The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-05
CONDITIONS HELD ID BE ASTOUNDING
 IN SOLDIERS HOME
Secret Investigation Shows $50 Ex-Service Men LiV- ing in Virtual Den of
 Vice and Corruption
By Associated Press

Washington August 4.-Condttions at the Johnson City. Tenn, old Sul- diers home are so deplorable that anless Congress acts immediatelf casualties will be proportionately higher than occurred in/ the World war. Director Forbes of the bureau ce war risk insurance declared today before Senate committee.
 Agents of the bureau have just completed a secret investigation of the institution, in which are quar- tered nearly $50 former service men and who, Colonel Forbes declared, were living under astounding cond- 70 alty.
 The war risk head brought as a witness M P. McInerenY, the agent who made the investigation and wto lived for a week as patient" at the home. The latter told the commit tee of having bought morphine, moonshine whisky and extract of ginger containing 9b per cent alco- hol on the home reservation, related how intoXication was common among the former service men and how im- moral women overrun every section of the grounds on which the insti- tuition is located.
 The witness said he had encoun tered many patients who carried guns and defed the guards to take the firearms away. There was absolute ly no discipline he added, and the patients ran the place to the extent of forcing the executive officers 'c withdraw the guards from the dining room" Loaded dice and mark ed cards, he declared. were supplied ly parasites" from the outside and pa tents drained" all the money given them by the government.
 should Be Indicted
 As MT. McInereny gave detail after detail of his weeks experience, which ended Monday, Senator Walsh, demo- crat, Massachusetts, demanded that the situation be laid before Attorney General Daughterty for action He declared that all of those in authority at the home and whom he said had appeared to have permitted the condi- tion ito continue should be indicted for malfeasance in office.
 No action was taken by the com mittee, however hut Mir. Walsh de- clared that the sending of former service men to such hell houses has got to stop"
 tOiOiltI TOi Dto d6diH SA PiaihNN " the committee how Hrs bureau was unable to correct the evils through lack of Jurisdiction over the soldiers home, which is administered by the federal board controlling all such in- stitutions. He declared he felt it his duty to make public his findings however, in order that public senu- ment might wipe out the curse which he said his investigation had showed existed.
 The institution, the director said was inadequately officered, did not have sufficient doctors and nurses and needed additional guards who could isolate 1t from the hordes which he said daily marched onto the prey that awaited them among the pa tents. many of whom, he declared were mentally not responsible for their acts" He pleaded for welfare societies to lend their aid, and MT McInerney said an unsolicited ana fertile field awaited them.
 Chairman Sutherland of the com mittee put into the record 8 letter and affidavits from seven patients at the Rest Haven sanitarium Wau- keska, Wis, asking for an investiga- tion of that institution. The former service men declared they had been subjected to inhuman treatment and that facilities for their care and at tention were inadequate.