The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1886-05-13
ABUSING THE ORPHANS.
Gov. Pattison Finds a veritable Dothe.
boys Hall at Mount Joy, Pa.

AbOSINU NE O1NI f1ANSs
Gov. Pattison Finds a verftable Dothe.
boys Hall 1T Mount JOY, Pa.
eff you have never read Dickens
Nicholas Nickleby, with its description
of Squeers' Dotheboys hall, you can
form no idea of this Mount Joy Soldiers
Orphans School," said Atty. Gen. Cassi-
dy to Harrisburg correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press, one afternoon re-
Gently at Mount Joy. Then he added:
go and see for yourself"
This morning Gov. Pattison, Atty
Gen. Cassidy, Col. J. Wesley Awl az
notary, Col. II. C. Dernming as steno-
grapher, and John Norris, of the Phila-
delphia Record, left Harrisburg for
Mount Joy, to investigate the grave
charges of mismanagement in the Sol
diersS Orphans School at that place.
They We're met at the school by Mr..
SheFbin, the attendant, who combines
positions of agricultural professor, in
structor in mechanical pursuits, eXem-
plar in morality to 1S4 boys, keeper of
the wardrobe, and night attendant of
the bath--in fact, the Booh-Bah of the
institution Mr.. Sherbin attended the
party during the walk around.
They first visited the boys playroom.
where they stay in bad weather and
where they congregate at night occa-
sionally to study. This room was en-
tered through narrow zigzag passage
way, and was found to be dark, bad
smelling, low-ceiiinged apartment, part
ly underground, and at one time was
used as the furnace cellar. The board
ceiling was partly torn off, and the gov
ernors high hat was in danger of being
smashed had he dared to stand upright.
Expressions of disgust were heard from
the party as they emerged into the
bright sunlight. The next place visited
was the lavatory, where it was seen how
1874 boys wash at trough and lS4 faces
are wiped on four towels. The towels
could have stood alone in corner. The
encouragement, on commenting on this
said: absolutely man can't apife-
ciate what this is until he sees it. u
Then the party made their way to the
dormitories. This was task in itself,
as the narrow stairway was hemmed in
by the slooping roof, and the officials
were doubled up before they got to the
top. As they reached the stop stair they
instinctively rushed for the windows
and threw them up. The air was foul
and .fetid. Gov. PattisonAwalked over
to one of the beds and turned up the
clothing. The cover on the scant straw
bolster and the sheetSsTere dirty, foul
smelling, and stained. Pooh-Bah Sher-
bin said the sheets were changed every
two weeks. The governor took posses
sion of sheet and bolster as witnesses
for future examination. There were
eighty-five beds for 1S6 boys two weeks
ago. Things have been changed, as the
attendant acknowledged under oath.
In a room by the lavatory was kept
the cast-off clothing of the boys, hung
I'D to air two weeks ago, when the boys
were given their Sunday clothes to wear
for every day. Their new Sunday
clothes arrived few days ago; they
should have been issued in December.
The cast-off clothing of these boys is
simply indescribable. A tramp would
turn up his nose at it-torn, ragged,
dirty, patched out of all semblance to
the original garment. They were being
kept to be issued, the attendant said,
when the boys had work to do. The
governor secured suit for exhibition
purposes. 1t would look well in a dime
museum. Out in the yard the boys were
at play. The governor and attorney
general went among them and learned
from the lads, that Not one of them
| wore undcrclothing. Some of them
those who entered the school since Sep
tember-wore the cast-of clothing OF
the older BOYS. A little fellow with a
| shrunken leg walked lame toward the
party. The governor reached down and
pulled up the leg of the boys trousers.
The cripple's little red legs were with
out any covering but the tiabby, wide
trousers. The water-closets were nau-
seating.
In the sick-room boy was found in
charge of the iniirmary. He dealt out
medicine in the absence of the physi-
clan. The encouragement noticed that
some Of the boys had sore eyes He
asked one of the boys the cause. 81
don't know, sir" answered the lad.
srhe doctor hasn't seen Them" Further
examination revealed the fact that a
large number of blue-eyed boys with
! sore eyes We're treated by one Gf their
number who carried bottle of eye
wash given him by Sherbin. This boy
dropped the wash into the eyes of the
others, and they performed the same
service for him. Then he put the bottle
in his pocket. In the primary school
room fifty children were found together,
and the only ventilation was from five
broken window-panes. The boys bath
room is 4 curiosity. 1t is about ten feet
square and contains Il boiler for hot
water and miniature bath-tub about
eighteen inches wide by five feet long.
Every Saturday the boys get tubbed.
Eight OF them are allowed in the room
at q time and ten towels are furnished
10 the 1874 boys. That is what Mr.. Sher-
bin said. The hot water boiler would
be worked hard 10 supply water enough
for fifty boys in a day. 1t was found
that bread and treac.e formed a chief