Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-07
HOT WORDS
UTE REL
AS SENATE
PROBES ON.
Commandant Of Milford Sol
dierS' Home Calls Sen. Brad
street Legislative Bully"
MayfieId Talks Back Also.
From a Staff Correspondent.

Lincoln, March 6.-Characteriz-
ing the senate investigation of the
sailors and soldiers home at Mil
ford, and the charges that had been
made against him as dirty politics" I"
Commandant Hensley OF that insti-
tuition gave dramatic finale to the
hearing before Chairman Gerdes
and Eugene Mayheld of the Board
of Control, when he referred to
Senator Bradstreet, chairman of the
senate investigation committee, as
a Legislative bully"
The scene occurred at the con-
clusion of the hearing, when all of
the evidence was in, and after the
different attorneys had summed up
the case.
Senator Gives Orders.
Senator Bradstreet had just given
orders to the members of the Board
of Control to remedy certain con-
ditions at the soldiers home at
Milford in the next "a hours, and
to remove Commandant Hensley as
soon as a competent successor could
be appointed under the penalty of
losing their own official heads for
failure to comply with his orders.
IF you don't put proper man at
that institution to take care of the
morals of the young men and wo-
men of that institution right away"
was the substance of his threat, Il
will take steps to go farther than
you will want" A
Calls Him Bully.
1t was then that Hensley unloosed
his heavy guns of rhetoric. He char
acterized the threat of the senator
from Hall county as an insult to
the board.
IF you don't behead Hensley.
we will behead you, is his threat"
said the commandant of the Milford
institution.
Gentlemen don't be afraid that
the people of Nebraska will endorse
a strutting usurper in an action of
this kind. Don't be dismayed by the
words Of legislative bully" a..
The hearing before the Board of
Control on Commandant Hensley
started at 2 o'clock in the afternoon
and was held in the audience room
of that body. Chairman Gerdes pre-
sided. with Commissioner Mayfield
as associate. Commissioner Hol-
comb was not present owing to i'll
ness.
Basis of Hearing.
No formal charges had been Off
cially presented to the board by the
senate committee regarding Com
mandant Hensley and the hearing
wa held at his request.
A report made by the senate in
vestigating committee regarding
certain housing conditions for the
hired help at the institution and the
recommendation that the comman-
dant be removed in favor of a
younger man was made the basis
of the hearing. Senator Weaverling
of Frement acted as attorney for the
senate committee and Commandant
Hensley, who is an attorney, ap-
peared in his own behalf.
1t was stipulated that as most of
the evidence that would be present.
ed would be OF hearsay nature,
such evidence would be accepted.
Chairman Gerdes stated that the
hearing would be based on the
charges that had been made in the
committee report that there
were certain bad housing conditions
at the home and that the command
ant was incapacitated by age from
being a proper executive for the in
stitution
Hint at immortality.
Senator Weaverling stated to the
members of the board that the evil
dence would show that improper
conditions for the help at
the institution led to immortality in
that the sleeping apartments for
the hired help of the soldiers home
consisted of nine rooms on the sec
ond floor Of the laundry building
and that men and women alike, the
latter girls Of from 10 to l8 years,
slept on the same floor and that
some of the rooms were unlocked
because no keys could be had for
them.
The senator said that none of the
employees was married and that
there was nd restraint on them and
that TRUSTEES from the state peni-
tentiary were employed at the in
stitution and that at one time three
of these convicts were there.
A girl who had been employed at
the institution was in delicate way
because OF these conditions and re-
ports had come in to the effect that
three others were living in Milford,
who had become the same way at
the institution and who had forced
men to marry them to prevent dis
grace.
Women Take Hand.
When the hearing began it devei-
oped that Mrs. William s. Jay, po-
licewonan Of Lincoln, and Mrs. Hill
dreth, president of the Woman's
club Of Lincoln, had accompanied