The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-24
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
FOURTH DAY OF TIE INvESTIGA-
TION.
The Boys Testify.
They Tell Hard Story of Severe Dis
cipline.

clpIlne.
The fourth day of the investigation into the
management of the State Reform School by
|, the commission appointed by Gov. Plaisted
was concluded yesterday, and the end is not
yet.
Messrs. Fox, Haskell an Gould were in at.
tendance; also Mr.. Bowers, chairman of the
council. Mr.. Chadbourne, president of the
board of trustees of the school and DR.. Thomps
son, treasurer of the same body. Mr.. Little
for several years member of the same board
was also in attendance.
Before going into regular session the COM
missoners held private consultation.
Mr.. Fox informed Mr.. Harrington, the Sup
erintendent of the decision of the commission
that the boys were to be examined under the
requested conditions neither himself nor Mr..
Wentworth the assistant superintendent, to be
present. Mr.. Harrington cheeifully acquiesced
for himself and his assistant.
Chairman Fox then desired The name of the
boys given by Mr.. Donahue Saturday evening
and the examination proceeded.
ALoNzo RANKMs
was the first boy called. He was committed
|
He is now in the first class.
The nature of an oath was made plain to him
by Mr.. Fox, and he seemed to comprehend it
had been in the school seven years. Was II
years of age; was sent there for stealing. Since
Mr.. Harrington had been there he had been
well treated-as well, he said, as he ought to
be; had been punished by Mr.. f. With blows
on the head, from ten to twelve at time. Mr..
| Wentworth had also punished him with the
ferrue. Had been punished byIbeing put in
cell; was fed on bread and water twice day;
| remained there seven days; had two blankets
one under and one over him. 1t was in the
month of July. Was put in the cell for not
| obeying an officer 1t was in the kitchen; did
| not obey him because he did not have charge
| Of the room. Miss Swan was in charge. He
then described the quarrel in the kitchen be-
| tween himself and the engineer Griggs and did
| not differ with other accounts of that trouble.
| There were weapons enough that he might
| have used If he had wanted to, such as clubs
| and knives The trouble was that he was I'M
| justly accused of stealing sugar BE denied it
and told Miss Swan the names of the boys
who did steal it. Griggs kept growing at him,
| and finally told him to go and sit down when
he wanted to turn the steam on to the dining
| room. Was not out of the cell at all during
the Imprisonment. 1t was cleaned by a boy
that the night Waterman brought up. Mr..
Wentworth came up occasionally to see how he
|
bench was in the cell. Was punished for
| whispering in the cher shop by sr. Earring
| ton with ten blows on the hand. Went back
| to work. Punished third time for whisper
| ing on parole. Got eight cracks on the hand,
| the allows were given by Mr.. Wentworth.
| Knew when he whispered that it was against
| tbs rule. No one h I'd talked with him about
| coming in to testify. Did not know what he
he was called for, but said he knew that he
| was coming into the Office for Mr.. Harrington
| always took them in there when he called them
| out. Had seen the commissioners i'll the school
last week. He had enough to eat and thought
| the officers used all the boys right when they
behaved themselves. Had been awakened in
| the dormitory TO 60 TO the can. Was never
struck. Had seen Mr.. Freeze strike boy
there to make him get upsHe used strap and
rope with knots III il. Had seen Freeze pun
| ish boys in the domitory by making them stand
| on line. He would make them stand from
| to II o'clock for whispering in the dining
| room. Had seen nearly all the school punish
| ed there in that way. Boys punished in
| that way almost every night Sometimes Boys
are stood all night. Knew it because. they
| were standing when he went to bed and still
| standing in the morning. Was certain about
1t and gave the names of two boys who were
| made to stand up all night last winter Freeze
| was the nightAwatchman then. The practice OF
| standing up all night is still continued under
| the present Waterman.
JOHN McGoyERN
was the next boy. He was committed from
Calais, is II years of age; his crime, breaking
| and entering. The alternative sentence was
two years in the State prison. The nature of
an oath was explained to him by the chair
man. The boy ranks first grade B.. He has
| been in the school two years. His father and
| mother are dead. Had no lawyer when he was
| tried Sometimes he has been treated well
and sometimes he has not The first punish
ment he got was for giving pepper to boys in
the dormitory. He stole the pepper from the
kitchen. Some of the boys told OF him, and he
was punished by being put down in the third
class Got licking for saucing an officer in the
kitchen. Received two cracks on the hand
| from Mr.. Farington. Was locked up in the
| entry or sort of dungeon under the dormitory.
! 1t is about three feet wide and four feet long
| 1t is dark except holes fer air. Was put in
| there without any dinner. Have been without
| from 10 in the morning till supper time Was
| stood up in the dormitory all night for fighting
with Dyer boy and mad to go to work in the
morning Mr. Harrington knew it because
Freeze told him and Mr. F. said this is pretty
| good night for them. He knew at O'Clock
and in the morning when he was told they
stood up all night he laughed about it. Went
| to work in the morning and worked all day.
| 1t was cold in the dormitory it being the last
/ Of December. Told Freeze was cold and
| wanted him To let me go to bed Freeze once
| made me s. and up two hours for going TO the can
|
| it unless stood up two hours. Saw the boy
| punished at night with straps and rope as
| described by the Rankin boy. Some of the
officers used him well and some did not Gave
| the name of Owen officer who did not
use him we'll. Had all the roast beef he
| wanted to eat; though some of the boys might
not. Witness explained that he Jared so well
| because he worked in the kitchen which
| caused ripple of merriment about the court.
More of the boys have lost any meals sncs the
| Cover nor was here. There used to he ten or
dozen boys who would lose their meals.
Freeze used to stand boys on line without
| their breakfast for not having their hair comb
ed Has known of boys going without their
meals all day since Mr.. Harrington had been
there. Has been from breakfast to supper
without anything to eat None of the other
| boys, nor the officers, had said anything to
him about testfylng. Knew it was Governor
Plaisted when he was there in February be-
cause Mr.. Harrington said, Governor wont
you take a chair"
| CHARLES A. DYER
was eight years old when committed in 1876
by Judge Knight, of the Portland Municipal
Court, for stealing fifty cents The alternative
sentence was thirty days in Jail. His grade is
third class, and record bad. He has brother
in the school, committed the same day. He
understood the nature of an oath,-that you
must swear on the Bible, and you would 60 to
the bad place il you did not tell the truth.
Used to go to Christmas trees and have good
times there. He had been there six years and
eight months for playing truant and stealing.
His mother wa dead, but he had step-moth-
err He stole good many times when they
didn't catch him. Mr. Owen did not treat him
well. He had to mediate for whispering.
Had known boy to be kept two hours "medi-
tating' in the yard by touching their toes He
had been punished by being kept in the tower
for week. Had dry bread to eat and some
times cup OF water. Another boy was with
him. Was sure they had nothing to eat but
runaway scrape He and another bow were
outside, and they ran away. They caught
them, and again was punished by being put in
the tower. He was again punished for not
telling about some boys goipg to set fire to the
building Did not tell because the boys would
call him "supe," and everything The boys
did not set the fire. They got ready ana got
kerosene out Of the kitchen. They were going
to set it in the tower, near the roof. Got extra