The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, May 9, 1883, Page 2

it stn tarctrsinniantiaieadiene i! ! i ! | i _ =By source. “HELL ON EARTH.” %he Name Sestowed Upon tie) Pettis County Almshouse-. seone of Suffering, Hunger, Filth, , s Disease and D.rt. B Little Investigation That Should Bemind the People that T-wks- bury 1s not so Far Away— A Visitto the Almbouse and the Developments it Lea To. rom the Sedalia Democrat. The remarkable revelations made in the almshouse, at Tewksbury, Mass., have led to a succession of | inquiries respecting the public insti- tutions throughout the country, and | The sheets and blankets | with i there had been no changing or clean- ng done tor full one They | ard all she would [Ag ing less than a mass of heavy said are the patients lice, and month. aid when a person was the farm he was put in the same |room andsame bed with another, no matter how diseased, filthy or bug-ridden the one or the other | | house in might be. THE BUILDING, in which the-poor are kept, is abeut | one hundred and fifty tect trom the which the overseer lives, | but, it is said he does not visit them | dead; and the everywhere the authoritics are un- earthing instances of mismanage-_ ment, injustice and cruelty not at all creditable to our christianity and The Democrat. has maintained abiding and with a civilization. beretofere faith in Missouri and it was theretere an her charity, teeling ef pride that it turned toward the | Pettis county almshouse—more as a matter of routine than with the e¢x- an pectation of finding with a consciousness that there be satisfactory. even the rich comes forward with a story of n lect that can only be excused upon the ground of public pelicy, or the adoption of a system that works the sankest injustice and wrong to a poor and helpless portion e@mmunity. In examining the mat- ter it was discovered that Pettis county only allowed a weekly ap- propriation of $1 35 for the support and maintenance of each poor per- son, making assurance doubly sure that either the paupers must be neg- ected, er the Superintendent must contribute of his own substance’ ‘to alas! But, eg keep the paupers alive. The alms- houes is located about twelve miles south of the city, hemmed in by farms, and unapproachable from The building is utterly werthless, and is scarcely fit for an asdinary barn. The farm consists of only fifteen acres of ground, mdifferent cultivation, and scarcely | «apacitated for public yield. With this information gleaned, the Dem- | ocrat forwarded a reporter on a tour of investigation, THE REPORTER ARRIVED ai the farm about o'clock. snany of the patients as could move about met him some drstance from their rooms. They were, however, doomed to disappointment, tor they supposed the reporter was the phy- 4ician er some one of authority, who would hear their appeals tor reliet. it . tt did not require any very close =crutiny to satisfy the reporter that is0 much misery and woe was the | jot of the poor unfortunates. The weglect ot the patients, as told by them and eyidenced by every ap- pearance, is indeed cruel and crim- saal, Aged, sick and utterly ess Woman were moaning in misery, writhing in torment and groaning in agony, but there was no voice ot sympathy and no hand of charity to cheer them or relieve their horrible seffering. rmyates, all ot whom imbeciles and imvalids, there has been no xt- ling- are tention given to these who are i on the threshold with only the slender. at time’s jragile thread twilight holding them in snisery. The reporter went threngh every dey with ‘all the eamates, and the scenes that Dartiment and met his maze, and the stori to relate. and sive to the place as are horrible certainly the merited name “HELL ON EARTH.” ef the | As} help- | item—and | all would i and cultured Pettis ; | { i | \ Excepting the other im-} of eternity | that he heard, : { The rooms in which the peo: un-, wortunates are stored like brutes. are ss unhealthy and unfit for human! Eabitation as the filthiest and most weglected pig style inthe land. The *tmiesphere is as toul ag is pessible tor itto be, and really suffocating tOa Derson Rot used to Only a Sew moments at atime, ceuld the stporter remain in any one the veoms, the kitchen and dining reem act accepted. The eid, . infirm, ja- rotic, discased and lousy are crowd- wdtogether in the same rooms and came bed. The bunks, called beds. are noth- ot | dom | begging oftener than once a month, that During often. the and sel- i re- i was told to “turn that she *thad all there was for brought to! die:”” her, over and One of the inmates, James van, said that not long since one! ! man died and that tor days betore his death he had not been given any | medicine, and got his food so irreg- ' porter’s stay atthe tarm yesterday, | he did net venture near the place to | see whether the sick were living or inmates said he days, not been inthe building tor and the last time he did come was to had } put a poor, miserable diseased luna- | tic ia a room with two old helpless m to hrs