Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-11

acres in Coryell county, lying about two
| mites from Gstesrille. we think the
requirements of. the law have been
fully complied with The location IS
central and of convenient access from ali
parts of the state by the Cotton Belt
Railway The site is elevated and healthy
and commands fine view OF distant hills
in almost every direction The buildings
were completed and turned over TO the
state November I0, 1888, and il was con-
tempIated that ii would be ready for the
occupancy Of the youthful convicts to be
transferred by proclamation as the law
directs at an early date after the state
| took charge. But the artesian well from
which a water supply was expected was a
| partial failure, as a flow of water was not
| obtained of sufficient quality and guam
| fifty for all purposes As this was impeF-
| alive, a renewed effort was made which
was reasonably successful, furnishing
flow of 250 barrels per day of pure water.
The completion of the buildings and their
| additions, and the preliminary arrange
| ments TO be made for the reception of
| those within the prescribed ages and con-
! fined in the penitentiaries, necessitated
| the appointment of superintendent, and
| accordingly on November 20, 1888, Mr..
| Ben T.. McCulloch, who by reason of his
| executive ability and well recognized
experienced and worth was deemed
well fitted for the responsible
duties, was placed in charge, and on the
| lst OF January the youthful deIinquents
were transferred by proclamation from
the state s. prisons as the law directs
| The act of the legislature establishing
| this Institution for the most benefieent
purpose and sustained so generously IN
&n bn ant mn MT of
the state, was silent as to
THE PLAN TO DE ADOPTED,
| devoIving upon the executive the Tespon-
sibility of a choice between what is
termed the 'fcongFegate system, - with
its adjunct of prison walls, and the cot
tage or family system of a more domestic
type This was to be matter of anxious
solicitude, as it was so vital to the future
of the institution. I therefore deter
mined to seek all the light that the wis
dom and experience of similar inStitu-
lions could bestow and every province of
knowledge on this point within my reach
was fully explored before entering upon
the plan of the buildings. It
was found that in many Of
the states, after they had ex-
perimented for years in sea of plumbers,
humanity had suggested and experience
at great cost to the respective states,
from the prison plan to THAT of the fam
lily system. And the best and most
thoughtful minds among the snperinten-
dents, many of whom had been continue
ously engaged in this line of work for
more than quarter of q century, con-
Cured in saying that the experience in
their own and other institutions had
taught them that boys could be more jul
diciously and economically trained and
elevated by this. than the plan formerly
in vogue throughout the country. The
reformatory at Gainesville is the reflex of
the plans and suggestions of George f.
Howe, superintendent of Meriden, Conn,
reformatOry. He is the father of the
family system, and for nearly a half cen
fury has been the superintendent of the
Ohio and Connecticut institutions of this
character. The most material point of
objection to the plan seemed to me to ex-
ist in the apparent facility for escape.
But two of the superinten-
dents of similar institution de-
clare that every few have escaped
and but little expense has been incurred
in the pursuit of fugitives, and they take
the broad ground that, admitting that
some might and probably would escape, it
would be highly improper and impoiitic
to restrict nine out of ten boys in the adj
ditional facilities afforded for their
REFORMATION AND FUTURE USEFULNESS,
because the tenth one was incorrigible
and refractory and might escape. have
had the assistance of an earnest, active
board Of trustees, and we can only hope
i'll the discharge of this duty, to have full
filled your expectations and those of the
people, and that the institution will
vindicate its claims upon public conf
dence ana the generous support of the
state. It's success viii be measured by its
results, and as the youth of the state are
the hope of the nation, if by its moral
help ii shall reclaim those drifting upon
the current of evil and make them hon
est, industrious, temperate men and sue
cessful wage-winners adding to the pro-
ductiye income and taxable values, in
stead of moral lepers upon society the |
state will be abundantly recompensed for |
IFS outlay
As some changes in our laws are neces- |
saTy to the furtherence of the plan of
reformatory work sought to be inaugu-
rated by the establishment of this institu- |
ton, would respectfully urge upon
your honorable bodies that its proper |
purpose be not misapprehended, and |
while moral delinquency should be made |
who cannot be reformed nor those who |
need no reformation should be commit
ted. The states prison is the proper |
place for the hardened criminal; the in |
sane asylum for those mentally deranged; |
the public school for the truant; the |
shiftless citizen should not be permitted |
to make it place of deposit for the /
child whose support he would gladly es- |
cape. Provision should be made vesting |
the trustees, acting III conjunction with |
uperintendents, with authority whereby |
transfers can be made from the |
reformatory to the states prison /
of all those who may prove incor-
rigible or persist in the choice Of an evil |
life, with like privilege of transfer from /
the latter to the former Of all coming |
within the ages, when the improvement |
of the convict demands it This may be |
restricted so as not to include those under |
life sentence, and while the present max
imum and minimum ages of admission I
should be retained, commitments should
be during minority and the trustees,
with the concurrence of the superinten- /
dent should be clothed with authority TO