The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-02
Secretary of Associated
Charities Assailed in
Sworn Statement.
FULL INQUIRY
is Expected
Officials Unwilling to Discuss
Nature Of Affidavits, and Ac-
cused Man Is at His Country
Home - State Board Of
Charities Will Not
Act.

! lASls
| Charges involving alleged nistreat-
/ lment and roughness and improper con-
duct towards his wards have been
! lodged against Rev. James Buchanan,
general secretary and executive man
! ager of the Associated Charities. OF the
/ Juvenile Protective Association and Of
| the Industrial Home for Girls. and
they will, In all likelihood. be made
public In detail to-day. The gravity
OF these charges Is indicated by the
! fact that they are supported by afl-
davits sworn to before notaries public
! bS several dependents, one of them a
woman. who have had occasion to seek
| the aid of the organization of which
Mr. Buchanan is secretar5.
| All effort was made to see Mr.. Buch-
anan las, night, after the first infor-
maion that the charges had been made.
but without avail. Mr.. Buchanan is
making his summer residence in the
country near Bon Air, and he left his
Office in the Associated Charities Build
| ing. at Fourteenth and Franklin
Streets, early in the afternoon. and
could not be reached by telephone at
i his summer home.
No Court Proceeding. Expected.
Rev. j. T. Mastin. secretary OF the
Virginia State Board of Charities and
Correction, was interviewed at his
home yesterday afternoon, but he
| seemed disposed to deprecate the whole
affair and was uncommunicatiye. He
| admitted that he had heard of the
charges. but was positive in his state
ment that he thought them not to be
of so serious nature as to demand
! yn mo- tnI "a
word court" several times. which
would lead TO the Inference that there
may at least be an investigation as
a natural result OF the charges pre-
ferred. More than this MIR. Mastin
would not say. He would NOT even adj.
nit the possibility CT an investt cation
BY the State Board. 'fhe iisTsLter. ii2
declared. had not been brought before
the board, and he was therefore not In
position to speak authoritatively.
Officials Reticent.
Robert A. Lancaster. president of the
Associated Charities, and Henry Lee
Valentine. secretary, We're both out OF
town, and 1t was learned that the mat
them. A prominent woman. who is in
terested in various forms of charity
work. and who had been informed OF
the allegations brought against Mr..
Buchanan, and who knew OF the afti.
davits, was interviewed, but she de-
clined to talk, saying that she had
placed herself under obligation not TO
make the charges public until to-day.
She admitted that the affidavits had
been made. but declared that she had
not seen them. II. H. Martens, Mr..
Buchanan's assistant, stated that ne
had not heard of any trouble and had
never heard of complaint. Mr.. Buch-
anan, he stated, was spending the sum
mer in the country and was only at
his Office during the morning hours
daily. He added that the secretary
gave much of his time to the Juvenile
Protective Association and the Indus
trial Home for Girls.
In one. II not more. OF the sworn
statements, 1t is asserted that Asso-
ciated Charities building Is kept in
filthy condition. and is infested with
yermin. Another statement. which
seems more serious than all the others,
declares that Mr.. Buchanan Is guilty
of Improper conduct towards st. Ursula
Lane, better known as "Esste.' wo-
man who had accepted the aid OF the
association.
May Demand Investigatlon.
In View Of the serious nature of the
charges it is expected that the board
will not pass them by without thor
ough Investigation. and IT appears
highly probable that Mr.. Buchanan
himself will demand such an eXanlt-
nation at once.
There are now In the Associated
Charities twelve men and six or sew
en- women, all OF whom are beins
cared for by funds subscribed for pur-
poses of charity. AS one man said, II
would i'll behoove dependent to COM
plain of the food given him Or of the
shelter afforded but of the other and
more serious charge nothing can be
said until tho matter Is sifted to the
bottom and the truth is learned.
Mr.. Buchanan has been In Richmond
and has been in charge OF his present
work for five or six years He was
the first man to introduce into Rich
mond the principles OF constructive
and organized charity. He Is a deep
student Of sociological problems, and
to this subject he has devoted mosl
Of his life. The work under his care
has grown extensively, and great good
has been accomplished. The greatest
difficulty met with in the Introduction
OF his system has been to slft out
give them a helping hand into the
fairly be grasped
Has Accomplished Much.
Though the system was new to,
those who gave habitually to habitual
beggars, 1t worked itself out to appar.
ent success. and people began to see
the wisdom OF giving only where III
was wise to give. to give through a
regular and proper channel and to give
aims which would put the recipient In
a position to help himself, AS often
explained by Mr.. Buchanan, this Is theI
fundamental principle Of CONSTRUCTIVE
scharity-to help a manto help himself,
In this work he has been supported
by tho best and the most prominent
Sneople In the city. and the Associated
Charities, under his guiding, has
never really lacked for funds with
which 10 carry an Its work s,s
Whether these charges Which haze
Continued on Second Paxe,l