The Republican journal., 1882-11-16
The Treatment of Boy Criminals.

I Doubtless our readers have watched with in
terest the investigation of the affairs of the
Maine State Reform school which has been in
progress at the Institution in Cape Elizabeth
| before a commission appointed by the Governor
and Council. While we would not PREJUDICE the
case too strongly before the commission submit
their report. we are conscious that the great
public. who have read the testimony, are also
rendering their verdict the ease. While
the testimony of the officers was to the cf-
feet that harsh measures were rarely resort
ed 10 as Il punishment, the concurrent testi-
monv Of the boys is to the effect that prac-
tices Of absolute torture We're often employ
| ed. Lewis Sequin said he had been punish
cd by the Superintendent with ten blows on
the hand with a rule; had stood on line in
| the yard day and half; had been made to stand
and bend over and touch his toes with his fin
gers for half an hour; saw an over>eer strike
| another boy in the face with n strap and his
face turned black and blue; had seen an over
seer catch boys in the yard and sling them
| round: had grabbed him and stood him near
the cate with his fingers to his toes. Geo W.
| Pendleton had been punished with ten strokes
for being i'll the ''meditation' class ten times.
William Gien was at the school for not having
| home. An officer had punched" him in the
| shop. He had also been struck by another Off
Ger III the dining room. Had been confined in
the cell three days and three nights for not do
| ing his stint. Had seen boys kicked by an Off
Ger in the shop, Had to touch his toes some
times II minutes Edward n Campbell had
seen an officer knock the wind out of Pcnder-
| grass (another boy.) Had seen boys with the
| iron chain on. James T. Smith had been con-
fined in the tower and cells. Was five davs and
| nights i'll the tower for trying to run aWay Had
as much bread and water as he wanted and
! plenty of blankets. Robert Galley had been
/ punished so many times he couldn't remember.
| An overseer had choked him against the gate.
The scar was still there, He asked him if he
| didn't waEt a nut, as he had one. but the over
| seer thought he meant something else and grab
| bed him. Another oyerseer choked hlm in the
third class chair shop until he did not know
! anything. Tie also stepped upon his fingers.
Saw llillman'S ears pulled until they We're black
and blue. Boys had been knocked over ana
struck until they cried. Two boys. Griffin and
| Traver>. who had attempted to escape. Were
/ punished by having an iron ring put upon the
| leg of each The iron was produced before the
commission. and created something of a sel>a-
tion of surprise, of the trustees Of the
school had spoken of it as "a little ring" and
one of the boys in his testimony had said that
| it was Il great big iron thing which he never had
chance TO ',heft," but thought it would weigh
about 10 OF Ii pounds. His statement at the
time was received with some laughter and
unanimous incredibilty. The iron is oval in
shape, and Mr.. Wentworth's (asSistant Super
| intcudent) description of it was very accurate
| Mr. Harrington (Superntendent) said that it
weighed eleven pounds. 1t was sustained from
the ankle in the day time by an iron frame
work which was supported from the ground or
floor under the heel. This frame would weigh
about pound more. The frame work was re-
moved at night but the boy slept with tha II
! pound belt upon his limb. The bows had Worn
this instrument OF torture several months. And
so the testimony goes on. We have given only
specimens.
