The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-04-19
ARE GETTING
CASE READY
Haskins a. Schwenk Have
Been Retained.
A HEARING PROMISED
Trustees of Thompson Fund Are Will
ing TO Hear Grievances of Those
Who Think the Fund Is Not Being
Properly Administered.


The Brattleboro society of seam
stresses, needle women and shop girls
decided last week to engage llaskins
4 Schwenk as counsel TO investigate
the administration of the Thompson
fund i'm BrattlehurO and to ascertain If
all those who were made bcnetciaries
under the will are getting just treat
mcnt at the hands Of the trustees and
their agents. Soon after the case was
placed in their hands Haskins x
Schwenk wrote TO the trustees, Rich
ards NJ. Bradley and Laurence Minot
Of Boston, for the purpose of find
ing out when they would be willing to
give a hearing on the matter. The
trustees replied that a hearing could
be arranged at almost any time but
they suggested that the counsel for the
dspleased bcnefciaries prepare the
charges in a definite form in order that
the hearing might be held as expe-
dtiously as possible. Congressman Has
kins and Mr.. Schwcnk are now busily
engaged in getting their case into
shape and as soon as this work is com.
pctcd the trustees will be notified and
a date set for hearing.
Congressman HaslUns is very much
/ interested in the matter and is con
vinccd that the benefits Of the trust
fund are not being extended as wide
/ " as the tcstator intended. There are
/ "A number OF points in which he be
/ lievcs the trustees are in error In their
/ Interpretation of the will For one
/ thing the trustees stipulated that IT
was necessary, in order to carry out
/ the intent of the testatOr and in order
/ TO protect those who are now sewing
women, to make a distinction between
/ those who are now bencfciaries and
those who may hereafter take up this
occupation or may come into the town
| as sewing women from outside, and to
| have this generally known Congress
man Haskins SAYS he sees no reason
WHY the trustees should make any such
/ distinction and can find nothing in the
will to uphold such a ruling. He be
! lieves that a needy woman belonging
to the classes named in the will is en-
titled TO aid even if she has been in
Brattlcboro but a week.
II is said. also. that aid is often re-
fused because those applying would not
have been in need if they had been
more economical or more thrifty IN
the management of their affairs. In
answer to this Congressman Haskins
calls attention to the clause IN the
Thompson will which reads as fol
lows: "'The fund shall be for the
immediate relief of the suddenly needy
whether from casualty, imprudence OF
improvidence. The fact, too, that
the testator uses the adjective imme
diate in qualifying the kind Of relief
brings up the question whether the
tedious formalities through which bene
fciarics frequently are obliged to 60 i
in accordance with the spirit in whicl
the fund was established.
With the ruling of the trustees thai
stitchers in overall factories are mo
exactly the occupations the testato
had in view.' Congressman Haskln
is in no accord whatever He thinks
there is not the slightest question tina
tbcv would be included as beneficiarie
if the fund were left for any one O
three occupations named instead OF al
three. In .diiferentiating between
shop girl and a factory girl the state
ment has been made by an agent o
the trustees that a shop is store
So il is. but another meaning glvel
in the dictionary is ga place wher
artisans work." and an artisan is on
trained to manual dexterity in som
: trade. such as running a power stitehe
for instance.
The trustees, it is understood, have
list of persons who are considere'
beneficiaries of the fund Person
whose names do not appear on this is
cannot get help unless under the KIN
dred charities clause of the will. Ie
the testator expressly directs his trus
fees TO advertise the fund, its ob1ec
and the means to be taken to obtal
|! relief from it, and it does not seer
4 reasonable to think that he would nav
been so particular about publicity ha
= he in mind the restriction of the bent
fits to a given number of persons.
In spite of the many ways in whlc
{ il appears as if the intent of the te'
) tator were being misearried it is not tn
n wish of the local society, according t
l Mr.. Haskins, to overthrow the deere
!. of the supreme court of Massachusett
0 in which the will was probated, pt
{ the society is desirous and lnsistei
n that the benefits of the fund be aval
- olIo +o oil those for whom it was Il