Fall from grace of Lucas County's keeper of the poor

Chariton, 1875 Andreas Atlas view

A gentleman --- and I use the term loosely --- named Lindsey W. Stanley was in charge of fulfilling Lucas County's responsibility to its paupers back in 1870, the first year of operation for the new county poor farm.  The farm was located at Chariton's northwest corner and consisted of some 200 acres, 100 of which were in cultivation, plus house, barn and other outbuildings.

In March of that year, Stanley bid $3.63 per acre to rent the land in cultivation and acquired full use of all it produced and the buildings on the property. In return, for a set fee per person that I could not narrow down, he and his family provided a home for those declared paupers by the supervisors, boarding and feeding them. Any labor the poor might be able to provide was a bonus for Mr. Stanley.

This operation seems to have generated a good income for Stanley. He submitted a bill of $111 to the supervisors for boarding paupers during September, which the supervisors knocked down to $95. The total for December was about $150. These were not inconsiderable amounts in 1870.

Then, as Christmas approached, Mr. Stanley fell off the wagon, so to speak, and spoiled it all. Here's the account of his fall into disgrace as published in The Chariton Democrat of Jan. 3, 1871:

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Not Dead, But Drunk --- On the Thursday before Christmas, a man from the country, and who is supposed to farm for the benefit of the paupers of this county, came to town with his team, and, departing from the line of his wonted sobriety and religious beliefs, gave himself over to the control of some of the very worst whiskey to be found in the city. He had some money about him ($150) and displayed and disbursed it quite freely.

He was utterly oblivious to his duties as a public farmer, and not only that, but he left his horses standing in the street until far after midnight. In fact, all trace of him was lost about that time, although his team stood where he had hitched it in the morning. Night came, and morning followed, and his family and the paupers mourned the absence of their legal protector.

A messenger came to town to hunt him up, but he was nowhere to be found. Some of those who knew him bethought themselves of his money and visions of bludgeons, knives, pistols and bloody tracks upon the ice came before their eyes. The alarm was raised, our citizens congregated together and exchanged wise looks and expressions to fearful to repeat. The weather was as cold as the county's charity, but men braved it all and the search began. The prairies were scoured, houses, stables and outbuildings ransacked and the reservoir dragged, but all to no good, and the faces that before were long now became longer. 

Thus the search and anxiety continued for two days and still no trace of the missing man, nor evidences of foul murder.

Saturday night, however, brought relief and the lost man. It seems that upon the night of his disappearance he wandered up to the depot, and reaching there just as the Pacific Express train was going east, he climbed into the caboose, paid his fare to Ottumwa, and then went to dreaming.

In due course of time he waked up, and now he says that the first thing he knew of the world, he found the city of Ottumwa collected upon all sides of him. Seeing that there was an open rug for a continued good time, he remained there until Saturday night, and then came home to relieve the suspense.

A wedding of his niece had to be postponed in consequence, a Christmas dinner was spoiled, and many fingers and toes frozen, to say nothing of the disgust and disgrace that the guardian of the poor had brought upon himself. The County Supervisors are in session, and the Poor Farm will probably be put into other hands this year, and for all time to come.

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The supervisors did not move immediately to discipline Stanley, but by February the board was seeking bids from his potential replacements and on Feb. 2, 1871, The Democrat was able to report as follows that the poor farm had a new superintendent:

The Supervisors have let the poor farm to Mr. Joseph Critchfield of Jackson township for one year and the county is to pay him five hundred dollars, in addition to the products of the farm, for keeping the paupers. That looks like a pretty good thing for Mr. Critchfield, but it will not be really so bad for the county as it was last year. Mr. Critchfield is said to be an excellent man, one who will do his duty well, and it seems to be the general opinion that the Board has made a good selection in giving him the contract. There were about fifteen bidders for the farm.

What became of Lindsey Stanley I cannot say.