Rules of the County Farm, Barry Co. MO

On the 5th of February 1873, at the February Regular Term, the Special Commission presented their draft of Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Poor Farm.  Their report follows:

 

Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Poor Farm

Submitted by Jack Fly

 

Rule 1   All aged, infirm, lame, blind and sick persons who are unable to support themselves and where there are no other person of persons required by law to support them, shall be maintained and supported on the Poor Farm at the expense of the County.

Rule 2   No person shall be received and supported at the Poor Farm until the County Court has made an order of record to receive support and maintain such poor person described in the order and a Certified copy of such order delivered with the Poor Person to the Superintendent of the Poor.

Rule 3   The County Court at the first regular term after the completion of the Poor House shall appoint a fit and suitable and discreet person to superintend the same and the poor kept there at who shall be known as Superintendent of the Poor and who shall hold his office for the term of one year unless sooner removed by the County Court.

Rule 4   The Superintendent of the Poor Farm and house shall be selected as near as maybe in the following manner.  The County Clerk shall at least three weeks before the term of the court at which the Superintendent of the Poor House is to be appointed give notice in some newspaper in Barry County, if any be published therein, that at the next term of the County Court there would be appointed a Superintendent of the Poor House and requiring all who desire the appointment of Superintendent of The Poor House to be present on the afternoon of the first day of the term and make his bid to the Court and the lowest bidder if otherwise qualified to receive said appointment shall be the person appointed provided, however, that the court may in its discretion reject any or all bids if in their judgment they think proper and right.

Rule 5    The County Court shall in letting said Poor House or in selecting and appointing a Superintendent of the Poor shall pay to the Superintendent so appointed, a certain sum per month for each pauper or poor person that is maintained at the expense of the County by order of the County Court and bills for the appointment as superintendent as aforesaid shall each pauper or poor person by the month in conformity to this rule.

Rule #6   The Superintendent selected as aforesaid shall give bond to the County of Barry in the sum of one thousand dollars to the satisfaction of the Court Conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties as such Superintendent of the Poor House and a faithful with the rules and Regulations adopted by the Court for the government of the poor and management of the farm in force at the time of giving said bond and all reasonable rules adopted after giving of said bond and before its expiration and during the term of office of said Superintendent giving said bond that do not require of said Superintendent additional expense in complying therewith.

Rule #7   The Superintendent shall receive and keep all poor on presentation to the Superintendent a certified copy of the order of the County Court declaring them to be Poor Persons into the poor house until discharged by the court.  A certified copy of such order of discharge being furnished by the Court to the Superintendent.

Rule #8    It is hereby made the duty of the Superintendent to humanly treat all persons and paupers under his charge and management and furnish them with good and nourishing food and warm wearing apparel in winter and autumn or fall and in summer.  Summer clothing in like manner and it is hereby made his further duty to administer and have administered to wants of all poor or pauper under his charge who maybe wholly or partially helpless from disease, old age or other cause to see that they receive all the attention adjudged necessary by the Physician appointed by the County Court to attend the Poor or the Board of Inspectors hereafter created. 

Rule #9   Said Superintendent shall in all things properly deal with and care for all poor under his charge as reason and humanity would dictate and not abuse nor suffer them abuses or castigated unreasonably or unnecessarily and shall bear the whole expense of complying with the preceding rules.

Rule #10   It is hereby declared by the Court that the County Court shall furnish land and bear the whole expense of making any new improvements on the County Poor Farm, the buildings and other appurtenances as thereon and shall rooms or house with beds and bed clothing and other things necessary for the comfort and convenience of the poor all of which together with the farm and everything thereon, including houses and furniture for the poor house (unfinished) for the Superintendent to live in be turned over to the exclusive Court all of the Superintendent during his term of office unless sooner removed for cause free of rent or charge, provided that said superintendent shall pay for said farm sixty dollars per year which said sum shall be appropriated to the expense of keeping paupers on said poor farm if any are there kept and if none are there kept then the said sum to be applied to the payment of any other expense of said poor farm and provided further that if the said rooms or house and furniture furnished by the County for the Poor House are used by the Superintendent when not used by the poor shall pay therefore a reasonable rent.

