The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-12-07
Maine Miscellany.
THE REFORM SCHOOL REPORT.

THE REFORM SCHOOL REPORT.
The three commissioners for investigating
the reform school made three separate reports,
instead of consolidating them. The first. Will
liam Edward Gould, says he found everything
neat and clean, well warmed and the health of
the boys very satisfactory; the food sufficient
and good, and improving the past year. Class
flying punishment, he criticises some very
severely, especially confinement in cells, tower
and closets standing in the dormitory at night
inflicted by Officer Freise, is styled exquisite
| torment, but that officer has been dismissed:
wearing irons is equally censured. He thinks
| the trustees do not comprehend the wants of
| the school; recommends the removal of the
officer in charge of the first chair shop: thinks
| that boys convicted of high crimes should not
be sent to this school; that boys should be
taught occupations, and suggests other reforms
| The second, Thomas HI. Haskell, agrees in
! commencing the general surroundings he OBJ
jects to the requisition of silence at meals and
comments with equal severity upon the punish
ments; also agrees that the convict of high
crimes demoraliZes others, if sent here: he also
| fayors the teaching of trades; thinks the trust
ees should give more attention to the school, or
board of visitors be appointed, to whom the
| boys might communicate without the knowl-
edge of the officers or teachers. The third,
Frederick Fox, like the others, commends the
good condition of the institution. He speaks
approvingly of the pleasant library, kind nurs-
| ing, etc; objects to placing hardened criminals
here. and comments upon the fact that boys
c0mlnltted as Vagrants would see those COM
mitted for crimes which they would abhOr
placed higher in rank and discharged sooner
| than themselves; thinks the charges of cruel
| punishment are established; he asks to what
extent reformation develops itself in boy of
IA, committed at for stealing so cents, and
what fountains cease to polute society by COM
pelling him. for fighting on the stairs to stand
up from O'Clock in the evening to ! O'Clock in
the morning, and then to perform all his daily
tasks. He asks several other equally incisive
questions about equally unjust punishment
lie recommends, does Mr.. Gould. home
plan or family system like that of Massachu-
setts and other states, and suggests other i'm
prOvements.
A YOUNG MAN SHOOTS A YOUNG LADY AND
THEN KILLS HIMSELF.
CoRINNA, Nov. 80. About five O'Clock this
afternoon the inhabitants of North Newport
were startled by hearing three pistol shots in
rapid succession, and shortly afterwards a
horse and carriage ran into the door-vard of
John Dodge. In the carriage, Miss Nellie Pri-
lay. Of North Newport, lay dying, with bullet
hole IN her left temple. Charles Crowcll Jump
ed from the carriage, but dropped before he
reached the door. Crowell had IL bullet hole in
his right temple. They were carried into Mr..
DodgeS house and both expired inside of twen-
ty minutes They were both insensible when
found and did not recover consciousness before
death. Crowell called at the school house in
ST. Albans, this afternoon, where Miss Pray
was teaching, to take her to her home in
North Newport to spend Thanksgiving. He
was seen driving through Main street, in
Corinna, about 4.30 P. NJ. He called at his home
located about half way between Corinna and
North Newport, and is supposed to have pro-
cured the revolver with which the terrible deed
was committed. The revolver owned by Gro
we'll was found short distance from Mr..
Dodges place, three chambers being empty.
1t is supposed that Crowell shot the girl and
then himself. Crowell was twenty-siX years
old and Miss Prlay Is. Crowell had been pay
ing atcnton to Miss Priay for nearly two
years, No motive for the deed is assigned
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
Farmers Institute under the auspices of
the Maine Board of Agriculture and the Penob-
scot Farmers Club, opened at City Hail. Ban
gor, Tuesday forenoon, 21st ult The leading
subject was How to Market the crops Of a
FARM. The forenoon session was opened BY
a paper read by Secretary Gilbert on the rela-
ton OF feeding to fertility and discussions there
of. In the afternoon j. f. Shaw, secretary Of
the Prnobscot Farmers Club, read Il paper on
The Profits of Feeding Hay and discussion
followed by Messrs. Cobb, of AndroScoggiu
county and Harris of Cumberland county.
