Over the Hill to the Poor Farm: Allen County, Indiana's Asylum and Its Superintendents, Part 2

 This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on the Allen County Asylum (the Poor Farm) in Indiana.

James M. Read (1860-1868)  

      Newspaper editor John Dawson described James Read as “a good and humane man.” When Read took over, Dawson said he, “has been for a few weeks scrubbing and cleaning and using lime and cleaning out filth in the tenements, and cleaning out fleas and bed bugs who are old enough to claim [illegible] of estate in the place, and removing pens and offensive obstacles around the house and do the best he can. It has been humiliating for him to have respectable citizens visiting there…” Read built a fence to enclose the graveyard, where the bodies of at least fourteen paupers lay. 

          There were thirteen men and two women living at the asylum. There was no separate room for Betsey Williams, an unfortunate invalid with a terminal disease and “here and there an idiot…with no place to keep their disgusting presence from the sensitive eye.” Reed was appointed at a salary of $800 and given a two-year contract.

     “Mr. Reed agreed to devote all of his time, give the time of his wife and a lad of 12 years of age,” to furnish his own horses, wagon and harness, four cows and all the farming utensils needed, and to furnish furniture in his own family apartments. He agreed to keep all paupers “sent to him by authority.” He would receive all the necessary food and fuel for him, his family, and all the paupers. Dawson said in Read’s hands the farm would be conducted honestly, humanely and respectably.

     Read’s wife was Abbie W. Read and his son was Moses. His son was in his thirties and married, not a “lad of 12.” Read was already 60 and one wonders why he wanted to take on the responsibility of a poor farm.

     In January 1862 Read ran an ad in the newspaper: “A Word To the Afflicted Childless.” There were eleven babies at the asylum needing a home. His definition of babies was somewhat flexible as he said they ranged in age from three days to eight years old. “Widowers can be accommodated with women and children.” Presumably, this meant the women could serve as housekeepers. Victorian morality would not permit the suggestion of anything else. 

   Dawson was happy to report later that year that the commissioners settled on a move to the Charles Fairfield place, a farm of 200 acres. Of these 80 were well-timbered, with at least 100 in “a high state of cultivation.” The farm was on a public road about six miles from town, the buildings upon it better suited than those at the old location. 

A New Building

     Under a stand of shady trees on a hot July day, Leifle’s band struck a jaunty tune. Afterwards, the assembled crowd bowed their heads as Rev. J.M. Mowrie offered a prayer. It was the ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the new Allen County Asylum in 1864. Heat and dusty roads diminished the number attending but Dawson still reported “quite a few ladies and gentlemen.” They listened as Commissioner B.D. Miner spoke on the history of the asylum in Allen County. There were more prayers and another address alternated with band music and the cornerstone laying itself. A time capsule was placed in the cornerstone that consisted of an interesting collection. Placed inside were the Fort Wayne City Directory of 1863, a variety of American coins, specimens of wheat, rye, oats, flax, peas, corn, barley, spring wheat, and timothy and clover seeds; the autographs of county officers, the catalog of the Fort Wayne Female Seminary, the program for the cornerstone ceremony; a list of national, state and local leaders; photos of leaders of the Sioux Indians and copies of Fort Wayne newspapers, the Chicago Daily Times and Harper's Weekly.

     The location of the new building was on a high plat of land on Bluffton Road a short distance from the St. Mary’s River. The building was to accommodate 100 people and be constructed of brick. It was designed to be enlarged if needed. Previously the newspaper said it was six miles from town; now it said two miles. 

     In September 1864 Read was given a four-year contract at a salary of $1,000 per year. In 1867  he appealed to the public to donate books to create a library, an action the newspaper praised. In December that year there were 84 residents at the asylum, with another 68 paupers located in town.

     When Read stepped down as superintendent, he stayed in the Bluffton area for the rest of his life. He died at age 85 in early January 1886. He was described as “well and favorably known.” Later in life Moses Read became a humane officer for the Humane Society.

