The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-20
THE HOUSE OF REFUGE.
VISIT OF THE CITY COUNCIL INyEsTH
GATIAG COMMITTEE TO THAT
INSTITUTION,


tanned In the Grand Jury report, yesterday
visited the Boys House OF Refuge. where the
investigation was begun. The committee con-
sisted Of Mayor Pilsbury, Administrators
R5ngstorff and McCaffrey, DR.. Sam. Chopin,
president of the Board Of Health, and Dr.
James Finney city physician.
During the visit the institution was examined
In all its parts the system of education labor,
feeding and punishment inquired into thor
oughly.
Having attended at the dinner of the inmates
at the request of the committee, the cOlOred chill
dren ~ some of them stalwarth boys Of as much
as eighteen years of age, and seventy-1ve in
number were aligned In the yard, when the
Mayor requested that all those who had been
whipped since their incarceration should step
forward A dozen or 80 came to the trent, and
the entire seventy-hve Wore ordered to strip. A
close examination Of their bodies followed.
The same process were gone through with the
white boys. forty-five In number.
1t was found by the committee that the flesh
ON the bucks Of several of the boys. white and
eolored showed marks of dlscoloration, ap-
parently the result of foggng. In the case Of
Joseph DeRose. a white boy, afflicted with
CoEGEEITAL DISTORTION
Of the right arm. the flesh in one spot on the
small OF the back showed an abrasion the size
Of a mans thumb uail and some marks of dis
colOration. In answer to the questions put to
him. he said that he had been in the institution
since last year before Christmas. and that about
four weeks ago he had been whipped by an
employee named Ford. who has left the institu-
ton: Ford had used stick TO administer the
castigat1on.
THE STICK.
| 1t was at this juncture that the stick" Was
| produced and handed TO DR.. Chopin. IL Is ap-
parently the fragment of the hoop of u hogs
| head. 1t is of hickory, about two and half
fp,tt t1Tnp-uuaFt9r me- wi
aud one qual ter Or one filth Of an inch in thick
| ness. The stick" Is rent IN two in its length.
appearance Of led blood. but which the en-
ployees Of the institution say Is the bark of the
wood and nothing else, DR., Chopin will ex-
anime the stains under the microscope.
Denis Davis. yellow boy. about fourteen
years vi age also exhibited an abrasion Of the
skin on his back. He had been whipped, he
hoop as the "staVe" he had been whipped with
| four weeks before.
u powerful looking chap, about seventeen
| years old, seemed to be the most aggrieved Of
! those examined. He had been whipped once
| on the cuarge OF knocking u screw out Of q
bed. Some boys told him that he had gotten
Seventy-six ltcks with d stick 1.-THE hoop), His
back upon being examined, showed QUE abra-
| sion Of the SKIN, and numerous scars on the
ba OF the thighs. which he said had been in
| flicted while he Was In the institution, An OK
| animation Of the parts by DR.. Finney disclosed
scars deemed to nave been made with q cow
| hide. Grant being further questioned, confessed
that his step mother had Whtpped him at nome
with q cowhide. 1t was ELECTED that Grant had
ESCAPED from the institution at one time. and
| being recaptured, had been placed In dun
Reon" for tWenty-one days. he said, on bread
Chas. Stansbury, Christopher Frank, and a
| boy uamed Gpudecomb. all over fourteen. were
| examined. The bodies evidenced castigation of
an earnest character. Frank and Goudeeomb
| spoke very frankly, giving the reasons why they
| had been hOggeh, aud acknowledging that they
| had deserved the punishment they had re-
ceived. Stapsbury, however. denied his guilt.
| but small black boy and yellow boy Of eigh-
teen told a, STRAIGHTFORWARD story to prove the
| ftagrdFte deLiCtu against Stansbury
| Christopher Frank. in answer to the queS-
! tions Of the committee. replied that only two
boys had been made to run the gauntlet for
CRIME AGAINST NATURE,
himself and another boy. The gauntlet COM
prised about half Of the boys Of the institution
who were provided with
SWITCHES.
| The other boy was not now In the House OF
| Refuge.
There we're other inmates examined and
more facts elected. but the reasons for punish
ment la many of these cases were of such q
| character las may be Judged by reading par
ttcular portion OF this report that it is 1mpos-
sibl9 to make anything like perfect report Of
We win now make brief report OF the ex-
animation OF the employees of the House of
Mr. Thos. Devereaux being sworn, said that
he knew Of all cases OF whipping and correct ion
| III the INSTITUTION. Oh WHICH ne Is the SuDer1n-
tendent, except that Of the boy Grant and an
other boy, who was released. Nobody had any
authority TO punish without reporting to him,
drawn In whipping. and there were no such
cases within bis knowledge; His employee,
James ,RieV, had whipped John Grant with
| out authority. The reasons we're not sufficient
for the punishment. The maximum punish
ment in the institution was close confinement
this punishment too long. There has been less
| corporal punishment this year than last He
had no knowledge Of the whipping of the boy
Grant until The Grand Jury visited the insitu-
ton. The boy who was found IN the dungeon
| by the Grand Jury had escaped from the House
| OF Refuge and WAS recaptured; he could not
| have been 10 the dungeon Tor tWenty-one days.
| because Exhibiting records and comparing
datesl not twenty days elapsed between the
sEp9 ID s sag e4y lime had psed Sor r
capture Of the boy. Mr.. Devereaux now said
| that the Grand Jury addressed only one or two
questions to him. and did not ask for any ex-
| lanations which he Was DESTROYS to give The
G and Jury went through the House Of Refuge
and occupied not more than forty minutes in
Mr.. James Riley, one Of the employees Of the
| institution, testified that John FL. Grant had
be-n punished for disordery conduct in the
| dormitory. Witness struck him six or seven
times on the back with the hoUp. After that
the dormitory was perfectly quiet He did not
report the whipping to Mr.; Deveresux. because
| it was SUCH slight affair that he did not think
| it worth while to do So
Mr.. Linck, the baker Of the House Of Refuge,
Satu that ne mad been IN the lnstltutIQn Ior nine
years. He did not notice much difference In
| the discipline or punishment in the institution.
The punishment was severe in some cases, in
others 1t was not. Never saw blood drawn dur
| ing this administration. There was whip ping
| under Mr. Bo5 worth's administration. Under
Mr. HenrYs administration blood was drawn
once. Witness in answer to the questions Of
| Administrator McCaffrey. said that Mr.. Deve-
reaux' course was marked by kindness: that
| the boys were not afraid TO go up to him and
| speak to him and say what they wanted to say,
| and witnes, conveyed the i'm preston that they
seemed to show much more independence OF
action and manltness than they manifested
under other administrations.
| The examination was now closed.
WHITE AND BLACK.
| Some conversation followed, concerning the
ac paration of the white from the colored in
d te during which Mr.. Devereaux said that
be had himself suggested the division to the
CIR nd Jury.