The following resolution was given an unani-
nous passage
Whereas, The laws of the State of Maine re-
gardlhg the sale of commercial fertilizers as
they now stand are, owing to the cost of analy-
sis, imperative and virtually of no account.
therefore be it
nobscot County Farmers Club, consider it i'm
peratively necessary that the legislature of 1893
Shall appropriate sum of money sufficient to
establish an experiment station at the State Ag-
ricultural College at Orono, for the purpose Of
procuring and aScertanng the true value of all
supeTphoSphate, guano and commercial fertili-
zers offered for sale in the State.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
Writing of the State Prison the Maine corre-
spondent of the Boston journal saws: In 1876
capital punishment was abolished in this State,
and it has resulted in a serious change i'll the
character of the prisoners. AT that time only
about five per cent. were in for life NOW thirty
five per cent. are serving such sentences. all of
whom are conscious that whatever they NAV do
it will not affect the term of their imprisonment.
The safety of Il prison official Is thus reduced lii
a direct ratio with the increase of life sentences.
and the question of how this state of things is to
be remedied is one that sooner or later will ag-
ltate prison reformers, and will possibly lead to
Il restoration of the death penalty in certain
cases, In fact, this action was attempted in our
last Legislature, but failed of passage The
BALANCE of the prisoners change in about every
three years on an average.
THEM STEERS.
The Home Farm says of visit to Chases'
Mills Unfortunately Uncle Solon was not at
home, but we saw them vertabe "steers,'
hard at work, driven by one Of his sons, and
had Il very pleasant call at the publication Of
HSC VI ltH folCtlS, NItlC We lUuuV HIS paper
in the hands Of a most competent Young lady,
whese name we did not learn, but who has a
fund Of genius, ability and capacity equaed by
few of her sex. She was not only one of the
compositors on the paper, but set the advertise
mentS, read the proof, made up the forms,
corrected the galeys, run the mailing machine
and helped in mailing, but also prepared much
of the copy for the paper, and wrote poetry for
it bes3des The amount of work she did SEEM
ed enough for two ordinary persons and vet
in formed Sbp W nt
IsIrA HCMBUG:
A bug has turned up in Maine. if one
might be allowed the license of calling it a bug.
The farmers already dread it worse than the
potato bug. 1t has SO far been found only in
the town of Cherryteld and vicinity, in Wash
ington county. 1t crawls at snais pace, but
is dtfusing itself too rapidly \ local paper
says it resembles Il large snail, has the power of
elOngaton, AMI, when extended to full length,
is three or four inches long. 1t is supposed to
have been brought from Europe in a bundle of
shrubbery. The Irish say it is very common in
the ''old country" 1t is a filthy looking Great
urc, and very destructive to ,most every kind
of vegetable.
IN GENERAL.
of The l49 prisoners now in the State Prison,
% are employed in the manufacture of carriages
and sleghs, 10 in the wood shop, 20 in the paint
shop, 80 in the smith shop and in the trimming
room. Thlrty-three others are engaged in the
manufacture of harnesses. The work done is
tirst-ClaSs.
The Mining journal says that the Douglass
smclter at Buehl has been started up, and in
connection with the teaching works, which are
also u success, is turning out from tive thousand
to three thousand dollars worth Of marketable
copper per month. The work in the mine at
present consists principally of Strengthening
the Shaft and laying tramWay.
The will of Gov. G. c. Washburne, the Wiscon-
sin millionaire, is to be contested ty his widow,
who demands her right of dover of one-third
of the estate. The testator died. making Il life
provision for her comfort in the hospital for the
INSANE, where she had been several years, and
making ample provision for all of his other
heirs, except a nephew who had crossed his
political path, besides several bcquests, one of
$15O,900 for the founding of an orphans home
in Mi annapolis and $4,000 for founding a lib
rary IN La Crosse
Clippings.
A Democratic Prohibitionist is an anomaly
for whose existence there is no excuse. Ban
gor Commercial.