Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-11-30
4 card 70 THE PUBLIC.
STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE MANA
GERS OF THE EMERGENCY HOSPI-
TAI ASSOCIATION IN REPLY
TO Or. S. S. HEPBURN.


her. Ioc3. which is deemed unworthy of
a reply except for the fact that certain
well-meaning persons of Annapolis have
been msled by the statements therein
| contained, and the Managers OF the
Hospital deem it a duty to themselves
as well as TO the public TO make bret
reply thereto
DR. Hepburn opens his communica-
/ ton with the remark that Miss Pusey
has done a great deal for the Hospital
| and the patients without having received
any thanks or praise. but on the other
hand has been the victim of accusation
and abuse and OF malicious SANDER and
vague inuendo. The undersigned do
not desire TO discuss Miss Pussy in any
way in this communication, but do most
emphatically deny that they either as
| individuals or in their collective capacity
have ever accused, abused or slandered
Miss Pusey. Miss Pusey has been made
an issue in this case by some of the medi-
| cal staff, and not by the Managers of the
| Hospital. The only issue which they
have made in the case has been their
legal right and duty to manage the Hos
pital.
The Doctor then proceeds to give
praise and thanks to the fidelity and
energy of the Managers of the Hospital
| for the manner in which they worked
to start and equip the Hospital, but the
undersigned do not desire to discuss the
Managers of the Hospital nor the credit
which is due to them for their labors in
| its behalf.
The Doctor then proceeds to say that
| the trouble began when the Hospital
| Staff entered upon the work for which
| the Hospital was organized and that they
| succeeded in their duty Gin spite OF the
almost prohibitve drawbacks encounter
| ed" though he does not specify what
those "prohibitive drawbacks were. 1t
is. however, beyond controversy that up
| TO the time that the Board of Managers
| became dissatisfied with the Superintend-
ent and requested her resignation. there
had never been any kind OF conflict be-
tween the Managers and the Staff, but
on the contrary, the Managers had &C
coded in every way to all the demands OF
the Staff and did everything in their
power to work with them harmoniously.
The Superintendent was not satisfactory
to the Board of Managers, for, although
she was a good trained nurse, which
everybody has admitted. there we're other
very important considerations which
obliged the Board of Managers to request
her resignation, and then the trouble
began. AS is well known, she refused to
resign. and thereupon the Board dis
charged her to take effect at the end Of
her years service, which terminated on
the I4th day of July, 1908. AS it is well
known, she refused to recognize the
right of the Board to discharge her. but
persisted in occupying the Hospital until
about the first of November.
Admitting all that has been said by
DR.. Hepburn in reference to the COM
potency and the disposition of the Sup
erintendent, what has that to do with
the right Of the Board of Managers to
discharge her at the end of the year, IT,
| for other very important reasons she was
not satisfactory; and if there were any
question as to the right of the Board to
| discharge the Superintendent that Ger
| tainly ought to be settled by the two
cases which have been decided by the
| Circuit Court for Anne Arundel county
adversely to the contentious CT Miss
Pusey, the chief of medical staff, and
their legal adviser. But what does DIR.
Hepburn mean by the "daily spying
tours of the executive committee of the
| Board of Managers? If he refers to the
visitation of the Hospital by the Board
of Managers, he ought to be ashamed
| of himself to use such language towards
the lady Managers. The Managers in
dignantly and emphalically deny his
statements that they ever requested or
demanded detailed statement from the
| Superintendent as to each patient, or
have substantially or otherwise" pump
| ed or catechised the servants, colored
or white, as to what was going on in the
wards or operating room.
| If up to the I4th day of July the Sup
erintendent was ever without cook or
servant or any other necessary and prop
er thing, it was entirely her fault, be-
cause she had absolute authority and
control in the premises, and if after the
I4th of July she was without these SER
wants, it was manifestly her fault for
persisting in occupying position from
which she had been discharged and in
staying where she had no right to stay,
legal or moral, and it would have been
a great perversion of the funds of the
| Hospital for the Managers to have un-
dertaken to pay her salary and board
| and to provide servants for an employee
who had been discharged. and who, in
defiance of their authority. persisted in
remaining upon their premises. What a
ridiculous position the Managers would
have been in to discharge the Superin-
tendent and then when she dehed their
authority by refusing to leave the prem
ises, provide her with the means of com.
fortably remaing there. If any OF the
things complained of in DR.. Hepburn's
letter happened prior to the I4th day of
July, 1908, it is very strange that he
never brought them to the notice of the
Managers or made any complaint in
reference thereto. If these things hap
pened after the I4th day OF July, they
are the direct consequence of the Super
intendent's persisting in remaining at the
Hospital in defiance OF the authority of
the Managers after she had been dis
charged.
AS to the charge made in the Doctors
communication in reference to the Sup
erintendents extravaganza ito the ex-
tent of sI.Io and that she must have
her accounts ready at 1915 sharp Mon
day morning or would be dismissed on
charge of general unsatisfactc riness. we
-ae~a~eC,,lI,- A~,1I @ha& efafaoaane oh.