The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-23

Hons. Things scgrii to manage them
Belves III happy 10. lucky sort of
style. Sometimes they fit into the
propeS grove; piore often they do not.
In the one case u is all right: In the
ptter no one Seems to care. and the
public, upon whose funds the institu-
atfon Ia supported. none the wiser.
III took murder to give the public an
sinaight into the style Of management
+ by which the City Home is conducted,
and two attempts ut murder at that.
S'p'Muggin the only known term OF
8cndearinent that the baby ever bore
8ilanieless MISUNDERSTANDING a rich
4 er service than he thought when he
He had been deserted By his parents;
The was buffeted about from place to
place, and he was at last placed where
1t was thought he would at least be
safe-to be murdered.
NIndc No Report to Police.
The City Home authorities had sew
Aeral opportunities to Investigate for
themselves and to report the matter to
police headquarters According TO the
dispositions OF Assistant Superintendent
Lewis and DR.. Hoskins. no. steps were
taken In the home to ferret out the
person responsible for the crime, and
nofreport was made to the police. They
NEGLECTED to put detectives on the case
After the first poisoning and after the
Second. They neglected to make
kearcl, themselves. 1t remained for
Coroner Taylor to try to unravel the
sAystery.
IS He and his Jury decided that MUIR
der was committed--murder wilful and
delibernte-and it now rests with the
police to do what they can to fasten
the crime on some persons shoulders.
Detectives are now at work on the
case. Detective Sergeant Bailey was va
present at the inquest frequently ask
ing questions, and Sergeant Wren
worked on the case the night before.
All have come practically to the same
conclusion, but the evidence is yet too
intangible.
But Baby vaughan's death, though
tragic enough, for he had already en-
dared a world OF woe, is only inc
dental. in that 1t Will cause the searcn-
light of public investigation again 70
he thrown on the City Home. and bring
about changes that will make It mat
ter OF impossibility for murder again
to be committed there. It Will bring
about systematized order Of things
where there seems now to be none' u
will bring the public into closer toucn
with its own peculiar institution, ana
At will make OF the home SAFER aola-
ing place for other foundlings that may
follow. ~
3 PERHAPS the strangest feature Of the
whole affair. and one tnat seemed
most 10 n1ystify the coroner's jury, was
the fact that notwithstanding that
they knew positively that the child
mad been poisoned, neither Superin-
,tendent Davis nor DR.. Trevilian re-
Iported the murder to the Committee
on Relief Of the Poor in the meeting
.of that body Monday night. only q
Jew hours after the infants death.
1t is regarded as strange, too, that
.Superintendent Davis departed on
ten. days vacation In Rockbridge coun-
.ty on the morning following the child's
death, and that DR.. Trevilian left yes
terday for Canada. Also Is 1t strange
that everybody in the home at first
seemed very ignorant of the two at
itempts at murder. 1t was only with
the greatest difficulty that Coroner
Taylor reporters and detectives could
get any information from the officials
until the jury began its work. when.
piece by piece. the whole pitiful story
of murder and mismanagement W
gained from unwilling lips. Coroner
Taylor was puzzled; the jurymen We're
puzzled. Tt was hard to believe that
things could have come to sfch a pass.
Committee Seeking Light.
But light will be. thrown on all
when the Committee on Relief of the
Poor begins its official investigation
tomorrow. night. Then things, more
startling perhaps than those now re-
vealed by the coroner's inquest, will
come to light.
1t will be asked why SO little atten-
.tion was paid to attempted murder
supposed to offer every safeguard; why
there Is not little more Formally in
the conduct Of the home; why some
sone should not shoulder the burden
ing-some one other than the murderer.
cit Is true that funds used for the
support OF the home are small. An
interested observer said yesterday that
1T, was hospital conducted OH a poor
house appropriation. Miss Venable,
head nurse in the hospital department.
who seems to have acquitted herself
well In trying to save the baby's life,
has charge Of all the hospital wards.
both white and colored, including the
number of f9undlings that come to the
institution. sThere..are now sixteen pa
ltients unHer her care. and she has
only one paid helper, who receives the
rnunificent sum OF $40 per month. She
has OlHeT volunteer HelpcESr among llle
inmates Of the home, but they are mex
perienced and practically useless In
cases OF emergency. The responsibility
on her shoulders is heavy. but she
seems. to have borne 1t we'll, judging
from all the evidence. Theinternes work
ed hard over the poor child, and there
their responsibility ended.
May Reach Grand Jury.
The investigation will be rigid. It
I may go before the grand jury, which
meets Tomorrow, for many believe thai
Y the neglect in not reporting the MUIR
derous attempts at the time they were
made is criminal. Should the grand
& Jury act in the matter, as now seems
a probable. the case may go to,the Hust-
i ings Court. Out of q little child's death
& many things may grow. Captain Chas.
f. Taylor Is foreman Of the grand
Jury, and his work is Schara by
thorouehness. That the committee will
leave no stone unturned to get at the
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CIR AEEsA s *