Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 20.djvu/330

 324 Southern Historical Society Papers.

A GREAT SUFFERER.

After the war General Terry served several terms in the State Senate. He also held the position of the Superintendent of the Penitentiary for some time. He is in the truest sense of the term a battle-scarred veteran, and there is hardly a day of his life that he does not suffer from the effects of his wounds.

The board accepted General Terry's resignation with reluctance, and elected as his successor Captain Charles P. Bigger. This choice is regarded as most fortunate. Captain Bigger was born in this city, and is about fifty-two years of age. He entered the Confederate army at the breaking out of the war, and served gallantly until June, 1864, when, while he was in command of the Richmond Blues, his arm was shattered in an engagement in front of Petersburg and he was relieved. After the war he held for a long time the position of Super- intendent of the City Almshouse, in which capacity he displayed great executive ability.

STATE APPROPRIATIONS.

For the first two years of its existence the Home was supported entirely by voluntary contributions and such funds as the board could beg. Then the State came to the relief of the institution, and up to February 12, 1892, the board had received from that source $60,000.

In March last the Legislature passed a bill, the conditions of which were that the State would appropriate to the Home $150 a year for each inmate for a period not exceeding twenty-two years, no annual appropriation to exceed $30,000, and that at the end of the twenty- two years the State was to take possession of the property under a deed from Lee Camp. This arrangement afforded greatly-needed financial relief, and enabled the Home to increase the number of its inmates. Yet, as above stated, there is still a wider field before it if the hands of the board are upheld by further substantial aid.

The labor of those who have managed its affairs has been truly a labor of love and of patriotism, in which, in season and out of sea- son, they have made sacrifices of time and money. Owing to a mis- take in the bill above referred to the Home was entirely without revenue for three months and had to incur a debt of $4,000.