeatedly re-
ported to the officers in charge, they
have never been punished and no efforts
made to stop the thieving, which still
continued up to the commencement Of
this investigation.
3 That the clothing furnished the
inmates was Of the poorest quality. IN
many instances unfit to wear. and that
only one suit was furnished in two
years
4 That the provisions served to the
inmates were scant and unfit to eat In
the first place it was badly cooked, and
the meat was tainted, and by some said
TO be rotten. and many testified that II
made them sick to eat it. Sometimes
the meat was served in hash, which
was known among the inmates as " Hol-
lywood hash, " which signifed that
those who eat it would soon be laid in
Hollywood Cemetery. twas stated by
more than one that no butter was ever
placed on the table of the inmates that
what was called butter and placed on
the table as such was nothing but oleo-
margarine. and the veterans could not
eat it. SO bad was the food, several
witnesses testified, that they lived on
milk and mush and others lived on
bread alone.
1t was claimed by some Of those who
testified that because Of insufficient
clothing and the miserable food they
had to eat the death rate at the Home
had exceeded that Of any similar insti-
tuition in the United States, and that it
was increasing yearly.
OF course, this is but one side Of the
case. The committee will give the Of
ficers in charge of the Home and the
Board of Governors an opportunity to
be heard, and it is hoped for the credit
Of the management Of the institution
and the State Of Virginia, that they
will be able to show that 1t is not as
bad as it has been pictured, even if they
cannot entirely disprOve the charges
and the evidence adduced in sub
sanitation. We shall look with very
great interest to the evidence submitted
by the defendants, as they will have on
the stand various parties who furnished
the Home with clothing. provisions and
other supplies. and they will be called
upon to give. under oath, the quality
and quantity Of she articles furnished.
and then the defendants themselves will
testify as to the treatment Of the in.
mates of the Home by the officers, and
in this way we shall get at the truth
Of the whole matter.
If the charges shall be proved false and
the evidence given so far to be the result
of conspiracy, it will show the wit
nesses to be ungrateful to the manage
ment Of the Home and unworthy Of the
bounty they have received.