The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-13
M|LNER DISCUSSES
 ROCHESTER CASE Presents Affidavit of Miss Kathryn DOnahue DEPENDS CHARITIES States Organization Is Doing Much Good and Claims Age-Herald
 Did Not Secure All of
 the Facts
DEPENDS CHARITIES
To the Editor of The Age-Herald,

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 In the Sunday mornings Age-Herald there appeared a story about Mrs. Anna Doyle Rochester, stating graphically the distress and subsequent death of Mrs Rochester. It Is to be regretted that any paper, especially one so prominent, should be unfortunate enough to handle such story and overlook some of the facts. The duty of the papers is to pub fish the news and to publish in conneo- ton herewith facts and not supposltions What Is the true status of our connection with this case the affidavit herewith ap- pended will show-it is believed 1t will assist materially in clarifying the situa- ton;
 Affidavit of Miss D0nahue
 "On Saturday about noon 1 happened to go into the office of Mrs. Wilson Searight and found her in conversation with Mrs. Yother regarding Mrs. Ro- chester about whom a story appears in the Sunday mornings Age-Herald, Mrs. searight said to Mrs. Yother Here's the woman you want to see from the Asso- ciated Charities, she then said to me This lady has come in to report a case from Avondale'
 T then asked Mrs. Yother about the case. l asked her what was the matter NiNh tiiS NolHdii- pllt tbiu iit lndi tHt woman was said to have tuberculosis and for that reason the man with hel was not allowed to work in the mill. asked Mrs. Yother if Mrs. Rochester ap- peared to be very i'll. Mrs. Yother re- piled that she did not think Mrs. Ro- chester was very i'll. but in her opn- ion she was simply exhausted from her trip. Mrs. Yother stated that Mrs. Ro- chester was carried to Avondale In an ambulance and the attendants were pre- pairing to put her out under tree. She tMrs. Yother) told them that they might put Mrs. Rochester in her house, which was done.
 q asked Mrs. Yother if Mrs Rochester needed food or anything else. She re- piled that Mrs. Rochester did not need food. as she had everything of that kind and she would let her stay in her (Mrs Yothers) house until the man secured Work.
 "l asked if there was anything that I could do at the time. Mrs. Yother said, No, there is absolutely nothing required before Monday
 '1 then asked Mrs. Searight If she thought 1 had better go out at once to look after the case and she said, No, that she thought the only thing necessary to do at the time was to send a doctor out and she had left word for pr, Charles Whelan to call her on his return to his office.
 Before leaving I again asked if there was anything necessary to be done inn mediately. Mrs. Yother replied that the only thing they would require would be bed and they could get along very nicely without that until Monday.
 Mrs. Searight asked me wnere would procure bed. I told her l did not know, but that it would be forthcoming
 Notwithstanding all these assurances that the woman WAS not in immad ia a and pressing need I would have gone out to see her except that Saturday is very busy day and I had to relieve great many people who were in great and immediate need of assistance.
 There were several other persons present who heard all of the conversa- tion and who will no doubt verify this statesment.
 KATHRYN DoNAHOE, state of Alabama, Jefferson County.
 Personally appeared before me. Nan nie c. Densler. notary public in and for said state and county, Kathryn Don ahoe, who being known to me and who being duly sworn, deposed and said that the attached statement concerning a con- versation between herself. Mrs. Searlght. and a woman who said her name was Mrs, Yother is true and correct in every particular
 KATHRYN DONAHOE.
 "Sworn and subscribed to before me this the 12th day of July, 1914.
 "NANNIE c. DENSLER.
 Notary Public"
 "The evil that men do lives after them but the good is oft inferred with their bones."
 That the Associated Charities is doing an immense amount of good throughout Birmingham Is unquestioned by anyone having cognizance of the situation. Last maq nt1bliehad In all of the city's papers statement of just what had been done by the society dur ing the one week and stating that 91 fam lilies had been administered to, that food had been given in 66 instances. that clothes had been supplied to eleven fam lies that some were moved to better quarters, that rent had been paid and that the dead had been buried
 If the reporter who wrote the story in question had displayed the same zeal in getting all the facts that he evidently Cid in writing the story, he would have accomplished a great deal of good, he would in fact have aided the cause of the poor and sick and hungry among us, by showing what awful conditions pre- vail right in our midst
 This would have been a powerful ap- peal for the support of the Associated Charities.
 Instead of that, however. he makes statements about the association whicf, are controverted by the affidavits nere- with. and which greatly injure the cause of the needy by deterring many people who may not See this letter or who may not know the facts, from giving as they would
 l called on Mrs. Yother Sunday morn ing and in her conversation with me she confirmed Miss Donahoe's statement
 H. K. MILNER,
 President Associated Charities. Birmingham. July F. 191t