Rule #11   It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to keep said farm fences, houses, furniture and all else furnished by the County in good condition and repair and shall keeps the beds and bed clothing and all clothing for the wear of said paupers clean and properly aired and shall permit no filth to produce disease on the farm if in his power to prevent it near enough to impregnate the atmosphere of the Poor House with its impurities and shall use all reasonable endeavors to prevent filth of persons or habits of any of the paupers or poor persons under his charge during the term of his office and his appointment free of charge or the expense to the County.

Rule #12   It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to summons the Physician employed by the County Court to attend the poor whenever in his judgment the health or condition of a pauper or poor persons under his care demands it.

Rule #13   The Superintendent shall have the right and it is his duty to require of all poor persons under his charge or care able to labor to perform the same by reasonable and humane standards.

Rule #14    The County Court shall settle with the Superintendent at the end of each quarter after his appointment of a Regular term of the County Court is then held if not that at the next Regular term of the County Court and such settlement shall be based on the Certified Orders of the County Court declaring such persons to be a pauper of poor person and requiring or commanding said Superintendent to receive pay for keeping any pauper after a Certified Copy of an order of the County Court has been served on him discharging said pauper from the Poor House.

Rule #15   Any Superintendent violating any of the rules or regulations or any part of them or any reasonable rules or regulations that may hereafter be made and adopted by the Court for the government of the Poor farm for any other than good cause shown to the Court may in the discretion of the Court be removed from office and a successor appointed in his place and in their discretion may keep back what may b due from the County to any outgoing Superintendent whether he be resigning or be removed by the Court for cause indemnity the county against loss caused by such out going of the Superintendent.

Rule #16   The County Clerk, Prosecuting Attorney and Sheriff are hereby made and constituted a Board of Inspectors of the Poor house whose duty it is to visit said Poor House at least once in a month and as often as may be necessary and inquire into the treatment of the Poor and the management of the farm and report the same to the County Court at its next regular term and they are further authorized to require of the Superintendent the performances of any duty reasonable and necessary they may prescribe or regard attending the Poor..

Rule #17   The county Court shall employ a Physician by the year or otherwise as they may think best and certify said appointments to the Superintendent who shall employ no other while said appointment is in force unless said Physician from sickness or other unavoidable cause could not render the assistance and could send no one in his place.  It would then be the duty of the Superintendent, should the occasion require, to employ a good Physician nearest the Poor house at he expense of the County.

Rule #18     The Physician hired or appointed by the County Court shall attend all the calls of the Superintendent of the Poor to attend any of the Poor properly under his charge or send some good Physician in his place and stead and shall render all medical services needed or required of him by the paupers under the charge of the Superintendent of the Poor and shall hold his office for one year unless sooner removed for cause by the County Court.

Rule #19   The Physician aforesaid shall give bond to the County of Barry in the sum of five hundred dollars conditioned for the faithful discharge of his duty as Physician attendant on the Poor of the Poor house of Barry County according to the rules herein set out and all other reasonable rules that may hereafter by adopted by the County Court for the government of the Poor and the customs of the General Practice.

Rule #20     Said Physician shall be paid for his services as the County Court and he may contract to be audited and paid quarterly if there then be a Regular term of the County Court and any Physician violating any of these rules or regulations or any reasonable rule or regulation that may hereafter be made or adopted by the County Court for the government of the Poor so far as related to the duties of said Physician or for any other good cause may in the discretion of the Court be removed from office and a successor appointed in his stead and the Court may in its discretion keep back what may be due from the County to any out going Physician whether he be resigning or be removed by the Court for cause to indemnify the County against loss caused by such out going Physician.

Rule #21   The Superintendent and Physician provided for in the above rules and regulations after being furnished with a copy of these rules and regulations in contracting with the Court are presumed and considered to agree to a compliance therewith and to accept them as a part of the contract between the County and themselves and immediately after the superintendent and the physician are approved it is made the duty of the County Clerk to furnish each of them with a Certified copy of these rules and regulations they to turn them over at the  expiration of their term of office to their successors in office and it shall further be the duty of the County Clerk when any new rule is made and adopted and added to the above and foregoing to certify the new rule made to each the Superintendent and Physician of the Poor.

Rule #22   It is further made the duty of the Superintendent to provide as far as practicable all religious exercises for the Poor under his charge of his or her own choice or denomination preferred by any one or more of the paupers in said Poor house and to any one or more pauper a testament.

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