Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-22
President Of the Beard Of kanag.
sfs Of National Soldiers Home
Talks 10 Newark Paper.
SAYS THE TOWN IS A BAD PLACE
Phoebus Citizens Are Much wrouoh.
Up Over the Alleged Interview Sent
Out to the Newark Evening News,
OF Newark, N. 1.-The interview
from the Colonel.

The people Of the town of Phocbus
are very much incensed over an in.
terVlew alleged to have been given
out In Washington by Colonel Frank
lin Murphy, president of the board of
managers of the National Soldiers
Home, concerning conditions In that
town.
Colonel Murphy is reported In spe-
cial to the Newark Evening News,
Newark, N. j., as follows
There isn't more forcible illus
tration and example of the harm this
so-cailed temperance legislation has
uone than is exhibited in Phoebus,
va. This little town lies between the
military post of Fortress Monroe,
where anywhere from 500 to 1000 ar
tliierymen are Quartercd at all times,
and the National Soldiers Home at
hampton, about mile from each. It
IS miserable huddlc of little squalid.
ramshackle stores. saloons and houses
ranged OH mud streets.
when there were canteens in the
army post and at the Soldiers Home.
Phoebus supported less than a dozen
saloons. Today with the canteens
abolished at the army post and Sol
dlers' Home, in the name of temper
cradle, dirty, sQualid saloons in Phoe-
bus, all doinf business and all are
more or less filled every day and night
with drunken or half drunken soldiers
and veterans.
Where There is mo Canteen."
Driving through there the other
day, | had pointed out to me by a
local resident street after street of
disorderly houses. all dependent for
business and existence upon the visits
OF the soldiers.
Are there any respectable women
III the place." asked. after some
remarkable disclosures as to the
morals of the town.
"Oh yes" he said, there are .ew,
but not many"
There were disorderly houses in
Phoebus before the cantcen was abol-
ished. but not in such numbers as
now and they did not have the same
chance at the 7ldiers and their pay
that they DO INV, the natives told
me. When the gen, got beer in the
post. they exPlai ed. they didn't so
to town so much. 1 Once in a while Il
man would get dr,.lk out of tho post.
hut not so many of them made prac.
tice of visiting the saloons and the
bawdy houses.
"Out on one side of the town is
4 little store with w C. T. u.
sign above the door. The place is
abandoned. The w. c. T. u. moved
out, am told, shortly after the can
teens were abolished.
"And yet, it was the w. C. r. u.
which was mostly responsible for bull
doing Congress into abolishing the
canteen. I wish could show Phoe-
bus to the w. c.. T. U. workers, tenn
perance lecturers and ministers who
will oppose the restoration Of tho can.
teen After spending a few hours
there and hearing some of the stories
of this miserable little hell.holo of
town, which exists for no other pur-
pose than to intoXicate and demoralizc
young and old soldiers, and to cater
to their worst passions, most of these
good people who have been against
the canteen would. if they arc honest,
start out with petitions for its rcsto-
ration"
Glaring Misstatemen.s.
The statements accredited to Cot
onel Murphy show either a lack Of
information upon his part or clsc that
he has wilfully gone out of his way
to SANDER the town Of Phoebus in or.
der to have tho canteen restored at
the National Soldiers Home and at
Fort Monroe. When tho canteens were
in full blast there were SO saloons in
the town. Now there are only 80, in
GLIDING the brewcries and wholesale
places. That there were bad houses
In the town on many streets seven
years ago, no one denies, but now
these houses have been placed in two
streets.
The w. C. r. U. feature of the in.
terview shows just how carefully Col.
onel Murphy looked for his facts Mrs
Townsend, who was the head of the
rooms and did good work, died a few
months ago. Since then the rooms
have been closed.