News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-07-22
The Vermont Soldiers Home.

The annual meeting of the Board
of Trustees of the Vermont Soldiers
Home at Bennington was held last
Wednesday. President Hugh Henry
of Chester presided and large por-
ton of the Board was present. The
Board as now constituted is as fol
lows: Gov. John G. Mccullough of
North Bennington, H. W. Spafford of
Rutland, Hugh Henry of Chester, J.
c. Stearns of Bradford, Josiah Grout
of Derby George T. Childs of St. AL
bans, J. Gray Estey of Brattleboro,
Z. M. Mansur of Island Pond, Frank
Kenfeld of Morrisville, A. S. Tracey
of Middlebury, Red6eld Proctor of
Proctor, Urban A. Woodbury. of Bur
lington, Herbert E. Taylor of Brat
tleboro, Ozro Meacham of Brandon,
F. E. Smith of Montpelier, L. D. Ha-
zen of st. Johnsbury, Cassius Peck
of Brookheld and N. P. Bowman of
St. Johnsbury. Of the original in
corporators of the institution eight
have died and two have resigned.
Col. Charles c. Kinsman of Rutland,
| who had been the efficient Secretary
of the Board since the founding of
the Home in 1887, died since the
last annual meeting. There have
been two Presidents of the Board,
the present incumbent having held
the position since 1890. John c.
Stearns has held the Office of Treas
urer since October 20, 1890. Col.
Thomas Harmon has efficiently filled
the position Of Superintendent for
the last two years, having succeeded
Col. Robert ]. Coffey, deceased. His
wife is matron. The hospital is in
charge of DR.. L. H. Ross.
Since the house was opened there
have been 400 admitted. This. in
cludes those who, after being dis
charged from the Home, have been
re-admitted. The total number of
deaths has been $50. During the
year ending June 80, 1908, there were
twenty-seven admissions and twenty
re-admissions. During the time seven
have died and three we're discharged.
The present membership is 100, of
which twenty are on furlough.
The total amount of appropria-
tons by the state for the general ex-
penses of the Home, including the
erection of the chapel, additions, ETC.,
has been $194,0O0, included in which
amount is the $24, 900 voted in 1902
for the two years which began Janu-
airy 1, 1908. The above amount is
over and above that received from the
general government. Pres. Henry
says: No state having State Sol
diers' Home, and they are now estab-
lished in nearly every state north of
what was once known as the Mason
and Dixon Line can show so small
a total expenditure for the period
from May 1, 1887, to Tune3 1903"
The Grand Army posts, Woman's Re-
lief Corps and other charitable asso-
Citations, individual donors and the
newspapers ofthe state have ex tended
generous aid to the Home during the
last two years.
The quarterly averages of atten-
dance at the Home forlast year are as
follows: For the quarter endedSep-
TENDER 80, 1902, seventy-three; for
the quarter ended December 81, 1902,
eighty-one for the quarter ended
March 30, 1908, lightweight, and
for the quarter ended June 80, 1908,
seventv-siX.
The Home is supported by appro-
priations from the state, by aid from
the United States government, by
part of retention of pensions of the
inmates and by sales ofproduce from
the Home farm. No soldier draw.
ing a pension of more than $12 a
month is admitted to the Home, un-
less his condition is such asto require
hospital treatment. The total ex-
penses for the two years ended June
80, 1908, were $37,74751. The to-
tai receipts were $37,663.05. The
amount in the treasuryis $2,0S7.42.
The income from the Home farm was
about $4,000. The average cost of
keeping each inmate for one year was
$228.53. The largest number of in
mates during any one month was in
January, when 40 were registered.
The following were re-elected Pres