davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12
Dear Little Lady
Has Her Own Story

The poor little old lady In bed near
the kitchen has her story. tooN She 10
gontlewomen, and she II entering
from Rn illness that needs treatment
husband 10 not able to provide Il, and
there seems to be no one else left for
her 70 depend on. 80 her doctor has
consulted the board Of charities, and
making the best Of It and telling every
ono how fortunate she IL TO have this
place to come to. She finds no fault
with the place nor the, food nor the
As went from ward to ward and
talked to these people. ! laughed some
times and I struggled with the tears
at others. In the white mems ward
that lump IN my throat Just would not
let me forget H. Here was q small
boy who Will never be well. and whose
poverty is such that he will always be
a care. and he faces q life OF just such
places. He was reading. and didn't
! seem 10 mind the almost unbea M Bile
atmosphere OF the place and the un-
comfortable and crowded surroundings
Around him were all sorts OF rniser-
| nble men, young and old, and In all
conditions OF illness and disease and
moral and physical deformdty. In this
but middle aged. and yet probably viii
never be able to write another story
| or see the inside OF another Shop
Overwork. drink. and the rest that
necessarily follows. and about which
we all know so much, is his story. He
cannot even feed himself. but must be
] ted by an attendant. There were ali
I sorts OF men in this ward. and as a
whole their stores are similar They
! are victims OF circumstance in many
| instances. rather than their own fault
| ana while much OF IL all can be traced
10 drink, still Demon ram In not en-
urely to blame.
DR.. James A. Cannon. the visiting
physician OF the institution, who escort
cd me through the buildings, calls the
colored wards for the men and wome m
| the old plantation" The greater num-
Der of patients in these were old folk
suffering largely from the infirmities
81 age. Their stories are pretty nearly
| the sama
They are ~. have nothing saved. and
no other aid. sc the Board OF Charities.
4 their one bright hope. always turns
them over 20 the hospital.
Many of these folks only spend the
winters in tho hospital. They migrate.
| But this is not only true OF them, but
true of many OF the white patients. I
laughed when one of the resident doc
| tors told me how difficult II was to dis
charge n certain class of patients in
cold weather. They hide. they make
| believe. and they resort to all sorts OF
no bugbear TO them. They like It..
| They are warm and fed. and many OF
| their friends are there. Why leave for
| uncertainties? There Is one colored
women there now who il suffering from
an illness that could be cured IL she
would allow an operation to be per-
formed. II would be slight and almost
painless. but she would rather stay
there weeks upon weeks than be we'll
| and have to work for her living.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12
Whole Place Is
Built of Frame

Not a substantial brick or stone build
ing greeted me, Int a number OF old
one-story frame buildings, connected
by long porches. An indifferent coat OF
white paint and tho really attractive
location OF the place added n little to
the picture.
II the weather had not been so cold
j might have thought the place looked
a little like some sort of Southern
county summer resort, I suppose the
old-fashioncd buildings with the long
porches ana .;ingy white paint give one
This impression. II looks like almost
anything hut hospital Tor the poor OF
q nations capital.
First, l went into the ward for the
colored men. This ward is small one
story building that was built about
taken, and on the porch taking the
fresh air cure were two pneumonia pa
tients.
The beds in the ward were so close
together that the patients could eaten
bold OF hands and in fact one patient
who was able to sit on the edge or his
bed touched the edge Of his neighbor'
bed with his knees as he sat there'
Think of the comfort these poor Tel
lows must enjoy under such conditions
and think Of the nurses. The beds them
selves are almost as old and rickety as
the building. The ventilation In this
building was vile. In fact, there was
no ventilation TO speak OF. On account
of the extreme cold and the insufficient
heating facilities Il was necessary for
the comfort OF the patients that the
doors and windows be closed. Imagine
tho impurity OF the air breathed by over
one hundred patients, Ill with various
diseases, when there can be no yentl-
lation. what OF the health OF the
nurses and doctors in an atmosphere SO
charged with disease?
And yet the members OF Congress
complain OF the ventilation at tho Capt.
tol,
At one end OF the ward IL little
e1sASinR room, that was dark. too small,
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12
An Attractive Young
Woman In Ward

