“Our conception of the duties of a journalist may differ with that of many others. Certain it is, that if we so chose, we could put in a specified time, do little or nothing to gather items concerning the conduct of county and city officials, and draw our pay from the man who employs us without the censure of any one. We would then have no slanders set on foot against us, and we would have no bruised and bleeding limbs as a punishment. We could walk the streets of the city, and enter public buildings without any feelings that assassins were on our track. This would certainly be more pleasant for a man in our position. Our family would not feel when we bade them goodbye in the morning that we might be clubbed down in the street before they would see us again. This would be a desirable state of affairs, but is our province to be craven hearted and shrink from duty? Not an honest man who reads this article but will say NO! The people have too long been without some one to represent them. Let them know these things. To them we say today, ‘you shall know them.’ Nor slanders, nor smooth-tongues falsehoods, no equivocations, nor threats nor clubs shall deter us from doing our duty. All we shall ask in return is the careful attention of our readers. We make no partisan attacks; but woe unto him who stands in the way as an apologist for those who do wrong. The Times shall be a sword of Damocies over his head.”
“And now to the articles promulgated by William Vaughters, one of the Directors, and Josiah S. Jeffords, the Superintendent. And first, we will pay our attention to Vaughters. All he has to begin with is a reputation for being honest. We care nothing for his past reputation. His brother Thomas Guilford Vaughters, has the position of Infirmary physician, draws a salary of $300 per annum, when Dr. Bing, of this city, bid $275, $25 cheaper, and his bid was rejected. Dr. Bing was led to believe by Mr. McDowell and Mr. Brodbeck that is he was the lowest bidder he would get the position, but his bid was rejected, and TG Vaughters, who has not had his diploma two years, was given the position at a higher salary. Our readers should remember this Dr. Vaughters is a brother of the Director, William Vaughters.
“Mr. William Vaughters says Craig gets one-half hay and delivers the other half in town for the Infirmary, yet Director Smith tells us Craig gets $1.75 per ton for this, and that Director Vaughters has told him so. Vaughters says the Directors ‘received as corn rental 1100 bushels of corn.’ Mr. Smith, the clerk of the board, says he does not know this and the books do not show it. If they did, he says he would know it. By what authority does Vaughters say this? Then this statement of Vaughters lacks confirmation. He says Rogers got no potatoes nor pickles, but ‘we gave him a barrel of sauerkraut.’ Mr. Rogers says Vaughters gave him 3 barrels of potatoes, one-half barrel of pickles and one-half a barrel of kraut, but afterward sends us a note that it is only ‘two barrels of potatoes.’ We hold the assertion over Joseph Rogers’ signature, which can be seen at this office. Surely somebody has lied. Mr. Vaughters will pardon us if we think just as much of Mr. Rogers’ word as his. mr. Rogers did his duty as Superintendent, more than we are prepared to say of Vaughters as a Director. Vaughters says one of the Craig’s hands occupies the house on the Infirmary farm. This is an unblushing falsehood. It was unoccupied Thursday morning last, when we visited it, one day after the publication of Vaughter’ card. Jeffords and Vaughters are partners in their course toward the YMCA. Jeffords told us, un the presence of a witness, that Vaughters objected. We refer the gentlemen to his man Friday, Josiah Jeffords, But this man Vaughters says:”
“‘David Bryson, who was working on the place last Wednesday, tells me that Mr. Cooper, author of the Times article, appeared there in the evening, and had a bottle of whisky, from which he was sucking from time to time.'”
“Now this is simply a malicious falsehood. Bryson, a man of full sixty, and father-in-law of Vaughters, who has been feeding on the county for some days, has been building an oven on the farm. He sat by the fire nearly all afternoon during the time we visited the Infirmary, on Wednesday afternoon of last week. One of the directors had employed an able and competent bricklayer to build the oven, but this infirm man, because he is the father-in-law of director Vaughters, was given the job. Our readers can judge what Bryson’s testimony is worth.”
“Vaughters sends us in the potato patch after night, when we visited it on the Thursday morning following. Vaughters’ card denies scarcely anything. He does not know the hour we left the Infirmary, but we can tell him it was fifteen minutes past 8 o’clock.”
“Mr. Vaughters should keep his mouth shut, if he can make no better defense than that in the Tribune.”
“And now as to Mr. Jeffords:”
“He starts out with a falsehood. He says we just said we came to look after a Bible given by the YMCA to the Infirmary. This is something we never heard of unti l the card of Mr. Jeffords. If he, or any of his friends know anything of a missing Bible, we are ignorant of it. We notified him that we came to thoroughly inspect the Infirmary, and we did so. There was no system about seating the aupers at the table.
“Jeffords said ‘each person has his own place and they take it.’ The low room he says, has two windows, having a ventilation of 48 inches each.’ If the windows are taken out, he is correct. As to our drinking, the card of Mr. Stewart in another place, is our answer. The examination was not ‘made almost entirely after dark,’ as Mr. Jeffords has it. We began the examination at about 3 PM, and it was concluded at 8. The time between 8 and 1/2 past 8 was taken up by Mr. Jeffords pleading like a coward for an easing up as far as could possibly be given him, following us down the walk, and out upon the pike, with his abject pleading to spare him. He denounced Vaughters; he de denounced the building we called the ‘death trap.’ He denounced the cell in which he said Sarah Pyles had her limbs frozen; and exalted his own horn with a righteous devotion.”
