The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-14

place and the surgeons are to this
extent cut off from the outside world.
Should we desire to communicate with
friend or to get further particulars
in regard to an official call, we have
had to dress. leave the garage and go
through every sort of weather all the
way to the city home office before we
could get at telephone with out
side connections. When / faced the
prospect of an additional term OF
ambulance service made "a very mild
effort to Improve the garage equip
ment: that is to say, | asked for a
telephone.
Asked for Phone I'm Garage.
"On January !, in common with DR..
Lipnick, the other ambulance surgeon,
addressed to the administrative
board a very respectful and surely
very reasonable request for a tele-
phone service i'll the garage. am
prepared to produce copy OF this
letter and wish the administrative
board would publish IT, After waiting
about two weeks, 7 was astonished to
receive from the board curt refusal
TO grant the request. Thereupon
'agatn with DR.. Lipnick) / sent the
board a second letter. expressing re-
greet at this action, informing them
~-t''' AZ WV Va AJstIi w
contribute in this modest degree to
the comfort of the ambulance sur
geons, | would live at the garage as
long as my contract required and no
longer. In other words on April /.
1917. ] would retire from the an1bu-
lance and go back into the hospital.
copy of this letter I am prepared to
furnish for publication should any
body desire it.
Alleges He Was Inst,ited.
This constituted my entire cores
pondence with the board. About this
time. however, an unfortunate Incl
dent occurred, One day last week
while in the hospital / was approached
in a most insulting manner by John
Hirschberg. who seems to forget at
times that the hospital residents are
physicians and gentlemen who not
only expect but demand some respect
This incident was so excessively ex
asperating to me and a third person
(whose name do not care to involve
in this controversy that ii immedi
ately led 10 another incident. in the
course Of which | told John Hirsch-
and In language which ] have no
doubt was quite plain I also imme-
diately wrote my resignation 70 take
effect at once, for ! had no desire 20
remain longer IN an institution domi
mated by Mr.. liirschberg / do not
propose to go INTO details of these in
cidents. although ! am perfectly will
ing 70 d. SO at the proper time, II
necessary, / wish il 20 be understood
however that this affair with my
rcsiEnation) was entirely separate and
distinct from the telephone matter, in
connection with which ! had no idea
or leaving the hospital urrtt my term
expired in July. but merely to quit
th~ garage.
About that time ! learned two other
things. | discovered that l was mis-
taken tn supposing that our contra ~ a
specified three months in each ser
VICE. This arrangement has simply
been a custom and not q law. / also
discovered that the administrative
board regarded my second letter as
threat This was entirely foreign 20
my purpose. l do not deal in threats.
My letter was simply a plain and ox-
plicit statement 10 the board OF ms
intentions under certain circumstance
which they had created | WA no
longer arguing for tn. phone. but in
forming tho hoard that after April /
would expect to live elsewhere than
at the garage However. to remove
all doubt on this point, I acceded to
the request 81 Il hospital 3fnClAI TN
tereSted in both sidesl TO sign a state
ment TO the board written by this
Officially stating that the letter was
not intended as a threat. Although
had resigned and expected to leave,
| did this because ! was toli there
was some indication that the board
would change It's mind with reference
to tho phone and | thought Ii might.
he Of service to my successor
The Grundy Incident
This constituted my entire rona2c-
ton with this affair. | had absolutely
nothing 10 do with the Grunty Incl.
dent. Some other inferno Will have
to explain this. SO far as am con-
cerned all tina; has happened is THIS;
% I asserted what I though to he
my right to refuse to live longer than
April IN surroundings which the ad-
ministrative board refused 10 Improve
10 the slight extent OF installing a
telephone, (2) I resented what re-
garded as an insult by John HirSch-
berg.
For this the board has meted out
/; has ignored my resig-
nation and discharged me. taking
UP the cudgels from Mr.. Hirschbare
instead Of letting him settle his differ
ences with me personally Further
more. the newspapers OF the city with
unintentional injustice, ! am sure.
have done great damage 10 my name
and repute, I have now stated the
other side and leave It to the public