Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-04-02
COUNTY HOME INQUIRY
POSTPONED FOR WEEK
COmplainants Tell Charges Have
Been Substantiated.
TO GET MORE EVIDENCE.
Taxpayers League Also Desires Pres
snce Of Trustee Clark at Re-
sumption Of Hearing.

[
The County Commissioners, as told
in last nights Capital, gave over
much of the time of their weekly
meeting yesterday to hearing upon
the petition and allegations TO the
insanitary and generally bad condi-
items said to exist at the County
Home at South River.
After hearing arguments and
statements at the morning session.
the Board resumed the inquiry in
the afternoon, and when adjourn
ment was finally taken, il was agreed
to take the matter up for further
consideration at next wesk's meet
ing. The complaintants, it is said.
will in the meantime, gather addi-
tional evidence in support of the al
legations.
Also the presence of Mr.. Walter
Clark, the Annapolis member Of the
trustees of the Home, is desired. He
was unable to attend the hearing yes
terday. II was cne of the largest
meetings held before the c Juntv
Commissioners for some time. A
large number of representative citi-
zens and taxpayers Were in attend
ance.
The Taxpayers League, which is
corporate body, and has an enrolled
membership of between forty and
fifty private property owners, was
repre- sented by Walter H Hart, pres
ident, and w. Hallam Claude, coun-
sci, while the County Home was rep
resented by six of the trustees. The
meeting was a noisy and uproarious
one, and President James S. Smith
had to call it to order time and again.
A brother of the keeper of the
Home caused great excit sment by
shouting wildly, gesticulating in the
course { t the inquiry, but it appeared
that he knew very little about the
subject, as he claimed to have only
been tn the Home twice in eight
years.
The bill of complaint was gone over
carefully, them by item, and some of
the allegations appeared to be sus-
tanned. Messrs. Hart and Claude
proved their contentious. Dr. Coli
nscn admitted the insanitary condi-
tions that now exist at the Home,
and especially in the colorred ward.
"But, " he said, i've do the be that
we can under present conditions "
He admitted that the institution
ought to have bath and sanitary
toilets, and after pressure, he admit
ted that he had prescribed laudanum
for one of the old white mel inmates,
but he seemed surprised when he was
| told that this old white man, who is
! now declared to be insane, and who
is attended by a negress, also de-
clared to be insane, is in possession
of newly fillel six-ounce bottle of
the deadly drug DR.. CJliinson said,
| however, that the mans condition
warranted usages of the drug.
Possibly the greatest sensation OF
the entire hearing came when the
paragraph was read that described
| how ole of the late inmates had died
of tuberculosis, and that now an old
man is sleeping in the same base
ment chamber. DR.. Collinson said
positively that no such death had
taken place at the Home for nine
years. Right here Mrs. Robert Moss
asked for permission TO speak. Mrs.
Moss clearly explained how she and
another lady positively saw the dying
inmate upon two occasions about two
years ago, and described how he was
sitting with the other inmates only a
few days before his death. Neither
DR.. Collinson or any of the trustees
seemed to know anything about what
constitutes the daily rations of the
inmate. as these latter gentlemen ad-
mitted that they only visited the
Home on board-day Of each month.
In closing his address, Mr.. Claude
said 81 wish it to be perfectly we Il
understood that we are going t.
keep right on. and that We are not
scared by any OF he threats of law
cuits orof narsonal violopaa -