The first patient to catch my eve in
the white vOmen's ward wac an al
tractive young woman, who bore the
mark of deep suffering. but she was
pretty despite 1t, and she smiled bright
by In response to my greeting. Her story
Ia sad and Is lyrical OF manv others.
She 10 n widow with n little son. 10
care for herself and him she has been
q clerk In \ department store. Months
and moths ago she was stricken with
rheumatism aud found II necessary TO
10 TO Il hospital. She remained there
until her means were gone, Her rela-
tives and friends had helped as long
az they could and ure still curinS for
III" little boy,
Finally after she left her private
room for tsh free ward and been there
az long a. the hopitsl could keer her,
she was placed In this institution, She
ted upon several times and there Is very
little In the way OF hope for her re-
eeivin. her discharge In the near fu-
ture,
and oh. how different. This women
didn't smile, She couldn't. Her bodily
suffering wns too great, What her men,
tal feeling was j cannot say. Her story:
too, is that of many others, She had
been a sport, O woman OF tho streets
but now she Il ml6deis aged and her
health IL gone, 50 there she "a, She =
une OF the regular inmates OF tho inDai-
tuition, BY that ] mean one OF ehA1
large number who consider the hoepdtHl
their permanent home and they mako II
| so, Their tnfirnlties are such that they
can get IeliCt after 20 long n limo and
then they arc dismissed, From the hos
pitRl they 60 Ia the Board OF Charities
not before they have obtained enough
whisky TO make them fit subjects, But
Of all this ciass Of patients tho most
interesting and al the game tine most
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12

had-an outcast from the streets. The
patient eyed Ann curIousiy. as every
one must who secs this woman with
head 70 bandaged that nothing II Visible
but one eye and a tiny wlsp Of hair.
OF a sudden Ann glanced at the patient.
stopped short. and asked the doctor the
name Of the patient. She told her. and
Ann gave ono awfu, scream and made
n dash ct the patient and swore she
would kill her Ann was placed I'm a
barred room.
they thought. She had recognized In
tho new patient the chum OF her early
married life. and the one who had
stolen her happiness and with It her
very life. The new patient died. but
Ann, Il seems. must live on forever,
just waiting and trying 10 do what she
can for THE other poor devils"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12
laWbreaker Sent to Pleasant
Dormitory, While Sick and
Needy Go to Bleak Wards.
ALL coNvENlENcEs LACKING
Building for Unfortunates Is But
RamshackIe Firetrap; Food
Always Bad.
Continued from First PaEe.)

Continued from flTbt Thee'l
OF city misery, sooner or later meet
IN its receiving wsrd' WHERE YER ~. us'n NE
into wrecks and replace outworn souls
with new.
Eional men reach Il down the short cut
Of Dope, Men About Town totter to-
ward II along the bcaten-track. worn
hnlcoth by tho feet of alcoholics" who
have gone before. Mental suspects
arrive. wild-cyed over the violent route
OF tho insane.
Girls who couldn't wear silk stockings
on S. weekly wage, drag themselves
from red-light glare, along the by-ways
Of tenacious disease. Daughters OF the
virtuous. INDECENT. poor follow upon the
gtretchers OF Illness.
Police patrols roll in nightly, bearing
prisoners stricken in their cells. Alleys
ard sluns east up their injured and IN
lrm. The streets and avenues give or
their starved and exhausted.
Df every race and color and creed
they come. stamped with every mental
and physical i'll. Their voices sob with
,hc minor notes of anguish. or shrek
With the discords OF bodily pain. Their
lives arc human stories. with pages dog
cared eml thumb-marked by sorrow.
fht the workshops where there souls
and bodies must be remade have time
and time again been called a disgrace
70 civilized community. Congress
before 1t. Still, session after session,
nothing Is done
Last week The Times sent out a
trained Investigator to visit the RAM
Fhackle pile which Congress permits to
be dignifed under the name OF hospital.
Here is her story. 1t speaks for itself.
By MARY MOVES WHITEFORD.
At the extreme eastern end of Wash
ington is the Washington Asylum Hos
pital and Jall-the most disgraceful pub
lie building in the Nations Capital.
The foregoing is a broad statement
perhaps. but have visited every one
of the public buildings. and by COM
parison certainly it is the worst OF
them.
There Is new Bureau of Engraving
and Printing. new Government Print
ing oftice. a new War College, a won
derful Insane Hospital, magnificent
office buildings for the members OF Con.
Gress, Library that Is said to be the
finest IN the world, and all the other
great white stone Government build
ings, but what an excuse for hospital
for the poor sick of the city of Wash
iugton!
For years. requests have been made Ia
Congress for an appropriation for a
new hospital, and for years Washington
has been disappointed. Always there IL
something more important than to make
q comfortable and sanitary place fol-
the unfortunate who must be II public
care.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12

