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Page 142 THE POOR DISTRICT
during his servitude to the same extent that a parent is responsible
for the keep of his child.
When the child so bound came to the age at which he, or
she, was emancipated from servitude, he was supposed to receive a
gratuity from the master in clothing—in the case of a boy, a horse,
in the case of a girl, a cow.
If a child should happen to fall into a family where a
child was actually wanted, the lot was not hard, but if, as
frequently happened, the child was secured as a servant, the
treatment of such a child was very much like a slave and would not
be tolerated in this age.
It is true that the County Commissioners still have a
right to provide for indigent children under this apprentice system.
Under the poor law system the fate of adults was less
fortunate. Of course it was considered a disgrace for any one to
permit any near relative to become a charge on the poor district,
but sometimes it happened that the relative could not support the
needy one, or there were no relatives. There being no County Home,
nor poor house, the paupers were "farmed out." That is, under the
early system, if a pauper had to be supported notice was given that
on a certain day bids would be received for his support, or in other
words, an auction held for the contracting for the support of these
unfortunates. As a rule at an auction the highest bidder gets the
property, but in this case the lowest bid for the support of the
pauper secured the subject. If it were an old woman who could work
she was expected to earn part of her keep. Likewise a man, and the
contract was made for the care and maintenance of the pauper for a
definite period. One can readily imagine the treatment received by
these dependent people in the hands of strangers. They were rarely
ever permitted so forget their position in the family, and while
they were supposed to receive humane treatment it was usually the
reverse.
When the poor district of DuBois was organized,
contemporaneously with the Borough, the population of the town was
made up of persons coming from other sections, and not the pioneer
element, therefore, a number of persons coming into the district
required assistance from the poor district, and the office of
Overseer of the Poor was one of considerable importance. The
indigent were helped by what was known as "out door relief." That
is, he was assisted to such extent as the Overseers of the Poor
might deem necessary. If the pauper should happen to be a favorite
he did not fare so badly. If he were inclined to be critical and
complaining he got such treatment as the Overseers thought adequate
under the circumstances. Unless the pauper had some person who would
take up his cause he was helpless.
Needless to say that the office of the Overseers of the
Poor was not filled by the most intelligent citizenry of the
electorate, and many stories are related of the malfeasance in
office of this class of officer.
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