Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1923-07-20
SPEND MONEY
LEFT COUNTY
COUNTY INMATES TO PRO-
FIT FROM MONEY LEFT
BY HERMAN STEIN.
(From Idaho Co. Free Press)

(frOm ldanO 20. Free PreSS) |
Modern electric lights are
soon to replace obsolete tallow
candles as means of illuminat-
ing inmates rooms at the Idaho |
county poor farm.
Board of county commissions
ers on Monday arranged with |
the Grangeville Electric Light
and Power Co., for wiring of the
county home and furnishing
electric current to the institu-
ton.
Few persons perhaps are
aware that old-fashioned tallow
candles have been generally used
at the poor farm for lighting
bedrooms of certain of the in
mates. Because of feeble condi-
ton of many of the county
charges, it has been thought in
advisable to permit them to
have coal oil lamps in their
rooms, fearing the lamps would
be upset, an explosion would
ensue, and the building would be
burned to the ground. For that
reason, it is explained, the
steward at the poor farm has re-
quired that the inmates use
only tallow candles for such
light as may be provided in their
rooms at night.
In other pants of the building.
however, coal oil lamps have
been in use, for in these rooms
attendants at the home could
keep careful watch to prevent
fire.
Inmates of the poor farm can
thank a suicide for delivering
them from the semi-darkness of
candle hight to the modern illum-
nation of electricity. On Dec.
10, 1911, Herman Stein, ma
tive of Germany, killed himself
in his home in the Winona
country. He owned 100 acres
of land had money in the bank.
On the day of his suicide,
Stein wrote a will in German on
scrap of paper, in which he
gave all the cash he possessed to
one Peter Rase, and the residue
of his property he devised to
Idaho county for use on the poor
farm.
A translation of part of the
will reads.
Being that life is burden to
mel make an end of same. After
my death, the cash money shall
be paid to Peter Rase. The rest
of my estate shall go to Idaho
county, and shall be used on the
poor farm"
STEMS ranch, comprising 100
acres, was sold by the board of
county commissioners on Jan.
10, 1918, to Frances E. and VIII
liam Kitchen, of Winona, for
$500. A part of the money has
already been used in improve
ments on the poor farm, but
$568.25 remains, and it is this
money that will be devoted to
installing electric lights in the
county home.
Keeper of Poor Farm.
The board on Monday con-
tracted with Frank Cummings of
Grangeville, for maintenance of
the poor farm from Oct. Is, 1923
to Oct. 49,, 1925. Cummings
agreed to provide board and
room for the inmates at $3.50 a
month, each. Charles Goan bid
| S14, and G. A. Anderson, SIS.
| Walter Rice, present steward at
the poor farm, filed no bid. He
} has been receiving SIS a month
for each inmate. In addition to
the amount paid, the county pro-
vides clothing and tobacco for
: the inmates. The steward is
given use of the farm free of
} charge.
The board on Thursday
: awarded Bert Brockman con-
tract for forty tons of Majestic
) Utah coal, at $12.45 a ton.
Madison Lumber. company was
the only other bidder for coal.
| The Madison company bid from
} $12.65 to $3.50 a ton for vari-
l Gus kinds of coal. The board had
, advertised for bids on twenty
cords of wood, but no bid for
: wood was received.
$500 For Agriculture Hall.
Eight hundred dollars was