John Spice (1868-1880) 

A newspaper photo of John Spice at age 90.

     On September 2, 1868, John Spice began his duties at the poor farm, then referred to as the County Asylum. The Board of Commissioners entered into an agreement with Spice to “faithfully give his services and those of his wife” to the county Asylum. In exchange, he was to receive a salary of $600 a year, plus “food and other articles necessary for those under his care, food for himself and his family, and for a horse and necessary cattle.” There was no explanation why the superintendent’s salary was so dramatically reduced from the $1,000 that James Reed received, but Spice was not supplying the farm with his own horses, harnesses, cattle and farm implements.

     John and Frances Spice were both born in 1818. Their children, Robert, William, Herbert, and Frances, known as  “Fanny,” lived and worked with them at the asylum. John Spice had an interesting and full life before he became superintendent. He was born in Hartslip, Kent, England to a farmer. At 21 he enlisted in the British marine corps and served fourteen years. When he got out he started a bakery but when it failed decided to try his fortune in America. He arrived in New York in 1854 after forty days at sea. He worked as a farm laborer in New York for a while, then in a cotton yard in Savannah. In 1855 he returned to England to get his wife and family. Both on his return to England and his second trip to America he worked as a steward to defray his cost of transportation. He and his family farmed in Erie County, New York before he decided to move west and came to Fort Wayne in 1862.

State of the Asylum

        

     The county commissioners issued a report on September 23, 1868 on the state of the asylum which echoed the criticisms Dawson had about Superintendent Rennish and the original farm. When it was purchased in 1862 it was described as great farmland with 80 acres of timber. Now, the report said it was thin sandy soil, sparsely wooded with small stands of stunted scrub oaks. The soil was worn out so as to be the main impediment to self-sustainability. At the purchase it was described as 200 acres. Now the newspaper said it had 100 acres, with only 45 under cultivation. John Read, who’d been praised for his humane qualities and his weeks of work cleaning things up, left an operation with beds and cribs teeming with bedbugs. 

     One of the problems, commissioners noted, was that few people arrived clean. “Filth, vermin and rags are the norm.” They said there should be a washroom for all newcomers to enter and get bathed, hair shaved if necessary, and be given a complete set of clothes. This was needed immediately, as were hand washing areas and water closets. A large washing machine and wringer was needed so blankets could be frequently laundered. The commissioners, of course, were the only ones who could authorize expenses for items like large washing machines and water closets.

     The commissioners had other concerns and suggestions. The buildings were not laid out to serve the purpose needed. For example, the women’s building was next to the barn, outbuildings, wood pile, etc. which was used in all the men’s work. Men would pass through the women’s quarters to and from work. The belief of the time was that men and women need to be kept strictly apart. The commissioners had a simple solution: switch mens’ and womens’ dorms. Separate quarters for the insane were also needed. 

     Additionally, there must be a greater effort to economize and make the farm self-sustaining. Salt pork, cabbage, beans, potatoes and other vegetables are good enough for most farmers; it should be so for inmates. There was no need to buy beef for them. Mush and milk was also a cheap and healthy meal. Sorghum should be grown and used as a substitute for sugar, butter and gravy. A sewing machine was recommended as an experiment. If the women inmates could make clothing it would be cheaper than buying ready-made. 

     In fact, the new superintendent needed to get everyone working. The commissioners suggested introducing broom-making. Osier willow (which was used in basket-making) could be grown on the grounds, peeled by the women and sold in bunches.  In fact, they could also make baskets. 

     Two days later, on the 25th, a Board of Visitors, consisting of five men, was appointed to make periodic inspections of the asylum. Not until 1871 was a separate building constructed for the insane. 

Charges

     April 1870 there was a brief item in the Daily Gazette. "Before Justice Graham, John Spice was fined $10 and costs for committing an assault and battery on Henry Lafayette, a pauper at the county poorhouse." No details were given.

