The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-26
HALL
Story of Licking and Starving at
the Reform School.
is RUN IN A SLIPSHOD WAY.

Hitchcock of the reform school, was re-
sumed at 10 o'clock this morning. The
last evening up to o'clock.
Mrs ]. G. Rossman in some measure,
contradicted part of her testimony and
explained why she changed it.
II do not think my case ever came up
before the board" said she. She had
been told that she had been reinstated by
the board
"How do you know that the board did
not act on your case?" asked Lawyer
Madden.
because. 1 talked with one of the
members of the board" Superintendent
Hitchcock dinched. Several witnesses
spoke of the statement made public some
months ago that the board had prohibit
ed whipping
Captain Waite said: sit might as well
be understood now as any time that there
was no such order made by the board, to
prohibit corporal punishment. One mem
Der of the board started that report, but
the board never acted on it"
Captain Waite referred to Mrs. Lease.
Mrs. Rossman was asked concerning
the sewer that broke about a month ago
and is still left open
II would like to explain" said she.
s'When that sewer broke, Mr.. Hitchcock
could not be found. This sewer is still
open and there is a stencil arising from
the excavation continually"
Mrs. Rossman said the odOr had been
noticed three or four days previous to the
break. When it broke there was such
stencil filled the basement rooms that
cit was almost impossible to stay down
there"
The next witness was Earl Gilbert, the
office boy at the Reform school.
He said in answer TO a question by At
torney Allen: Il had All merits the first
of this month 1 think 1 have over 500
now'
NJ 100 u-s,-o,, 100 1o,,,.,.;+- 1t -, .L
for using tobacco. He also got twenty
five ticks with a rawhide with his coat
off.
There were about a dozen boys whip
ped at the same time for the same
thing" he said "Some got twenty five
dement's, some twenty-five dement's and
a whipping, and 1 and two others got1OO
dement's and whipping"
The witness looks like a we'll behaved
boy, as the number of his merits show.
The next witness called was George
Early, coIored. He is the boy who was
made to go without his meals for more
than a day when he first came to the in
stitution. He arrived at the school early
in the morning, having travelled all
night He was put to bed and did not get
up till o'clock p. m. Instead of giving
him his dinner he was taken out on the
farm to work without having eaten any
thing since the day before. He was kept
at work until he missed his supper. He
was given his breakfast the next morn
ing, but no dinner. This. it was stated, was
not intentional by the management, but
because of carelessness and the slipshod
manner in which the institution is con-
Quoted.
When Early was asked regarding a
fight he had with the engineer, a Mr..
Kiel, he said: 'sHe told me to take out
some ashes, and told him it wasn't my
work. He jumped on me and began
pulling my ear. told him to stop, but
he turned in and commenced pounding
me-"
'Did he use any profane languagef''
asked Lawyer Madden.
''He called me a --,'' replied the
boy.
The witness said that Mr.. Kiel had
also had quarrel with Mason Stringer
and Arthur Blue, inmates of the school
when Mr.. Kiel brought you to the
Office" asked Lawyer Madden, didn't
you get mad and throw your hat on the
fioor?''
"Then what did Mr.. Hitchcock do?'
was asked.
HE went and gotta rawhide and began
'Did he whip you hard?" asked Law
yer Madden.
eyes, sir, 1 guess he did, but was SO
mad didn't feel it much" replied the
boy.
SHOULDERS
with my coat off"
w. w. Wiley, an officer at the Reform
School, was next called.
The question was asked how often
Superintendent Hitchcock had visited
him in his school.
'At one time," said Mr. Wiley sMr.
Hitchcock, Mr.. Yoe, Senator Kelly and
Senator Householder visited my school
rooGn for about twenty minutes. Mr..
Hitchcock has not visited my room
since" When asked regarding the
superintendent's disposition, he said:
she is very pleasant, agreeable man,
sometimes, but he sometimes shows dis
temper. (Wiley meant i'll temper).
Sometimes he gets very nervous and red
in the face. l have noticed that the re-
lations between Mr.. Hinchcliff and Mr..
Hitchcock were not very friendly"
When asked about his wife being dis
missed and afterward reinstated, he didn't
seem to know anything about il. At this
time, the subject of the open sewer was
brought up and the board adjourned to
the excavation to inspect If.
Joe Rothlinger, the night watchman,
was examined today. He told of his
duties at the institution. He said he had
received his instructions from the other
Waterman
The next witness called was Bert
Rich, one the pupils He described the
incidents of the whipping by Superin-
tendent Hitchcock of the boys in the
bath room, on their bare backs.a
'@Call you next said Senator House
holder, and small. black colored boy
appeared. His name was Leotha Gregg.
He was one of the boys who was in
the bath room when the superintendent
came in and whipped them
There were twenty-four of us in bath
ing" said the witness, sand MI. Hitch