The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1909-04-10

With a story Of inhumanity to-
wards gray haired and decrepit old
meE and women. a story so Dor.
rible As 10 be almost inconceivabie,
Mrs. A. A Helper and Mrs. c. 9.
Follett last night appealed 10 The
Star 20 get them a hearing befors
The Chamber OF Commerce taxation
committee which has taken up tha
Investigation OF conditions at the
county hospital and county poor
farm
A few days after Christmas last
year. Mrs. A. A. Helper OF 1906
Rainier av., Sunday school teach
er In the Presbyterian church, do
tcrmined 10 take her Sunday school
class out 70 the county poor farm.
% visit with the inmates and cheer
up their lonely day.
The woman and the boys and
girls ~ the class armed themselves
~ith flowers and baskets Of fruit
and made the trip on a street car
one Sunday afternoon.
Il did not anticipate" said Mrs.
Helper. that these poverty stricken
people we're living on the fat OF the
land but ! did think that they were
being accorded half-civillzed treat
ment. The actual facts we're rev.
citation o. neglect and lnhuman
treatment that made me fairly gasp
with horror
Conditions Beyond Description.
1T would be impossible 10 actu-
ally describe the conditions We
found Upon entering the building,
ramshackie wooden structure.
where the inmates were kept. was
almost feiled with the noxious
odors, display OF filth and general
dirty appearance Of everything.
We made our visit that first day
and ] was glad 20 get the boys and
girls away | saw that there was
an opportunity for great work.
And J spoke 70 Mrs. c. s. Follett,
Of York station, who has helped
me since IN relieving the dreadful
conditions az the poor farm as far
as IL VAS possible.
There were thirty men and five
women AZ the farm. They were un-
kempt dirty. filthy. only half clad
and badly impoverisheS from lack
Of food
There were no accommodation
FOR them, not a single rocking chair
or lounge The inmates had TO sit
down on wooden planks laid across
empty boxes and ranged along tho
sides Of a large room.
No Medical Attention.
Some we're paralyEed. one was
blind. aud all were weak, feeble
aud rapidly passing into the grave.
For the sick people Il seemed that
no medical attention was available,
unless they could nerve themselves
TO walk the half.mile to the county
hospital. The doctor from the LAT.
ter place presumably visited the
farm. II such WAS fact l did not
learn il during the months that I
visited the place.
There was not n single change
Of underciothing Tor these people,
the beds were so dirty and the
sheets 50 filthy that the odor was
almost unbearahle. while the food
Mhn ~ HAHAAa anu iNifilNi huAh "
hardly merits being called food.
Some OF the men did not have
shoes. many OF them were abso-
lutely without socks. and none had
handkerehlofs. These people could
not go outside unless they walked
In their bare feet
Dies In Neglect.
zone particularly pathetic case
was that of a man named Smith,
who was suffering from rheuma-
tlsm. This man died a week ago
last Sunday But when We visited
him at the farm he was IN pathetic
shape. ragged filthy, dirty and sui.
forlng untold agony He did not
even have cushion 20 rest on,
nor "a lounge upon which 70 place
his pain-raoked frame, although ia
an upper room the women in
charge of the farm had a large
number OF cushions piled around
that were never used and a
lounge that looked as II IL waa
intended for display,
I'VE wanted TO do something foG