excellent condition and notwithstanding
the limitations. the buildings are In a
dieanly condition and in as good repair
as Is possible.
All that Is needed to make the WASH
inKton Asylum Hospital a credit to the
city is new building and adequate
equipment. All this can be obtained II
Congress will only make n sufficient
appropriation.
Won't every reader do his little best
to urge this to come 10 paRs?
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12
Collection Of Broken
Bodies, Lives and Hearts

And now that I have tod you what I
saw OF the Washington Asylum Hos
pital. / want TO tell you what | saw
IL the institution, want to tell you
of the people VITO make up the patient
list at this hospital, What a collection
OF broken bodies, lives, and hearts'
In all my life never saw 30 many
sad-eyed faces filNd with the unmIs-
taxable markings OF everything that
goes to make up the hard side OF life,
oh, the haunting white face of the
poor soul whose body is paralyzed--the
result of wrong living He has time
now to think OF why life Is fail1rc
10 him, and the awfulness OF II 10 that
he can do nothing but think.
Then there is the man who was once
u prosperous business man, but an
accident happened, followed by long,
long stays in various hospitals, and
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-12

Above-Psycophathic ward, housed
in the abandoned almhouse.
Below-This man is paralyzed, but
can move his hands just enough
to carve.
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
SHERIFF PUTS OUT A FIRE
He Also "Puts Out" an obstreperous
Negro Prisoner.

About o'clock Christmas morning
Sheriff Frederick Godfrey noticed
hat the county building was rapidly
ling with smoke. In the darkness
he sheriff began searching for the
origin of the smudge and eventually
'ound 1t in the cell occupied by the
big negro lumberjack Calvin VIII
Jams, who has been indicted for as.
sault and who is awaiting trial
yhen county court resumes its ses-
sion next month.
Williams has been giving the sher-
If considerable trouble since he was
locked up here last fall He made an
attempt to escape some weeks ago
and was knocked out by the sheriff's
wife who used big paddock to sub
due the prisoner Williams Christ
mas morning diversion was to set fire
10 his bedding, presumable in the
hope that enough disturbance would
be created to enable him to escape
Attaching a garden hose to the fau-
let in the jail kitchen, the sheriff pro.
ceeded to extinguish the fire. He al
so eXtinguished Williams In order
to make sure that not spark of fire
was left In the cell, the sheriff kept
the hose going until the negro's teeth
rattled like a dancing gypsey girls
castanets. Since his impromptu bath
Williams manner has been much more
3ubdued.
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
FOUND TWO MEN IN
STORE SUNDAY
AFTERNOON
Startling Experience of Mrs. Laura
b. t0,e
METHOD CFENTdkNC A MYSTIRY
Neither Money or Goods Taken by In
truders Who Escaped Through
Rear Door.

