The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-25
Committee 5 Verdict Fails to-
Censure Officers Of
City Home.
ADMIT MURDER, BUT
CAN'T PLACE BLAME
Secrecy Due to Unwise Idea That
Crime Could Be Detected.
Grand Jury Ordered to
Make Thorough In
quiry Into Death
Of Child.
Z EsOLyED by the Committee nn
Relief OF the Poor, l,s5

| 4. = / + !
~ ESOLVED by the Committee nn
Relief OF the Poor, "a :
~ 1. That M result OF It's
II investigation OF the manages
nent OF the City Home and 4
tile Incidents connected with the death
Of the infant Vaughan, 1t finds that
chnnges in the rules relating to the
admission OF patients and to reports
to the superintendent are nccessnry.s5a
2. That Il subco mmittee of three be-
appointed to report such changes lOe
Il called meeting of the full committees,
3. That there In Imperative need OF
additional nurses, especially for niHhx
duty.
4. That the death Of the Infant
Vaughan was due to poison adminis-g
tered by some person unknown.
8. That the poison first administered u
was given in an interval OF some 4tweIis
" minutes between the time IT Nsas
left by the hend nurse and the time
she was called to It. & < sss
O. That ever. effort was made anal
every remedy used by the nurse anil
the inferno to relieve the child, and
with every evidence of success.
Z. That the child was relaoved tu5
another ward the same day nnd given
all the attention and protection the re-
sources of the home afrordcd.
8. That Notwithstanding this rcs
novnl, and despite the fact that th,,
head nurse and the intcrnes were his
constantly with the child as their tilIa
ties allowed, poison wns again admin.
istered and with fatal results.
0. The committee find 1t impossibIc
to say that any officer or employe ass
the home was guilty of ncgliEence, an,l
are Of opinion TINT all was dope that
could be done to prevent the. rcc1,r-:
renee Of this heinous attempt 40 fhIr
nk the number of f.emp1oyesaofa atheSiHs
stitution permitted. sSssssss .sSs
10. The committee fnds TINT 40 n +;
a. there was any secrecy connected
with this unhnppy affair II was due Ia.
nm unwises idea that thereby the de e
lection of the criminal would be maIl
easier. But the committee believes that
all felonious attempts or assaults
should be reported immediately to st.,.S
duly constituted police authorities.
II. That the evidence showed that
the only Information possessed BY Mr.
Davis and DR.. Trevilian eEnrding the
poisoning had been obtained from the
head nurse and the internea who hal
attended the child; that they had foI-s
lowed the custom prevailing at the
home OF reporting all suspicious deatlsa
10 the coroner, and that an they were
unable to thrown nny additional IfRht
on the subject other than could be q 4.
taincd from those who had reported
3the matter to them, they felt that It1
was unnecessary for them to postpona-
their trips which had been arranged FOR
several weeks previous to this fime. 81
is ~
Following nearly six hours. inyes IL
CATION into the conditions prevailing al
I the City Home up to the time OF the
poisoning OF "Ba by'' Vaughan, the.
Committee on Relief OF the Poor mega
koJ
y. Davis and other officials In authorize
at the home. and Indirectly praised
the work of internes and nurse in re-
latton to the murder&of the unknown
and nameless infant.
The verdict, returned after 4 o'clocks
this morning. recommended change 5
deemed necessary, but laid the blama
for the baby's death at no ones door,
nor placed the responsibility for al.s
legged Negligence on any ones shoulder.
The committees report was negative
rather than positive. Il s
The investigation was conducted ION
the lines OF q coroner's jury rather than
upon the lines 1T was assumed would
be followed by a committee OF Coun-
ell, and nothing new was brought out
by the inquiry. AS to- the conditions
prevailing at the City Home, which
made 1t possible for two a attempts at
| murder to go practically unnoticed,i
except in perfunctory sort Of way,
ior because 1t was not realized that
such thing was possible. little. If
lsanything, was learned that was not
already known. Assistant City Ats
I.torney George Wayne And derson cons,
Quoted the inyestig ton.
Large Crowd Present. rs
Mr.. Julius Hob son was In the chair
nd ha jfo1 gkgv,n rtxyf ,l,ar
the committee to question the Wit
nesses, but also called on any private
citizen who mig hit want to question
them. The little reception oom Wis
lghlled with a large and curl GUS crowd
among them being two sonsSof Super
intendent Davis. @ B fs S ss
In that part Of Its final report res.
| madeFa committee Of three, consisting
of Or. f. NJ. Read and Messrs Satter-s
field and 5Butord, was appointed 10
ma ake the changes. Bsig u sasss ss
1.-THE report ecognized the fact thai
too few nurses are employed at tha.
1 home, that undlvid ed authority should
be given u to the superintendent and
I that other minor, but necessar ry,A chan ngass
5should be made. Most of its attain
\ tton was paid TO an atters.p 10 di is.s
cover the murderer OF the babe and
Lifts or her motive, rather than to- 81
/ deep inquiry as TO the goyernmertSaf
1.-the institution. sS% II n II IA ss
Apparently constituting itself more
as % coroner's jury han as q comnttS
tee called to Investigate the manages
ment. or mismana cement of the GU ty
Home, the Committee on r. elief OF Eaas
Poor confined Its main line Of que3-s
| tioning to an elrortl TO s. q fscoy oyersS th al
Imurderers Of .Ba by ghan and tho
Iprobahle motive that Lad tp the sdAst,s II
1t was chiefly from the pou til ot lau4S
DaY rs that eytd ence ssS