How to deal with bows i n problem which
many parents have found il difficult 10 Crash
1t is worth every effort to save the boy from a
| course IN crime. Many young men are buried
in prison for life before their bovhood has end
ed The large majority are without any eJurn-
ton from the schools Whatever. But thoy IuLs
IN education. nevertheless Their pdI,ration
was picked up in the slang and fth of thr
| streets, with rOwdies and I0afers for school
mates and school-masters. If tbey We're aha IN
read at ALL they poisoned their minds with sucb
trash as the New York Weekly" THE Police
Gazette" or The Day's DoiprS''
Abuse at home. and neglect At home have
driven many Il boy into the Reform school and
from thence to the State Prison 4 frv- years
ago w, had an interesting interview viii WI
ward ingalls,. a boy of Is. in tha Name Statr
| Prison He told rs TO orr .urnriSa tbat h,
had already served five wears in The Nassarhn-
spttS Reform school. His was tbp old hnt sad
sad story. ..Motbrr lied When I v,s ,.r,,
young ana | w,s ohIiurd n ,rn 1u+ in+a III
world and shirl for myself no onc rarint, III,
me. and | stole because rouIdn't holm # /
don't know AS | have a friend in tLr ,vo,,d
Everybody passed me bv or gave me fine cold
/ -tN % hnV wit
rlrar-rut features and handsome f,rn. thnrn
was raw matpriaI enouoh there for q ,n,n IIi,
harsh treatment at home had driven him to rhp
Reform school: cruelty at the Reform School
had made him a ready and an easy victim fo.
the State Prison II seemed III H. III. nnt,r,I
grade in Ills career Of crime
We saw Charles l.. Eastman in tb,. stat.
Prison. Although in his seventeenth ,,a,r ~.
had graduated from both thr New U,mnshirp
and Maine Reform schools ana VA tLnll' y,4,.,.
Conceal his frnil boyish holy ,nd lonL ,nl,. .t
his face. and Won w0uld iutIe him to he y nan
past fifty, so Scared and furrowed and bar,inn.
cd is his face bv fine bIipht and mildpv of narl,.
sin He had neither home nor home int]ri
pnccS and Crjftpd .bout in thc vorlJ lirLnd IN,
one cltfrd by another ana pelted nv still
another till thc poor child bdcomps nm nIJ
man in sin looking ont at Ms from nehin1 nri,
on bars Are not the STATE Reform schools III
New Uamnshr. ,n1 Maine IL JAN, ,,,.,,,,,,,..,
responsible for thnt boy brinpna mn in tbr
State Prison. Isn't their course nf trnotmnnt
and diSciplinc radically wronr. When w., .rs
told that many of the conyicts in o,Ir own pris
on are graduates from fine Reform school ~
claim that investigations ore in order ana onrhr
not to b,, laughed down
We are aware that many of tbo ho,s sort to
the Reform school arr dG.titutn of inf lern
and lively sense of honor whirh nrtu,frs thnxn
| hayinu rrnoter onnnrtunitinv Rnt th,t i; ~
reason Whv the Gftle remnininr mnnbon1 .honjd
be crushed ont of Them by a roIIrsr of disrinIinn
i'm the practice of which thn nov viii los, ii sol
respect. The minnie he does tbat ,ynnn Ira h;s
chances for reform and vnnr in Sfitntinn H.
comes a misnomnr. If is >imnly tr,inino.
place for STATE Prison conyirts and nor - srbnGi
| of reform. This was not thn desion Of the STATE
in establishing the school Rovs in hnin,t sn,t
TO the Reform school, shouII nnt S,ti;r H.
same disgrace that criminals doin hein~ snnt to
the State Prison. mo founders Of thi2 Snhonl
had if in thnil hearts to nStahIi,G +, hnn,, fn,
bows, similar in Shirt md n,rnnsn tn tha ;,d,,,
trial school for oirIs shaItnr a. ln honrio
waits on life's >rD. 10 whom crime had hnno,nn
second nature: an institution that shonId in
s"m hn, Ul III nnu Io!e
had been deprived, paternal in its nature. tilt
should stand between them and the surgng bill
lows OF SIN ana crime crime M~os "9t e'iad/.%ed as q
naSSed with nfhor n D"' oIt'S II nas
established as a place of srmi-barbaric crnrty.
where boys are to be kicked and cutied about,
Ihelf @ ,Ebs loaded down with bali and chain and
heir bods in oa ;G,re pi eoped TO put
.l,I, .I;,,.;,,l;,,.- .,,,,; i'..s =, = " t ~