Early Sunday afternoon two men
were discovered in the Cole clothing
store by Mrs. Laura Cole. An i'm
mediate alarm was given but the men
escaped through the back door and
their identity has not yet been dis
covered, although the police during
the day made a half dozen arrests on
suspicion. Nothing was taken from
the store and the stock was not dis
turbed.
Mrs. Cole and her two grandsons,
Charles and John, stopped at the
store on their way to church Sunday
forenoon Mrs Cole and the younger
boy remained for the Sunday school
exercises and on their way home
again called at the store. AS she ap
preached the rear end of the store.
Mrs. Cole noticed that the back door
leading into the alley was unlocked.
Suspicious that something was
wrong she again made her way to the
front of the store and as she did so
she noticed a man attempting to con
ceal himself behind the long tables
and at the same time make his way
toward the trap door leading into
the cellar Thoroughly frightened
Mrs. Cole nevertheless kept up a con
versation with the boy until she
reached the front door when she
whispered to the lad that there was
man in the store.
John dashed into the street where
he met Dean l. Martin and Harry K.
Buss who hurried into the store just
in time to see two men rush through
the back door. Tracks showed that the
men jumped the fence in the rear oi
the store and made their escape by
the way of the alley in the rear of the
New England Telephone company's
office
No one of course knows how the
men effected an entrance into the
store. Mr.. Cole is of the opinion thal
they went in and concealed them
selves during Mrs. Coles first visit
to the store Sunday forenoon. An
other theory is that they were in the
store during the rush OF business Sat
urday evening and took that occasion
to conceal themselves in the base
ment
If the men had intended TO commit
they had made no progress
at the time they were. discovered
The drawer of the cash register will
small change still in it was left opel
night, precaution that
always taken to protect the casl
register in case the store should bt
The register is worth man!
times more than the amount
money that is left in it and the pro
prietor prefers that the cash be Sc
handy that thieves will not be tempt
ed to injure the apparatus.
The authorities are convinced tna'
the half dozen strangers picked u
by the police had nothing to do will
the affair at the store. Mr.. Cole is
ready to offer a reward of 500 TO
the apprehension of the guilty par
ties
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
BERLIN PROPOSES
CONFERENCE OF
BELLIGEREn nTS
Reply to President Wilson's Peace
Note Delivered Today
CHOICE OF ROAD LEFT OPEN
Advises That Immediate Meeting Of
Delegates Be Held on Neutral
Ground.

Berlin, Dec. 26-Gernany's reply
TO President Wilson's peace note was
handed today to Ambassador Gerard
to be forwarded to Washington. 1t
proposes meeting of delegates Of
the belligerents nations to be held
at some neutral place named by the
president. The president, "the note
says" points out that which he has in
his heart and leaves open the choice
of the road. To the imperial govern
ment an immediate exchange of views
seems the most appropriate in order
to secure desired results. 1t there
fore begs. in view of the declaration
of December -, which offers its hand
for peace negotiations, to propose an
immediate meeting of delegates at
some neutral place
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26

SPORTING NOTES
Paragraph News Concerning Profes-
sionai and Amateur.

sional and Amateur.
If anybody thinks Johnny Evers is
all in as a major-league player they
should listen to his ambition, express
sed last week. 1t is to play ball long
enough to be the oldest player in
point of service in the National Lea
que. That record is now held by
Hans Wagner of Pittsburg. who is the
only active player in the National
League who was performing when
Evers joined the Cubs in 1902. AS
Wagner started with Louisville in
1897 that means that all the players
between that season and 1902 have
come and gone. The Trojan can
hardly count 1902 as season in the
big show because he did not join the
Cubs until Labor Day of that year, so
that he has actually completed four
teen years in the National League.
Now if he intends TO go after Wag
ner's record he will have to stay up
for six more seasons, but he can gain
the distinction of being the oldest
player in the league by remaining in
harness for one season after Wagner
retires from active play. Chrlsty
Mathewson was ahead of Evers by
two years in making his blgleague
debut but Big Six intends to be a
bench manager of the Reds, leaving
Wagner as the only man who has
played longer in the National League
than Evers.
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
WOULD CALL ALL CANADIANS
Sir Sam Hughes Advocates More
Vigorous Policy.

AS recruiting policy for Canada
Sir Sam Hughes, former minister o.
militia in the Canadian cabinet, in ar
address at Lindsay, Ont, yesterday
advocated the immediate calling oui
OF all single men between the ages Of
is and As, not now exempted unde'
the law for active service training un
der the Canadian militia act. He
declared that the national service
commission was more or less Of
failure and that it would be yea
before the commission could begin to
operate with any effect. Prompt ac
tion is needed, Sir Sam said, and the
calling out Of the single men could
be done under the provisions of the
act. In order, however, to remove
all doubt regarding compulsory serv
ice for overseas, he said, the act
should be amended so that the militia
could be sent abroad for the defense
OF the empire. Under this plan. Sit
Sam asserted, he would undertake tC
have at least from 100000 to 100000
men ready for the front within -four
months.
The former minister of militia
praised the work of the Canadians at
the front and stated that he had
found the British government and the
war Office fully in accord with his
policy of making promotions, as far as
possible, from the ranks on the basis
of merit and efficiency.
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
BENEFIT FOR JEWS
AND AlBAN|ANS
NEXT SUNDAY
Afternoon and Evening Programs
at Bennington Opera House
ORCHESTRA OFFERS SERVICES
Receipts to Be Forwarded to Central
Committees For Jewish and
Albanian Relief.