“Whether this Jeffords objects to the YMCA holding Sabbath meeting, or not, we leave the card from one of the members of the YMCA to answer.”
“The fact that poor Jane Rice is only four years of age, is enough for still greater sympathy. Nor is it denied that the poor little orphan sleeps on a cot 27 inches wide with a woman companion when Jeffords says the bed is ’29 inches wide,’ a difference of two inches. Just how much difference two inches make in a bed in which two are compelled to sleep, we leave our readers to conjecture.”
“But what does the Tribune editor say; and he paid a visit to the Infirmary last Monday? He says: ‘It is no place for children.’ He does not deny that the ‘death trap,’ as a proper place for lunatics, is a miserable failure. He does not deny that there is a lack of proper ventilation, and means for bathing to insure cleanliness. He says the bed occupied by little Jane ‘we should call too small for two persons, if both were children.'”
“As to the bedding the editor says it ‘would be comfortable enough in mild weather, but for cold weather we consider it ‘too skimp.’ The single straw mattress and scant cover, in some instances, especially, would not sufficiently protect children and invalids in cold weather.’ The editor, however, took a liking to the dried apples. His wife would not select such an article for her larder. The sugar he says was wet ‘being at the bottom of the can.’ The editor in conclusion says:”
“While we believe the Infirmary directors and superintendent and wife are honest, well-meaning people, disposed to do their duty, there are something which we wish were not as they are, not because we believe there has been any collusion between the parties to manage the Institution for their own interests at the expense of the county and the inmates, but because the relationship gives excuse for talk and grounds for enemies of the parties to make charges. Mr. Craig, who rents the farm, is a brother-in-law of Mr. Jeffords, and Dr. Vaughters, the physician, is a brother of William Vaughters, the director.”
“But to review: The card writers in the Tribune do not deny that no potatoes were sold; that the farm and fences were neglected; that many panels of fence have been hauled off; that Craig has possession for another year; that the directors will get no money for the untenanted house; that corn was lost by neglect; that Craig has made good no potatoes he left in the field; that director Vaughters has not charged himself with potatoes, kraut, and pickles given Mr. Rogers; that the furnace of the new building is a humbug; that Sarah Pyles froze her limbs in a cell of the main building as Jeffords says she did; that the law separating the female and male inmates is disregarded; that the bedding is insufficient; that the poor little children have place faces and hacking coughs from the lack of care extended them; that the offensive vessels are suffered to remain uncovered to the detriment of the health of the inmates; that children are compelled to sleep in cells intended for lunatics; that the poor deaf and dumb woman will for the third time give another life of shame to the world; that the graveyard is neglected. We were there only day before yesterday in company with a friend and found the hogs running in the lot, and over the graves of the poor unfortunates who have died in the poor house.”
“The Tribune editor, who has visited the Infirmary, does not deby these things. We put it to the sensible people of Scioto county, if these things were not so, would they not hasten to deny them, instead of slanderous publishing us as a drunkard, or clubbing us down in the streets of Portsmouth in defiance of law and order?”
“We regret to say they are true, and true to the very letter. We care nothing for slander, nor blows; we have called attention to facts. In doing so we have done our duty. It comes the proper authorities to investigate the charges we have made and place the blame where it belongs. We have no grievances to settle. We do not know director Vaughters only by reputation, and charge nothing dishonest upon him; but it looks as if there had been too much partnership about the Infirmary farm. Mr. Brodbeck we believe is an honest, reliable German, and has been governed to a great extent by Vaughters, who lives near the Infirmary. Mr. Nathaniel F Smith, the newly elected member, has merely been a clerical member of the board, and the stakes seem to have been set before he had put on the robes of his office. He has treated us gentlemanly and in answer to our questions has answered us with candor and we believe with truthfulness.”
“In answer to Jeffords’ slander and Vaughters’ imputations we can say in conclusion, Mr. Nathaniel F smith, one of the directors, whom we visited after leaving the Infirmary, says we were not under the influence of liquor; Mrs. Stewart, at whose house we stayed that night, is positive we were not; Mr. William R Smith says no such conversation occurred as Jeffords writes, and he was present, while the card of Mr. Hugh D. Stewart is in harmony with the statements above mentioned. All authorize us to say that if necessary, their affidavits to disprove the slanders of Jeffords will be forthcoming.”
“All such statements are as cowardly as Craig’s blows, and are done only to break the force of the article which has exposed the mismanagement of the Infirmary farm and the Infirmary.”
“As to Mr. McDowell, we charge him with nothing inhuman or barbarous. If he chooses to deny his connection with the new building and the furnace, he has the press to speak out. We are prepared to give evidence for the faith that is in us in all matters pertaining to the Infirmary farm. Let us investigate the rottenness of the entire concern.”1
