The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-21

tents. had been tackled around the edge
of the little box in a pitiful effort to
hide its baroness. My friends and l
brought flowers and with little work
we made the coffin very pretty.
81 telephoned to Poor Commissioners
Hale and asked him if a carriage
could not be provided so the family
might ride to the cemetery. He salo
no, at first that the county never pro-
erals. 1 insisted upon it and explained
the situation, telling him that had we
but known of the child's death in time
the neighborS would have paid the eX-
penses of its funeral. 1t might have
been held at my house Mr.. Hale fl
nally authorized the hiring of a car
riage. Mr.. Willis then very accomo-
datingly and with considerable trouble
secured a carriage. 1 want to say for
him that Mr.. Willis was very cour-
teous and kind in helping when he re-
allied the situation. He delayed and
consumed considerable of his own time
and afterwards secured a pine box for
the casket, thing which is ordinarily
not provided in such cases. The coun~
~ undertaken receives but pittance
for his work and can not afford more
Ella borate outlay than that furnished
by Mr.. Willis on this occasion.
L think it is an outrage that this
county cannot pay enough to give its
poor a decent burial Plain boxes os,
1AbLAC LGttCi - Wildl Is CuSlOIndIllY CIV
en- have known OF cases where
paupers were buried naked. The coun-
ty makes no provision for clothing
corpses although ~.ere is no reason
why 1t should not nor would it neces-
state much greater expense. 1t is a
wrong that ought to be corrected and
one for which our county authorities
are responsible"
w 2. Thompson, a man who, because
or his inability to work as the result
OF being poisoned, has been unable to
earn The right to live outside the viii
lage, said:
This thing. is simply an outrage. 1t
seems incredible that so wealthy d
county does not exercise more consider
atlon in the trea tment of its dead poor.
nave seen such burials in other states
out never saw anything so shabbily
conducted The coffin still had the mud
clinging to ii. 1t was too small but the
undertaken was crowding the body in
and hurrying it away to its grave with
out an opportunity for service or funer-
al 1t is disgrace to the name of the
county and a thing that the people
would not condone if they but knew
The woman who first removed the
body from the casl1et. Mrs. Prendergast,
teSt1fieS to the mud that was clinPinP
to the lid. She said she scraped it of
herself while the effort was being made
to prepare the box decently for the re-
ception of its occupant. The lid, she
says, was cracked and the opened seams
or the coffin were loosely joined with
wire.
WHAT A COUNTY FUNERAL COSTS.
All the combined cost of the funeral
OF the Stevens baby did not exceed
$ll.5O. This included the additional and
unusual expense of hiring a hack Rl1t
for that the funeral expenses woI,Id
nave been little more than half as great
1he county undertaken was awarded a
contract under which 81 is allowed for
the infant size box A dollar and a half
Is allowed for the work of
BODY to the cemetery. The county dug
the grave at a cost of about So For
an adult pauper the cost of the coffin
is doubled.
preparation of the baby for burial, said
in reply to inquiries about the county
system of burial:
we do the work of caring for the
county dead under contract The work
is poorly paid and for the money AL
lowed no better work could be done
The coffin l furnished was it is true.
not in perfect repair. It's glued lid had
cracked a little. 1t was a white enam-
elled coffin which would cost in perfect
order, much more than the amount al
lowed by the county for it, NV work
has thus far met the approval of the
county commissioners and it is far bet
ter work than has been the standard in
the past 1t was fHrmerly the custom
to bury paupers in carpenter made pine
board boxes.''
County Commissioner S. H. Haynes
said last evening:
IF cast off coffins, damaged by the
flood, are being used it is wrong and
not with the approval of the board of
county commissioners. The work of
burying county dead is let by contract
and the undertakers have cut prices so
that the work is done on the cheapest
basis. Poor Commissioner Hale has i'm
mediate charge of that part of the coun-
ty work and should see that it is prop
er1y performed"
There is no Kansas statute prescrib-
ing the manner or expense for the bur
ial of paupeIs- Authority over that sort
of work is delegated to county commits
sioners. They have power to see that
it is done decently.