In view of the continued and in
creasing suffering among the Jews
of Europe and the Jews of Palestine
which has reached such a degree that
it was recently stated to be impos-
sible to find a living baby in the city
of Sodz in Poland with a population
of half a million.
Harry Fischel chairman of the Cen
trail Committee for Relief of Jewish
suffering, has again appealed to
Julius L. Weichman of this place for
another benefit from Bennington to
raise further funds for their relief
The opera house has made arrange
ments to give this benefit on Sunday
December 31st., at p. m, with
a second benefit performance in the
evening. Randles' orchestra of six
pieces give their services free of
charge afternoon and evening.
In view OF the suffering among the
Albanians of the Balkins, which is
described as the most intense of that
of any people in Europe, although
their population is small Mr.. WEIGH
man has arranged that one third of
the profits of this benefit shall be de-
voted to the Albanians and two-thirds
to the vastly greater number of suf-
fering Jews. At this time of feast
ing. rejoicing and happiness, we pray
to you to remember those who can
not feast but starve; who cannot re-
joice but mourn. who cannot be happy
for suffering.
julius l.. Weichman,
Local Treasurer.
The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-26
RAISE MILK PRICE
ISPlANAEO BY
FARMERS
Meeting Called at Manchester
Depot teSt saturday
CLOSE UNION OF PRODUCERS
Effort Under Way to Hold Meeting
To Organize Every County in
New England States

All the milk producers of Benning
ton county are requested to meet in
Odd Fellows hall at Manchester
Depot next Saturday morning, Dec. &c
at 10 o'clock to organize to secure
better prices and better selling con
ditions. The principal speaker will
be John X. Mills Of Northboro, Mass
On the same day similar meetings
are to held in every county in New
England The New England Milk
Producers association has sent ont
notices from which the following
paragraphs are taken:
ITO enable all New England dairy
men to organize in a single day!
"SuCh is the master stroke planned
by the directors, officers and mem
bers of the great New England milk
producers association, cooperating
with the officers of county farmers
associations, county advisers, grang-
es. fair officials and editors OF the
county local press.
Richard Pattee, secretary N E NJ
p A, has issued a call for every cow
owning farmer in each county in each
state of all New England, to meet at
the county seat next week Saturday,
December so, at 10 a. m. An organic
er or representative will be present
at each of these county meetings to
tell all about the n L NJ p A, what it
has done, what it aims TO do what it
can do If every milk producer in New
England join with 1t.
"The idea is better prices for bet
ter milk, cooperative purchase of sup
plies. associated selling. N L Mp A
proposes that the brand MADE in
New England" applied to dairy pro-
ducts. shall become so well and favor.
ably known to New England consum-
ers that every pound of milk and
cream. butter and cheese, consumed
by the millions of consumers in New
England shall be produced in New
England. 1t is believed that this plan
may double the amount of money paid
to New England farmers for dairy
products, eventually. 1t may do more
for agriculture. for the upbuilding and
for the prosperity of rural New Eng.
land than any other one thing.
''No group of American farmers
ever attempted such a sweeping
movement for organization. These
county meetings on December 80 will
be followed up closely by trained
corps Of organizers. Let every milk
producer do all he can to keep push.
ing forward this worthy New England
wide movement
Each county meeting next week
Saturday, December 80, beginning at
10 a. m, will have one or more
speakers from abroad 1t will be un.
der the combined auspices of the az
ricultural leadership OF the county.
II will be provided with full suggest
ions as to Just what to do and how to
do it, provided the farmers present
approve. One plan is that every
township or milk-shipping section,
which is represented by five or more
farmers at this county seat meeting
next Saturday, may complete on the
spot the temporary organization OF
their local union of the N e NJ p A.