Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-11-01
As to Judge Farmhouse.

the false and dirty charges made
against Judge Farmhouse, let him
go out to the poor farm and talk
with John Sands. The door is
open to all, and any one can have
a private interview with him, and
the bleeding hearted sold Soldier"
is especially cordially invited.
Every cent of his pension is are
guarded and is expended
only as the law directs. Mr.. w.
Delano is his guardian, and no
responsible person will charge him
with being party to any fraud or
wrong. The charges are so utterly
absurd-and, withal, so indefinite
as to save the traducers from the
clutches of the law-that no reply
to them has been deemed neces
sary by either OF the gentlemen in
question. No one will be affected
by them unless he wants to be.
There is not a member of the Re-
publican "ring" who does not
know there is nothing to- the
charges; but they are perfectly
willing to remain silent and profit
,
through them. tt is what l call
id dirty politics.
And now for a few facts in the
case. John Sands has been in
public care for eighteen years,
over twelve years of that time in
the Fulton asylum, from which he
was transferred at a comparatively
recent date 10 the Pennington
institution. The county paid all
charges up to May, .1905,-amount-
ing to S1S50-while his family re-
ceived by far the greater part of his
pension at St2 per month-S1366
being allowed the wife during the
time of his being under the care of
a'guardian-beginning November,
1888. Since May, 1905, a part of
his pension-S300--has been taken
to reimburse the county, as the
statute requires; and herein lies
the cause of all this hullabaloo.
James Buford was his guardian,
and upon his removal from the
State Mr.. w. FL. Delano was ap-
pointed in his stead, and now has
charge of the estate.
In May, 1905, a United States
special pension agent came to
Ironton, and, while Judge Barn
house was absent, was admitted
into the probate Office. He ex-
amined all the files and papers
pertaining to Mr.. Sands case. If
he had discovered anything wrong,
don't you suppose it would have
been made known? Uncle Sam
doesn't dilly-dally with wrong
doing. The agent then went to
Graniteville and looked into things
there. Upon his return he said to
Judge Farmhouse (who had re-
turned, also) that where the family
was not destitute the pension
money should be used for the pen
sioner; that he, the agent, had
looked into the matter and that
Sands family was not destitute;
that all the children were of full
age; that there was an unmarried
grown son who was amply able to
take care of his mother.
About May 80, 1905, Sands, at
the request of his people, was
parolled from the Pennington
asylum and was taken to GRANTEE
Vile. While there he wandered
off and for four days was without
shelter or food. The family asked
for his discharge from guardian
ship, but this could be done only
after medical examination. At a
day appointed Sands was brought
in by his son, and Drs. G.. w.
Farrar, ST., and Ira A. Marshall
were summoned to examine him.
They were present and heard what
the pensioner said after his family
were excluded from the room.
The cause of their exclusion was
that they interrupted him when he
tried to tell what he desired. Here,
in true substance, is what he said:
"Give my folks what money
there is and take me out and hang
me, or put me in jail; but don't
send me back to Graniteville, for
my folks mistreat me. The boys
can beer, drink whiskey, get drunk
and keep up SO much disturbance
that / can't stand it, and they
threaten me and l am afraid of
them. Send me anywhere except
back home. l am used to regular
hours, and when at Fulton / had
better health; they did not over
work me like they did at Farm
ington. / had no health at Farm
ington: don't send me ha clr IN