The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-13

OF #brattleDOTo IN Want ana IdlElf cu' H
titled to relief under the terms of the
trust and the DEGREES of this honorable /
court have refused to bind themselves /
as demanded by the said trustee Brad I
ley or by his agents, and as result |
have been refused all aid
ssThese defendants aver that it was
not the intention of the testator, as
manifested in his will, and that the de-
crees of this honorable court herelnbe- |
fore reeited, and do not intend that the |
said trust to be thus administered, do |
not intendsethat applicants for relief
Hereunder should he subject to need.
less humiliation and indignity- And
part of the trustee Bradley, hereinbe- |
fore set forth, gwereYin violation, both |
of the will and spirit of the said trust
and the DEGREES of said-court.
And defendants further say that the
income of the said trust available for
charitable uses in the town of Brat |
tleboro, according to the provisions of
the will and the DEGREES of this court
has at all times been large and fully
sufficient to cover the cases of appli-
cants who applied for and who are
fairly entitled to relief, and the rea-
SOndple Requirements VI ouSh oPPii
cants.
The answer next takes up the ques-
| tian of the Brattleboro Memorial hos
pital, which was erected by the trus-
tees The defendants state that for a
| long time after the hospital was trans
ferred to Vermont corporation char
| tered for that purpose, which was on
| July 5, 1904, the hospital received from
| the trustees annually $4,000. They
state that before the bringing of this
petition the trustees in the exercise of
their discretion reduced the amount to
| $4,000, which is the present amount
annually contributed from the trust
| fund.
They state that tae amount former
| ly allowed, $4,000, was no more than
was reasonably. necessary for carrying
on the hospital under the court IS decree,
| that the reduction, which came between
two and three years ago, came at a time
| when the cost of food, supplies, coal
and labor had considerably increased.
The cost has since increased enormously
1 and the $12 1000 q year is wholly mad
| equate, the answer says.
AS a result the hospital has been
compelled to use more of its beds and
rooms for paying patients, reducing the
i Accommodations for the classes contem
/ plated by the will and the court. There
has been little or no money available
for upkeep of the plant and buildings,
/ which have been suffered to fall into
disrepair, and the efficiency of the plant
! has been seriously diminished.
This reduction in allowance, the de-
/ PENDANTS say, has been made arbitrarily
no valid reason therefor being sugges-
ted by Mr. Bradley or his agents, and
. while the failing efficiency has been
] called to Mr. Bradley IS attention it has
been ignored by him. 1t is asserted
that Mr.. Bradley attempts to justify
the refusal to adequately support the
hospital upon the ground that the eiti-
zens of Brattleboro ought to contribute
more substantially to its support than
they have been doing, which the defen-
) dants say is not practical matter. II
is declared that under present condi-
tions the hospital to properly carry on
its work requires about $4,000 year
The defendants further say it was
! provided by the decree of the court
! March 10, 1901, that among the chari-
{ table purposes for which the trustees
might expend money was included "ths
: care and support of aged or disabled
s persons of said classes in a home for
s that purpose. either by itself or in
) connection with q hospital, or other
8 wise.p By the words sfof said classes
{ the court referred to poor seamstresses
8 needlewomen and shop girls of Brat
s tleboro. No home ever has been estab
s lished by the trustees, and there are
! numerous aged and disabled persons
: of said classes in Brattleboro who are
without means who are fairly entitled
4 TO reasonable care and support from the
g trustees. In some of those eases, ii il
i asserted, aid has been wholly refused
= and in others it has been insufficient
g and in many eases those entitled to care
s and support have been put to need
8 less humiliation and indignities by tht
Z trustee Bradley and his agents, i'm
s pressing upon them that they are dis
6 grazing themselves and making them
8 selves objects of charity, which is con
9 trary to the spirit and purpose of tn
= testator and the DEGREES of the court.
81 1t is further asserted that the trus
8 tees have expended large sums of mon
& ey for purposes alleged to be charitabl
& other than those set forth in the viii
. some of which are reasonable and pre-
. per, but others are not within the pun
. view of the will or the court s decree
8 The, defendants particularly object t
g the unauthorized expenditure of none
g in Wisconsin. Michigan Buffalo, Dels
g ware and Massachusetts,, for allege
8 charitable objects, and in Vermont OIL
s er than in Brattleboro and vicinity, il
s asmuch as they have been made at III
= expense of the particular objects c
charity in Brattleboro and Rhinebecl
The defendants represent that tt
two-thirds of the income of the estat
decreed for expenditure. in Brattlebol
is not more than sufficient, if indeed
is sufficient to adequately, care for tt
classes named, the carrying on of tt
objects with regard to which the d
PENDANTS make no objection.
1t is denied by the defendants thu