The Press., 1904-04-27
The speaker for Memorial day will

the Hollow In body, Where MT
Sheppard will deliver the Memoria
sermon on the Sunday preceding
Memorial day.
The annual meeting of the Current
Events club will be held next Monday
evening. A reception will be given
to the members of the club by the
executive committee. Hostesses fol-
the evening will be Mrs. ia. Walker
and Mrs. M. B. Fisk. Members are
reminded that their lists of names fol
new officers are to be handed to the
nominating committee, Miss Cham
berlin, Mrs. Jacobs or Miss Comins,
before Friday of this week.
The republican caucus for electing
delegates to the state convention to
be held at New Haven May 10th and
18th was held at the town hall last
evening. f. HI. Baker acted as chair
man, and W. FL. Heald clerk. The
following delegates were elected
Representatives f. H. Baker and H.
@. Thresher. W. H. Heald and o. W.
Sanford. The town committee, con-
sisting of H. S. Abel, W. P. Amadon,
J. G. Wightman, W. H. Cooley and
E. ID. Ellis, was reelected.
In the issue of the Springfield Re-
publican of last Sunday the Monson
correspondent sends up a wall of
anguish, occasioned by the alleged
fiendish barbarity of the town officials
of Stafford. According to the CORE
spondent cit appears to be the policy
of the Connecticut authorities to send
paupers who have no settlement there
into this state.'' To prove this whole
sale and malicious charge the CORE
spondent cites two cases-that OF
Michael Fitzpatrick, recently dis
charged from the hospital at Norwich,
and Mrs. Turtelotte. The case of
Fitzpatrick is of recent date and the
facts are easily obtainable. The Re-
publican says
"A recent case which has come to the
attention of the overseers of the poor
illustrates a condition from which
Monson has suffered for some years.
The dividing line between Monson and
Stafford is also the state line between
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. In
the latter state the method of treating
paupers is so very different from
Massachusetts methods as to cause
much comment. A few months ago
Michael J. Fitzpatrick, formerly of
Monsoon, went to Stafford to work.
He was in hotel which burned there,
and barely escaped from the fire with
his life. His clothes and all other
belongings were destroyed and he was
severely burned. 1t was necessary tC
send him to a hospital. which was
done. He was recently discharged
and came to Monson. He applied to
the overseers of the poor for aid and
told a surprising story. He said that
upon being discharged from the hospi-
tai he went to Stafford, where one OF
the town officials took charge of him.
A ticket was bought for him, he was
put upon a train and sent to Monson.
He says he was given no option in
the matter, and having no money and
few clothes, was helpless. He was in
no condition to work and had no
friends to whom he could apply. The
overseers of Monson found that he
had no settlement in that town, but
cared for him until he could be given
into the hands of the state board of
charity, which has provided the
hospital treatment which he still
needs. Fitzpatrick says that at the
time of the fire he had something over
81 due him at the mill where he had
worked. AS soon as possible the
Stafford authorities sent to the hospi
tai an order for him to sign, making
over those few dollars to the town.
He did not sign the order and has not
had an opportunity to draw his pay.
He does not feel much indebted to
the town of Stafford, however.
The facts in the Fitzpatrick case are
these: As soon as the authorities be.
came aware of the condition of the
victim at the time of the fire he was
sent to the hospital at Norwich fol
treatment. When released from the
hospital he was provided with suitable
clothes, and he came back to this
town and called upon Selectman ].
Allen Mix. The latter asked him 6
few questions, and the victim of the
fire said that he had made Monson his
headquarters for II or Is years, anc
had paid taxes in that town. In view
of these facts it did not seem to Mr.
Mix that Fitzpatrick was a charge Of
this town, and he advised the latter
to apply for aid in Monson. A former
Monson man paid his fare to Monson
and the incident was supposed to be
closed. The Turtelotte case is ever
more narrowing as viewed through
the dark blue glasses of the Monso1
correspondent:
So A similar case occurred few years
ago, when Mrs. Turtelotte, an ageG
woman, was taken from Stafford tt
MOnson. She had no settlement in
either town, but was living in Stafford
and was forced to call upon the town
for aid. One of the town officials sent
her, in charge of an officer, to Mon.
son. The trip was made by team, the
old lady having very light clothing,
although the weather was bitterly
cold. Arriving in Monson the officer
drove to the house of one of the over
seers and told Mrs. Turtelotte to go tt
the house and ask for assistance. He
drove off and left her there. No one
was at home, and the woman was ex
posed to the weather for several hours
before the overseer returned. She
recovered from the effects of the ex.
posture and was taken to the almshouse
and made comfortable. Later it was
found that she had a settlement in