Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-01-01
The Reform School.

The Reform School.
within few years to appropriate large sums Q!
money to enlarge and improve an institution az
Waterbury known The Reform school," LOT
the correction reform and education of young Of
tenders, and under the impression that this lnstt-
ton was under good management ana , aoh hsen
very cheerfully borne. From all persons ana news
papers having knowledge of the management mere
| have come the most hearty expressions OF common
dation and the witnesses seemed to vie with each
other 10 their self appointed work OF lauuali'n'
Are we to awake now to find that instead OF build
ing up an institution whose object is reform, whose
work is of humane and charitable nature we
! have heen Nursing den of vermin and pampering
a setofoverseers who are little better than Dfutes
Let the people of Vermont judge how the case
| looks in court.
| On Tuesday afternoon last the County Court now
in session, having been moved thereto by lntina-
tions in regard to his condition from the sherin
department, called up the case of W arren Johnson
lad OF fifteen who was brought from inc hei4iin
School by the Sheriff on Saturday last rms Doy
committed to the Reform Schoo by fly hipusl
magistrate III February last and has been there
ever since lie was brought here TO receive sen,
tence from the Court under the lndictment 1oT T
/ bv the Grand jury to which he plead Suiity; INC
! Court examined several witnesses under oalh anu
the reporq er took down the evidence in FULL
! The sheriff said that he received the boy at the
/ Waterbury station II obedience to dispatches sent
by himself to the Superintendent; that at the uhe
| tie boy placed in his hands he was IN 4 hitny
! and ragged condition, and that on Monday he eX-
amined him and found his head swarminS WIN lice
and his hair covered with nItS. :, 80.
!
fed that soon alter the boy was put INTO jail he as
covered lice In his hair; that he endeavored 10
use a fine comb upon the boy but the nlt5 were SO
/ think the comb would not pass through the hair;
that him self and other prisoners took on MS snrt
and found lice in that and burned IL up, supplying
To the hoy another; that there were lice under tne
bows arms and tEat he was unclean- The Jailer,
two rhysicans and others who Examined the boy
Monday also testified to the fact that he was lousy
Then the boy himself questioned by His
Honor, Judge Barrett, and saIi he h;u no nee
: To ~
about two months when he discovered then In his
head and that about two months ago he found them
on body that all the boys so lar as ne knew hau
lice: that no one made any attempt to get them
out of his head that none of the boys were allowed
SOAP to wash with; that the shirt ne had on when
he came to Woodstock he had worn two weeks
without washing; that he had good Ded anu ciotneS
enough to keep INN warm at tue Reform ocEooi ana
all he wanted to eat The boy has hts one OF when
attacked him in jail Monday evening and he SAID
shat when he had these fits at the Reform school
one of the Keepers, named Healey, would whip HIM
sometimes till the blood run down his legs and TINS
he lid because he said he thought the boy made It.,
fcigning.
rors Court. bar and the citizens were stirred 10
the depths of their nature. HIS Honor, WIN an
effort restraining the indignation that was boiling
within him, remanded the boy to the jail lemarking
that the case required mature delberaton, anu mat
the Court unless mpelled by law to DO so, would
be very loath to send the boy back 10 inns condtoh
of things lie felt it to be his duty to proceed as lie
had IN this case because the Judges OF the State
have very much to do with popping this institution,
and he had directed the reporter 10 take down the
evidence, that there might not be any question
about it.
terested witness of these proceedings, remarked
that he commented the Court for the manner IN
which 1t had discharged tins duty ana requested
Il viii be Immediately supplied to him and thea
hope he will not steep until TINS institution,
which, we are tempted TO say mas d mishoner LOT
a name, is made to shake from foundation to gar
ret. The case is too revolving to admit or any de
lay.
4 thunder bolt, falling from Il clear De
cember sky, could not have been more I'M
expected and astounding than was the
above article, printed in the Woodstock
Stu3LYd of. last Thursday. The state
ments therein made are either true or false.
If true, in the sense the Standard evident
w intended them to be taken, a fearful re
sponsibility rests upon the trustees, and
swift condemnation should be visited upon
the superintendent of the institution. II
false, Il grave wrong has been done by pub
fishing the Reform School rs II " den of
vermin,' and its overscers as little bet
ter than brutcs'
The press of the State owe something to
the cause Of truth and exact justice. A
desire to satisfy the craving for sensational
readug-not to say scandalous gossip
ought never to induce an editor to scatter,
broadcast. dcfnmatory stories, based sole
" upon an &C partc hearing, vitality affect
inc the reputation of individuals or insti-
tuticns Especially should he refrain from
causeles>ly publishing damaging reports
when, as in this case, the truth and the
whole truth can be readily reached.
The Reform School at Waterbury is
open to the inspection of citizens at all
hours of the day or evening 1t has no
special - visiting days when it =" dresses
up and puts on " company manners ; to
receive callers; but it ever welcomes
visitors, drop i'll when they may. The peo-
pie Of this vicinity know something of +he
institution, and Of is management. The
better class of the citizens of Waterbury,
more particularly those connected with
the Young Mems Christian Association
and the various church organizations OF
the place-are thoroughly conversant with
the inner workings of the Reform School,
and with the social and sanitary condition
of its inmates. Representatives of these
organizations have charge Of Sunday
school classes which embrace the entire
school. These young men and ladies in
struct their pupils each Sabbath morning,
and visit them in their rooms and work
shops, at their social gatherings, and on
their play grounds, whenever they have a
leisure hour. They meet these boys, with
their overseers, weekly at the churches
They have intimate. social and friendly in
tercourse with the Superintendent and his
wife, the teachers and Overseers of the
school Let Judge Barrett and the Stand
ard editor ask the citizens of Waterbury
whether these boys are neglected, or NAL
treated, or filthy, or covered with vermin-
or better still. let them investigate personal
" the inner condition and status of The
school-and the former would scarcely
feel any bottled up indignation boiling
within him. or the latter make haste t.
characterize the name ofthe institution us
e misnomer, and invoke popular indignation
+ s.to make it shake from foundation to gar
ret
We were not. however, content to res
t rejoinder to such grave insinuations a
e are contained in the article quoted above
e upon the current report of good manage
e ment coming from the communityin whicl
l. the institution is located. We, therefore
:, last Saturday afternoon, made a trip t.
Waterbury to inspect the institution, AM
d to make ourself personally acquainted wit
- its condition and that of its inmates Call