New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-02
CHARITIES HEAD
ACCUSES HEBBERD
Kingsbury Calls Attack
price of Refusal to Re-
lax Dunphy Charges"
ATTACKS ISLAND
INQUIRY MOVE
state Board Secretary Denies
Threat and Pleads for
Woman on Trial.

Calling the action Of the State Board
Clarifies "the last gasp Of dying
"a accredited machine" Commission
lain II. Kiugsbury commented last
..,ripe on the resolution introduced
!, ,he legislature Wednesday, asking
y. an Investigation Of conditions on
P,ndall's Island.
Ns TSs resolution states the Commits
,;n,tr has been cognizans for a year,
- sslleged evils. abuses and defects
vLsysby the inmates have been serl-
- endangered. and has taken no
Gems 10 remedy them
This was the price ! paid for re-
.,s;nr 10 withdraw the charges against
~ superintendent AZ Randall
,..nS." Mr.. Kingsbury said. "A week
80 h was suggested TO me indirectly
HSeerctsrv Robert W. Hcbbard that
!, nermittinC Mrs. Dunphy to retire
1onsion | could avoid investigation
\, he state Board Of Charities.
III is their duty TO investigate, their
.-rary function and their regular
,ar,;rc responsibility. But why this
,vSSen announcement, after all these
yssrs OF existence, that they propose
"a investigate Randall's lslandT Are
y. 20 infer that they have not been
;,veStigating IL in the past!
secretary Hebberd gave out the fol-
lorinc statement last night in reply
"a commissioner Kingsbury:
aTbe statement that | suggested that
h. permitting Mrs. Dunphy TO retire
AZ q nension the commissioners could
svo;d an investigation is absolutely
r,true. Nothing of the kind ever oc-
rurred. When this board has once
ordered an investigation, l know OF no
mower that could stop 1t.
AS q human being familiar with all
the facts, ] have said TO Corporation
Counsel Polk that in my opinion, IN
view of Mrs. Dunphy's long and able
service. she should be allowed to retire
an the persion she has earned and lot
which She has paid.
There are two different ways OF
looking al q question Of TINS nature
One way is TO cover an old and falth-
M woman employe with columns OF
,buse IN the newspapers TO lnname
publjc sentiment against her IN al
ysnce Of her trial. Another way Is 10
consider her womanhood and her long
wears Of faithful service. l prefer the
latter course. Most men would, ! be-
lieve." ,os
When the hearing of the charges
against Mrs. Mary c. Dunphy, the Sus-
perded superintendent of the Chll-
dren's Hospital, Randall's Island, was
called Yesterday, Emory K. bucSner'
her attorney, reported that her physi-
cal condition was unchanged SINCE
TUESDAY. and that she was still too III
10 appear. The hearing was conse-
ouentlv adjourned until Monday. and
Drs s. w. Lambert and +. l.. Reyes
will examine the woman to-day.
"Where has the State Board OF Char-
;.ies been all these years. the Com
missioner asked, last evening, and
WV has It not called attention to the
pitiful condition Of the children on the
Island? .-,.
Secretary Hebberd was Commission
~ Of the Department Of Public Charl-
lies from 1906 to 1910. and during that
time il is matter of record that the
hestial treatment of the children at
Randalrs Island was repeatedly called
10 his attention by the State Charities
AID Association and others, and that
ior reasons best known to himself he
chose 10 ignore these complaints.
"The State Board of Charities has
been officially approving certain PR
vs,e asylums for children in this city
which the Department of Charities has
found 10 be entirely unfit for human
beings 10 live in. Institutions on the
white list Of the state board have
been found by expert Investigators OF
the city department to be swarmlng
with vermin and foul with unsanltary
stencil.
q believe the public should demand
an immediate investigation of the state
Board Of Charities, and should re-
pectfully suggest to Governor Whit
nan that he inquire at once as to why
he board has been so impotently or
intentionally derelict in its duty IN
resuect 10 Randall's Island"