fate. creatures, and leave | found tl ularly and scantily that starvatien hastened his death, it not caused it; that only an hour betore his death, two ot the other inmates drink ot sour milk, which was all they could get for him. When he gave hima, There is no Doubt sur what Dry Goods, Clothing and Groceries ——BEOUGHT OF— Geo UU o SS EE CY HE’ Ho _A'T VIRGINIA— as cheap as such goods can be obtained for in Butler. A $6,000 stock as good an assortment as can be found in the country is guaranteed. Give Him A_ Trial. be ean died they said there was no one Pree | ent except the inmates ec OF THE TWENTY.ONE one whe at the farm, there is not ied able tohelp himself or The re G self. except the few idiots into the kitchen dinner, and porter went thev ere preparing the stories of the paupers had not be ggerated in regard her- where | There the poor creature lies and suf- | to their feed. There was a string | jers and moans, and begs, butno one | of fat bacon, about t aches long | comes to admmter to his wants. He | and one }one-h nehes square, | isas neglected as though he was | to make the dinner twenty-one | thrust into this cungeon to dic and | half-starved, and dying people The | rot. Hess the most horrible speci- | tood that has been given them fer men of humanity that the reporter! months, they said, is as follows: | ever looked on. For days he has | For breakfast, two bi , a little! lain in his own wallow unable to | molasses, and a cup of v poor move, and almost blind from the ac- | coffee; for dinner, ano of fat cumulation oi filth and dirt that no | bacon, a potato and eup of water or one has dared to wash from his face | sour milk. This is all, only two r sweep from his room. | meals a day. and last winter, when IN ONE ROOM. the overse thogs, they were] was old Mrs. Brinnon, about sixty | made te eat the lights. The build- years old, with allher limbs paralyz- | ings are not fit to keep stock in. ed, and her body covered with lice | They consist ot a tier of stalls, en- (andthe other inmates said mag- |} closed with rough board lumber set gets). This peor helpless creature | on end and the crevices in many has lain there tor days and weeks un- able to move limb, crying and praying for ease and reliet. The story told of her is terrible to relate. The reporter asked as manyas five or six, and they allsaid that the over- seer and wife paid no more attention had nourish- a to the poor creature thanif she That theenly she got was when one beena hog. mentor tood of the idiots could feed her a little sour milk and soaked bred. pititul, would be induced to Her moans and prayers were and often, in her she for help, would run down her furrowed cheaks She ¥ for and the next would ‘oh! mother, mother. God have vity and take me from my These means and wails of sorrow and agony plead and tears as from a broken heart. as one moment “*son, say, your misery.”” an- guish, the reporter lisened to, and as | he witnessed the suffering of the poor woman, a tear ot sympathy found its way bown his cheek as well as those who were standing and lying near. But no words of symvathy or pity came trom the other house, only afew yards distant. In another room was ANNIE WILLIAMS, When the reporter entered the roam and found her in such misery and so near dying with consumption. eter- nity, he refrained fren) asking her any questions, but he took a look her bed-and its at surroundings. white at the long sheet may have been but it was one time, in The dirt on the floor leoked as though it had been unmolested tora century, and the vessels ‘nthe room had evi- aently remained untouched for days. The order ot the room was unbeara- Thej ago, } ‘ | } | feeble; places are fully an inch wide andrun from ceiling to floor. The doors do} not fit, and some of them are without proper fastenings. suffered terribly, trom cold and hun- zer. with straw (probably a year or two ago) and « couple of woolen blankets —two of the beds had one sheet each. The following names com- prise the lst of these whom cruel fate has doomed to linger out a mis- erable existence a thousand fold worse than death, and their condi- tions: Stephen Hendricks, idiot; Tohn Ludman, in ill health: Dennis Connors aad James O’Brien, old and . Brinnon, very old and paralyzed; Sarah Simpson, idiot; Lucy Nichols. vermin; Nellie, sick and covered with (colored) enciente; **Sulk,"’ a crazy negress; a little col- ored idiot; Nancy Sykes, sick for years; James Canavan, rheuma- tics; Henry Plum idiot; Danicl Heolahan, old and infirm George McCougan, decaying health; Annie Williams, consumption; John Lina- han and Filhs Logan, aged negress: Peter Downley, pauper, John Sul- lvan, almost blind; Thomas Ford, poisoned. Atter a thorough and caretul in- spection ot all the dismai, din gy surroundings of the poor fortuna tes, reporter hastened away with a sigh of reliet to breathe again the purer air of t gloomy, un- the he broad prai- ries that lie between the Queen City and the Pettis county house. which ts to say the least, a reproduc- poor tion in a small way