Evening star., 1926-04-08

surgeons OF the different homes.
Surely q Jury trial ought to be had In
these cases. especially when 1t ap-
pears that men have been committed
to the hospital who were not insane.
This report also stated that there
has been loose management OF the
finances OF the institution: there have
arisen good manv abuses. ~
Mr.. BlantOn said that AS Frede~
A. Fenning was merely q PRIV SO
lawyer and not then a public officis l..
he was not mentioned in the report, :"
but emphasizes that he was mentioned
In the evidence. He quotes a state
ment by former Representative Fra nh
Clark OF Florida, in the presence Of
Mr.. Fenning at these hearings, as
follows:
we expect to show, Mr.. Cha irma n,
that 1t has been the custom OF DR..
White to go into court in lunacy
proceedings and ask for a writ OF
lunacy to be issued In the case Of
some old soldier incarcerated In the
asylum. and that 1t was his invari-
able practice in the petition for the
writ to name Mr.. Fenning as the
proper person TO be named as the
committee of the lunatic, Mr.. Eenning
being an attorney here in the city
We expect to show that usually the
attorney who drafted the petition was
Mr.. Fennings law partner, and that
he received a fee. Mr.. Fenning. as
the committee, received fee OF 10
per cent. and the court officials re-
ceived fees. all out of the pittance due
to the old soldier by the Government.
Our fnsistence In that man should
not he ncarcera ted In this hospital for
the insane until his insa nifty has been
determined
FeDning Accused ~ Interference.
Mr.. Bis nton stated that while Mr..
Clark was denied the right to qles.
tlon witnesses, Mr.. t'en,ing "butted
IN, attempting to discredit Witnesses -
Mf. Rlanton quoted testimony against
Mr.. Fenning 90 wears ago at the
hearings by Judge A. ". Thomas
under oath, as follows:
have had several abeas corpus
cases, in bringing inmates before
the courts. Mr.. Fennins, a member
of the law firm Of COidren and Fen.
ming, practicing attorneys. was com
mtttee. So ] examined III" records
of the supreme Court of the Dist riot
OF columbia. and | found that iron,
September s. 1904. to November oS
1903, Mr.. Frederick A. F4nring had
been appointed committee in - ca ses
bI the court: that fully three .folrths
=" those ca ses were eases IL ofd
soldiers. The old soldiers in tbe
great ma jority of those .s-.ir
nearly all. In fact-were pensionsrs
! found that in nearly all of those
thfee-fourths of the ~ cases he was
appointed the committee Of the
| soidier upon the petition of The liner
intendent, DIR. William \. White Uho
recommended and suggested his an
pointment. I found tn1t the ne,it;or
OF Supt. White was dra wn IN n. 10,
| terhead and on the legal ca %. ma ner o nd
other paper of the law irm OF Co,dre =
ana Fennine. | found that the rec
ofds showed that the law Arm o,
,oiaien and Fenning represented the
peutionerf w. A. White. in The rro
'eeoihgs. found thai In looking
49, me papers that Mr.. Coidren, tins
Jaw partner of Mr. Eenuipy u.a.
- sing ana was allowed Tee for
nra"ing these petitions of $40 sis
go and in some "a sec s3o Ths -.
'hs or the petition MAS mere tri,..,
matter. Any attorney cou,d DIV
1na' very readily. found that yben
.n- petition was sent to the court i
" usually accompa MED br tn. III
ua.h of two of the racticiue mr..
icians under SALARY. al the ssvi,,,,
ror that. fh many ca,cs Ia ,rhinh
s-uement has been maze yf ;he p. &c
ny Mr FeDhing. they bava recei,.Sd =
Zee oi SlO or more. III. occu,red -,
me that the interest of Nj. E-enni,.,,
ina,n ~, ;nese cases was not that of a mere
indifferent person. '''-'e
charged Committee Inn.
IN" courts usually appoint q coro.
'hittee Tor the ward of the Cov.r,,
hieht ana sometimes the court on
po'n.s attorneys, but the appointmen,
~ not sought after. nor is /, sn,,e,t,,
,.I. ds source OF revenue.
~ seemed to me that Mr.. Feppino,s
S.s.;u :" the ease was that Of a pro-
on", ~. committeeman. and in that
ne was largely aided by Sunt VIII.
who in nine-tenths Of IN. cases n.,.
gested his appointment II occ,rrsa
10 me that the appointment Of com
mittee. In these cases seemed sInar.
nuous. The pensions >of the old so,-
oiers amount to 81 200 or 81 D00.
Ciuhg...a particular. case. .A,dge
nomas said that Mr. Jennings at
tltnde mas not been one such as an
Ordlnary committeeman would show
he mas placed every obstacle and de-
lay ne could to investigate the ma ma
sa nity. Judge Thomas also testif,ed
that Judge Stafford said to Mr.. Zen.
ming:
This money belongs to this man.
ne ~ entitied to 1t; and / order you
~ pay oown $500 cash now to him.
ana then you can determine the rest !"
Specific Case cited. --
Calling attention TO Mr.. Fennips =
CONQUER a. guardian for veteran n OF
'he C1et war. Mr. Blspton said:
one OF the said wards of Mr.. Fen.
ming. about whom Judge Thomas tas.
tihed. Mr.. William J. Losue.; under
oath testified at said hearing that he
served In the Federal Army during
the C1vil War. and continued to serve
IN said Army for 20 years; that he
nad been drawing pension since
1855; that he was sent to st. Eliza :.
beth In 1899: that after six years he
secured his release by order OF court
on habeas corpus; that Fennine had
received $64S of his money. and that
all he ever got was {lS while in 81
Eliza beth and $200, which the court
ordered Fenning to pay him.
can any one conceive of more
horrible Injustice? Thie faithful old
soldier. Sc Years old who had Iowa ily
served his country throughout the
Civil War and for 20 years thereaf er,
was forcibly segregated from the rest
OF the world and buried behind the
IRON bars OF st. Elibs beth for six long
years when he was not of unssund
mind but sane. and was not onlv
, proven Of sound mind by a jury. but
was certified to be of sound mind by
DR. William A. White himself. when
Judge A. w. Thomas forced hea ring
before the courts. And during this
time Mr.. Frederick A. Fenning had
exploited his money and had made
every attempt, possible to prevent his
regaining his deserved liberty"
Mr.. Blanton also quoted extensively
from the record OF the hearing re.
gardiDg the confinement. of Miss Cor.
nelia f. Cnrhett and ha. ..,a.La