Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-08-06
A Priests Philanthropy.

a communication in the Brenham Banner
of the 30th ult. headed ga Priests Cruelty
is calculated to destroy my reputation and
injure the Institution under nay charge. 1t
is sacred duty which 1 owe to my Bishop,
to the clergy and to myself to refute the
charges. Every word shall state can tes-
tify to and substantiate by facts.
1 never have become guilty of cruelty,
either by act or neglect, towards any one in
all my life time. If some of the dozen boys
examined showed scars on any part of their
body they are not the effect of punishment
inflicted by me. l do not make the larger
boys whip the smaller ones numerically,
| but when 1 give the smaller ones in charge
of larger one always advise them to kind
ness. One of the boys had cow-hide for
training some goats, and if it was used on
any of the boys it was very seldom, for after
two weeks time there has been no cow-hide
seen on the place, nor was there ever any
seen before. One single time boy struck
another with bailed-hay-wire. l never al
lowed such or similar punishment. The
children are as healthy as any children can
be and within six years l have lost not sin
gle one by death, and have spent less than
two dollars for medicine and that was for ac-
cidental colds and for fever which the bows
had when they we're brought to the Asylum.
As for their appearance leave it to others
to judge, after they have the necessar; in
formation of the respective circumstances
Six of the boys had been badly burnt and
otherwise injured before they were entrusted
to me. The officers did not ask me one syl-
liable of explanation. Every cook that ever
have had will testify that the children have
at no time received too little to eat, or spoil
ed food. Ny grocer will testify that nv
kills ,o-, -. /
ways ask for the best articles. Our varieties
of food are not confined to the number of
one mans fingers. We have Is milk cows
and other young cattle for meat, and 200
goats. Of the former we butcher one week
during cool weather, and during the warm
season one goat a day. This seems enough
for % persons. How it could be possible
that the boys had spoiled meat on the day of
the officers visit | cannot understand, for it
was that of q goat butchered that same morn
ing. Besides meat the children had corn and |
peas. As for the way 1t was served them l |
say that as have the building in course of
repair the boys are eating in shady place |
in the open air, and since our cook left us on
the lst of July, with the promise of return |
ing soon, one of the boys does the cooking,
and he is not very particular as regards etl-
quette and according to childrens' ways |
many of the plates and cups have been scat
tered. How their sleeping apartments could .
smell so bad is more than know; for, as
told the officers, the boys have been sleeping
ever since the warm weather in the open air
in q yard 400x160 feet and we'll protected by
a fence. They only carry the bed clothes
into room for the day. The rule is, as nv
employees can testify, that the boys leave the
field at II o'clock q. m, and rest until half
past ,, and during school time do not return
to the field until the next morning, and not
earlier than our neighbors. l have kept a
boy confined to the place by means of q light
harness chain as he preferred the open air to
8 room. From the time that put the chain
on him he did not get sore, but he had had
q sore on one foot through accident, and
made one on the other foot when one of the
boys had put the chain on that foot, and he
run away with it on. 1 did not conine the
boy for punishment but because he is sub
ect to 'fts" and apt to run away and is then
IN great danger. When l was at home had ,
him generally loose and employed near me
1t some easy work. This same boy saved
rom drowning in Buffalo Bayou two years
.go at the peril of my own life. He has not |
been chained two months, but much less,
md only when had to leave home at inter
Tals. The children have an affection for me ,
md that speaks louder than any arguments.
Affection can be gained exclusively by kind
less. am doing good work by giving 1
lone to homeless children, and l spend all
ny time and means to make them law-abid.
ng citizens and useful for themselves and S
theirs. Such work surely deserves to be Z
SISTED. F. NJ. HUM. {
independence, August LIST, 1891.