In 1873 the commissioners made an inspection of the poor farm and declared themselves "highly pleased with the excellent management of John Spice." But a year later, three men, John Driebelbiss, John Engle and William Smith brought serious charges against Spice and his wife. The charges alleged the following:

• Spice sold more farm products that he reported, pocketing the difference for himself.

• He fed the paupers poorly.

• He mistreated the insane.

• His wife whipped and beat inmates.

     The men claimed that Spice had receipts of $2,000 in sales and claimed only $700, withholding a generous $1,300 for himself. He brought more to market than the three other farmers did and sold at rates as good as they received, yet reported earning far less than they. 

     The superintendent was given explicit instructions that the paupers were to be furnished with good meat, but Driebelbiss, Engle and Smith said they received only “tough bull beef and stag meat” and that this, in addition to mush and milk, consisted of almost their entire diet. Bread was made of middlings and coffee of browned rye, “the whole forming poor fare even for paupers.”

     The insane were put in coarse sacks tied around the neck, and Spice left them “without care” to lie on the floor while he worked on the farm. His wife, the men said, whipped and beat an old woman named Margaret Meyer. Another woman who came as a pauper but wanted to leave and rejoin her husband was forced to stay and promised $3 a week for her services, which was then withheld. 

     The reporter for the Fort Wayne Sentinel said, “Mr. Spice has enjoyed general confidence as an upright, humane and honest man.” The reporter said he’d made several visits to the farm and saw nothing that gave him any indication of anything amiss, but agreed the charges had to be investigated. Newspapers in this time period often did not have follow-up stories. Spice must have been cleared of the charges as he continued in the job.

     In November, however, there was another allegation against him. It gives an indication of how much power the poor farm superintendent had over the inmates. Mrs. George Thieme, a recent resident of the asylum, arrived at the marshal’s office with a complaint. She found a job and wanted her clothes, which were still at the asylum. She said Spice refused to give them to her and said he’d threatened to put her in the crazy ward. A reporter for the Sentinel asked Spice about the case. He said Mrs. Thieme stayed at the asylum “quite a long time” and repeatedly asked permission to leave. He refused to let her go because he was not convinced she’d found employment. Finally, she escaped, but he claimed she’d never asked him for her clothes. As a pauper, and a woman, Mrs. Thieme was probably not given much credence. 

Grand Jury Indictment

     In January 1880, however, John Spice was indicted by a grand jury for cruelty. After interviewing forty people, their findings were that John, his son Robert, and assistants cruelly beat the inmates, often for no reason. Mrs. Spice beat the women and children under her care. Burt Spice, a son who also worked as an assistant, “barbarously treated an aged person named Goulden” by throwing him down a stairwell “without sufficient cause.” 

     Spice failed to provide the inmates with wholesome food and gave them impure, sour and tainted victuals, often uncooked and not fit for humans to eat. Leftovers placed in swill barrels for the pigs were pulled out and served again as “dumplings,” under the orders of Mrs. Spice. Mush with sour clabber was served daily. There were 18 to 22 cows on the farm but inmates rarely got butter or milk. Further, Mrs. Spice refused to give infants milk. When the staff were interviewed, they said the food given to inmates was “too good for them.”

      Also, the sick were neglected and not given proper care. 

     On January 23 the commissioners went out to the poor farm to conduct an investigation. They toured the facility and stayed for an “excellent” dinner (what we call lunch). Then they interviewed witnesses: James R. Black, an inmate of five years, Mike Gilligan, an inmate of two and a half years, John McCabe, an attendant in the sick room, Stella M. Kimmel, an employee in charge of milk and butter, Margery Stevens, the attendant in charge of female lunatics, Adeline Westfall, an inmate, William Gaines, an assistant in the dining room and wards, James Stark, a 73-year old inmate, and Dr. Stemen, the county physician. 

