New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-14
NETWORK house OF REFUGE.
A SEVERE REPORT BY Mr.. LE1CHwoRIH AND III
AaSOCIATFS

NEW-1Ohh hOUSE OF
SEVERE REPORT BY Mr. LE1CHwORIH AND MS
ASSOCIATES.
IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
ALBANY, May ia committee of the State
Board OF Charities made severe and remark
able report TO the Legislature to-day on the
man cement OF the Eew-YOTk House OF Refnee
on Pandalrs Island. The Committee consisted o! Will
lam i. Letchworth, Edward C. DOnnelly and John H.
Van Antwerp. They began their work on october TO-
1870 in compliance with demaud for an investigation
made by Henry de B. Clay. Tho examination OF VIII
nesses was conducted secret and the opinion OF the
committee on the testimony thus received Is only no"
made public.
The House of Refuge is under the management OF the
Society for the Reformation Of Juvenile Dehnquen's
in the opnion OF the committee tie charter Of the So
cety should be so amended by the Leg'sla-
ture as to confne its jurisdiction hereafter
exclusively to the class OF criminal commitments
for the higher grade of crimes and to children over
twelve and under sixteen OF agc and that FUR
tlermore the OF reforming delinquent girls he Gar
ried on separately and in distant locality. On Oc-
tober Is, 1879, the total number OF inmates
was 756; of whom 613 were boys and 143
girls. The parentage Of the children was
as follows: Irisn 351 German, 119; American, 1O1
African, 81 English, %; French, Italian SCOTCH
5; Jewish, 5 mixed, SO.
The committee fret examined the food OF the asylum
They found that the -four was Of a low Grlde " The
testimony of the bakers OF others showed that some
times there were worms III lhe
say respecting the bread and the butter:
number Of witnesses testified that the bread some
times evidences having been gnlwcd by rats or
mice and that they had seen thd exGrGmGht hP8n H.
partly tables and partly on me h.or nncovGrt4;
was evident from the excremcnt about ne
room that the place Was nneStgH t %o5
these and other vermn. Again. 1t appeared that the
bread was generally stored IN gs room by the boys
bakery The new and the old bread was packed lndls
crimnatev and consequence some OF 1t became 100
old for before placed on the table several i9aves
selected by the committee from the stock on hau
which found 10 be hard ana sour ana unn Tor con
sumption. Tins bread was admitted TO be week olu
This neglect Of staple an article OF FOOD the COM
Bu.terefa reference to the butter for the inmates
the testimony shows tnaI 1t was at times oiirnVGE
In JOB lots at low prices The average price paid
!oT butter for the year preceding October
S lS 5F:cedne o fSRf9 49, Gss y u cc
pound. One lot OF 1863 pounds was purchased IN
pounds was purchased IN November 1878 at ia cents
The average paid for bu ter for officers for the
1873 24l4 cents per pOund. The tna expenditure or
SGeF ca lTF s s @rns ISIS for inmates
81 O85 so; tor officers, S945 70 Several tubs of the
stock on Gnd were examined ana the o1er WAS ran
that great economy has been practsed IN me puT
garne was tried at one time as substitute, but not
adopted.
Tie committee say that the meat OF good quality.
ana talf allowance OI IL WAS euppucu'
SOUP the committee say that there testimony that
1t was weak. wdsDy and thckened with -four" One
witness said Those were the poor day for the boys
when they had soup dinner there were bones and
some it, but it not strong soup The soup
SHOULD say was subject Of pleasantly in the nsliIu-
ton while was there
Six crcs were devoted 10 the raising OF vegetables.
Regardin; This the committee say:
1t appears that the officers table supplied from
this source, which consumed considerable
Z hs nrnd A
on the place. when plentiful, occasionally served to
Jhe h0vs berries and other fruits, either fresh in
saHcc we're moi supplied, except on holidays .
There have II suic en- quantity and variety OF
1t will DC seen by reference testimony Of pnysi
Clans that scurvy has been one OF the experenc OF the
inst tOD though they do not ascllDe tuls bOey 10 the
absence Of vegetable diet,
The committee severely comment tho inferior
clothing gwen to the boys Apparently the provision
| for cleanliness is not great. The committee say:
The whole OF division, numbering at times 800,
bathed IN two tanks. The boys on rising are required
| to wash their faces aud hands. No SOAP Is
In the BATHROOM On Saturdays they are required 10
take bath Tue boys were 6alhed ~ gang OF twcnt'.
five second division boys and from thrty 10 lory nlht
division BOYS III each tank until some time
in the summer, OF 1877 ond so the water r RE-
out during this bath, and collected again after
As q consequence lie boys hands present bcrrimcd
appearance and the general INSPECT oi teir iases a
transparency IN the cOuutenanCes OF ehIdTcn III
| home life.
The boys are required to work under the charter OF
! the society they to have some "induSna employ
| ment" When the committee made their examination
on October IS last the boys OF the first division $50 In
rumber were employed follows Stocking shop. 2GO;
wire shop 3d. halls 10; In Kitchen 49, In tailor shop
TO- in storeroom iu carpenter STOP. l. The number
| In the second division was 2G3. There were employed
IN the stocking shOp,12O; IN the shirt shop, 113; IN
halls 12 OIL the farm s in bakery, 3; in steIm room
3: on ferry boat tailor shop, in gus house. l. The
| contracts are follows:
| A. II. & g. b. Alling, whose contract commenced Oc
tober 1873 for the knitting Of stockngs on machines
This contract calls for $50 second division boys al 20
each per day 22O first division boys at 10 cents
frat division being EaG for at cents per day
Slime on Gntman who's contract eomine"f%d ~ Jmnc
from 1O1 to boys of the second division employed ~
rate OF 20 cents per day each. Guman a'O mad con
trait for the labor OF the girls Oh the same class OF
g. Ebenezer Oliver whose contract goes back fourteen
years, aud who had. at the date OF the inquiry thirty
nine boys of the fret division employed IN wreWOrkinG
| at Is cents per day each.
The committee say that the boys have been treated
harshly by the employees OF the contractors. This
| roughuess" they say. consisted in cufing
! slapping in tho face and shaking by tho neck
| aud while there is evidence Of violent in
Jury having been Inflicted 1t is not impossible
in view Of the generality OF the practice and the supne
ness Indifference cOnnivance OF tile OvrrsecTS tEa
cases greater severity Than those appearing IN cyl
| depce occurred II was brought out and proved tha
NJ least two Of these officers for length of tmC
distinctly IN tie pay Of the contractor, or at least regu
ary IN receipt Of money from the conirac Ors spcrn
tendent charged by him In has accounts WIN me con
tractor. IL appears that under the contract system
has been customary III times to report th'
m their task, Gourly and to inflct upon then
corporal punishment several tmes during th'
tory teses that ne has known s Of instance fNr &c,
| nurpose of being punished four times IN th'
| same day. Tho amount received for the Ia
| bnr OF The boys during 1879 was S249s3 II
The committee ray that the arrangement q the uOrl
Iory IA like that Of prison They severely condemn u
They close their report with series OF recommends
| tiops for tne reformation OF the management
| THE NETWORK INDIANS
| .,ornrn ,,rprnlME NJ To RI TILED.