of the Massachu setts farfamed Tewksbury | house. | { ble to one not used to it, and of itself | sufficient to produce sickness and disease. Poor, weak Annie lay her bed—if it is worthy of bed—and begged for on the name something } teeat. The reporter remained in! the reom as long as he could stand } deal of set out in Northwest Reports say that a great timber is bein Missour. s In Holt county two men have set out 10.000 trees each. A Vexed Ciergyman. Even the patience ot Job would become exhausted were he a preacher and en- : the atmosphere and passed into an- | deavoring to interest his audience while ether room. He was called back inte Annie Williams’ room. and she with tears in her eyes, and a leok ot despair, asked ina feeble, deathly :verce, “Cam you do anything for “Oh, get me something te! Then she peinted to the only | food that had been given her that | me?” eat.”” day. Te was a biscutt and a tin can | ot water with molasses in it. The reporter asked another pauper in the | same room if that was all that hag! build a vlank read from Piketo; | Stoddard county, been given the sick woman the day, and the anSwer was and all th. dunng “Yes, at she has had fora week. } | the y were keeping up an incessant cough- ing, making it impossible for him to be heard. Yet, howvery easy can all this be avoided by simply using Dr. King’s New D.scovery for consumption, coughs and colds, Trial bettles given away at F hi. Crumley & Co’s, drugstore, No.2 Col. Ware, of Spencerspurg, has made this season 666 peunds of ma- ple sugar and a large quantity efsyr- up. A company kas been fermed to to Oran. Scett } county. The Perryville Union says wheat The question was then asked why | centinues to be reported as loekine 4 he gtk she did nc task fer something, and} promising in Perry county. Last winter they | } | | } *‘Vhe beds consist of ticks filled | alms } | { i } Agents wan 1 Co, 46 ESTABLISHED 1870. PATIENTS S. WHEELER & CO. Successors to C. IN Groceaies Barb Fence Wire, Bulk Seeds, and DEALFUS Hardware, Iron, Steel, Wagon Wood-work HIDES & FURS —In Biz Demanad— ST. LOUIS PRICES FOR ——All Kinds O1— FURS ‘LOUIS HOFFMAN —ON North Main Street, - BL er & Nolf Mai LER, MO st (North | Two Doors South of The land examine our goods and We cordially invite the public to ca prices and or themselves fae we keep none but the best orthwest Cor. Square - - - - BUTLER. MO M. PAT«Y, Is now receiving and wili continue to receive a tull Hine of Groceries and Queensware, Goods, and will compete in Prices and Quality of with any firm in the city. STORE ON SOUTH SIDE PUBLIC, SQUARE. 21 tt BUTLER, MO. SEA INABLE GOODS IINNEAPOLIS TWINE BINDERS REAPERS BUCKEYE CULFIVATORS, i AND MOWERS, AIN WAGONS, RACINE SPRINC WACONS. TOP BUGGIES AT it. R. DEACON DEALER, MISSOURI, ELARDWARE BUTLER, Administrator's Notice. Notice is hereby given, that letters ot Administration upon the estate ot G. B. Sharp deceased, have been granted to the undersigned, by the Bates county Pro bate court, in Batcs county Mo. § bearing date the 25th day of April 1553. sons having claims against said POSITIVELY CURED BY Benson's Capcine All per- are required to exhibit them to her allowance, ithin one year from the date or they of said letters, y be preciuded from any bene t exh be fo Stray keg iee as y by J. dot Deepwater township, Bates co Mo., Porous Plasters. and posted betore the undersigned Jus- tice of the peace one dark sorrel ue four years old about fifteen and a_ halt Reasons Why they are Preferred to Ait Other Porous Piasters or External hands high, right hindtoot white, blaze : edtes: in the tace, knot on letthind leg cut on left fore leg no other marks or brands First. percievable and appraised at 355.0% DY Al Slayback, 1. V- Snodgrass ar a Snedgrass, April 24th, 183 - : aition therets ne aes 22 4t-* Wm. SnopGrass-. jf. P. ve vegctable combination which acts with i : , counter irritant cect, ne’ SMaatire om : . | Because ares, LS FREE! CARDS AND CHROMO. | anvicnandtercopised ty inepotaaee —_ Third. We will send free by mail! 4 saiuple set j mecmeee ey are the only plasters that reiieve of ovr large German, French and Ameri- pate st once. can C!romo Cards, en tinted aad geid Feurth. grounds, with a price list of over 290 dit- | SEO terent designs, on meee astamp for! even relist: postage. We willalso send t Fifth. as samples, ten of our beautit cofeerty tstited at they are ‘Spewstcrtond on receipt of ten cents to. pay ior | Other plasters or medicines for externa! ise, sixth. ing and postage; also enclose. 2 confid tial price list of our sarge oil chromos. Address F- Gi i & Bos'on, Ma: j Because the mansfactarers heve recei Goly muudalo evacgieen Sermereunphaeee, 7 Benson's Capcine Porous Plaster! SEABURY & JOHNSON, Manufacturing Chemists, New Tork. SURE a AT LASP. Price MEAD’? Wedicated CORN ant BUMION PLA: PLASTER. ~Dealers in— GROCERIES —AND-~ \Q UEENSWARE BUTLER, MU. tt no GO, ILL -——~ * ORANGE, MASS. ANTA, GA-—— | | | | | | | (SPRAGUE «& UNTER. AGENTS, TTLER: Misi Sead at once fur Liastze el Ps LTAIC BELT 68. pansies :