     The testimony was mixed. Most said they rarely if ever had eggs, butter or fresh meat even though all were produced in abundance. Black said he’d seen Spice filling his wagon with produce and taking it away, and saw a farmer come and fill a wagonload with watermelons, cover it with a robe and drive off. The men assisted in butchering many hogs but residents were not served any. Adeline Westfall just had a baby in December and said the father was William Gaines, but the doctor testified that she was an “imbecile” and her testimony was discounted. Several said Spice never, or very rarely visited the sick room. Two said it was Black who abused the elderly man Gould, and not Burt Spice. 

     The county commissioners continued with a trial. One day they interviewed three witnesses - Spice’s daughter-in-law, who lived and worked at the asylum, a former resident and a former employee. They interviewed others on different days. 

     Spice was well-regarded in the community. He was active in the temperance movement and in his Methodist church. He was a loyal member of the Patrons of Husbandry - better known as the Grangers. A member of the brotherhood described him as “a very generous-hearted gentleman,” and “one who has a head well-stored with good ideas” in regards to the Grange. “The people of Allen County should feel proud of him as superintendent of the asylum, as they have the right man in the right place.” His political views in a patronage job could also help him.

     The commissioners exonerated him and he kept his job. February 25 Spice had a letter to the Sentinel published in the Daily News. He threatened to sue the Sentinel. In fact, Spice filed a libel suit against the members of the grand jury and won. In April the Daily News said James Sheridan, a member of the grand jury, who “paid John Spice a handsome amount of damages for making an open presentment against him,” received a certified letter from the Indiana Secretary of State about a bill passed in the legislature, which was retroactive and provided reimbursement by the county treasury for “all expenses and costs made in cases similar to the Spice matter.” In other words, if grand jury members were sued for libel in the course of doing their duty, they would not be on the hook for damages. An item in the January 31, 1881 Daily News said Sheridan went to Indianapolis on that day. 

     However, even though he was exonerated, a movement was apparently afoot to replace him. Perhaps there was too much innuendo or too much controversy. If inmates were getting pregnant at the asylum, if inmates were being beaten and abused by other inmates – that was still under his watch. 

     In July the town’s leading citizens endorsed him in the newspaper, calling him the best superintendent the farm had ever had - the best in the state, in fact - and urging he be rehired when his contract was up. Men who signed the petition endorsing him included prominent names like Hannas, Brandriffs, Nuttmans, Orfs, Fred Hayden, R. Morgan French, P. Hoagland, Peltier, D.H. Lipes, and other movers and shakers of the city. 

     Soon after, the Daily News said, “John Spice has brought the poor farm from a state of chaos into a condition of which everyone in Allen County is proud.” It said the charges against him were libelous and the Sentinel’s campaign against him was purely political. (The Sentinel had switched from a Democratic paper to a Republican one back in the 1860s.)

     This time, even powerful men couldn’t save him. “The county commissioners thought best to make a change in the administration of the Poor Farm, and they did so…” the Daily News reported. The Daily Gazette said, “The Sentinel must not flatter itself that Mr. Spice was not reappointed on account of that decaying organ’s fusillade of personal abuse directed against that gentleman.”

     Spice “retired” and moved to a home on Broadway. He and his son Robert bought a plumbing and windmill business and operated as John Spice & Son until 1887 when John retired from that. He was active in Sons of St. George, one of the secret fraternal societies so important in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This one was open only to English immigrants and their sons and grandsons. Spice outlived his wife and all but two of his children. He died in 1909 at age 91.

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Notes: 

Charles Fairfield - Charles Fairfield, whose property became the county poor farm in the 1860s, was one of the sons of Maine sea captain William Fairfield, who came to Fort Wayne in the 1830s. The others were Oliver and Asa. They encouraged their cousin, Hugh McCulloch, to try his fortunes in the fledgling town, too. McCulloch eventually rose to be the United States Secretary of the Treasury under various presidents beginning with Abraham Lincoln. Two of Oliver’s daughters married two of Samuel Hanna’s sons. 

Copyright by Andrea Auclair  © 2024