Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-06-27
.SUPT. HENDRICKS REPLIES.
He Brands as Lies the AfIldavits
Published
AGAINST THE REFORM SCHOOL.
Denies Assertions of Members of
the Grand Jury.

| IL tue uDllCs-
The discharged officers of the State
Reform School having sworn to their
batch Of lies with which they disgusted
the investigating committee Of the hu-
name society and the grand jury, and
with which they have been giving the
part of the public within the reach of
their voices and influence a surfeit
since they lost their jobs, 1 would beg
to occupy very small space and short
time with the matter.
do this for fear some one may be-
Iieve the malicious lies because they
are sworn TO. Indeed tho one-sided
and unjust attack of the Unitarian
minister In Salem would indicate ar
much.
One Of these discharged men makes
solemn oath that he was ordered to
make boy eat manure, mentioning
the boy by name, and that If he did so
to report the fact in the evening, and
tue boy would be made to eat more
m ,nure. This Is a most unconsciOn-
able piece of perjury. There is boy
here, but not the boy named, who
states that this discharged officer act
ually stuffed manure into his mouth
This simple minded peIjurer evidently
Was afraid of being accused of his fool
ish, nasty and inhumane act and there
fore made up out of whole cloth and
swore to this other manure story.
All OF the afiidavits are either, like
this one, absolute falsehoods made up
out Of whole cloth, or facts grossly per-
yerted.
A large percentage of the boys here
receive no corporal punishment at all.
There are weeks together that pass
without any case of corporal punish
ment-and we have nearly a hundred
boys. But In some cases 1t is necessary
1T Is the only remedy thus far discoy-
cred that answers the purpose. No re-
form school has ever yet been conduct
ed without 1t. If there is any other
way, l would like to know 1t. /
would like to use 1t.
/ would invite any intelligent and
unprejudiced person to full IL vestiga-
lion of our methods. The results will
show what we are doing for the boys.
hope the public will not lose sight
of the fact, as explained by the humane
society's committee, that these officers
were discharged because they would
not observe the rule against corporal
punishment by subordinates. This
rule must be observed If there is to be
any successful reformatory work here.
1t Is being scrupulously observed now.
These discharged men found no fault
with the severity of the discipline
while here. The fact Is II was not SO.
we're enough to suit them. They COM
planned of this. Their complaint now,
therefore, that II was too severe, should
fall fiat
do not believe In corporal punish
ment when II can be avoided. l GER
tainly do not believe in Its rash, fool
ish, passionate and promiscuous appli
cation. Such allowed here would be
next TO criminal.
/ am much surprised at the state
ments of the two grand jurymen, Mr..
Pate and Mr.. Savage. The boy whom
they claim to have found In dark cell
was in the temporary upper dormitory,
whose windows have been closed up in
putting on the new additions. This is
used only temporarily as a dormltory,
until the new buildings cum be COM
pleted. This boy was never whipped
In the school. He will probably never
need corporal punishment while here.
He was committed here merely vie
tim of bad associations. His sore leg
was from poison oak, as our physicians
can testify. do not believe he told
Mr.. Savage and Mr.. Pate that he had
been whipped, because l regard him as
a truthful boy. His mother lives In
Salem, aud he is from a good family,
closely connected with all of Oregon's
history, The other cases of brutality
referred to by these men-at least the
ones with foundation In fact-are
chargeable to the discharged men. l
did admit that sought TO be oensured"
for not discharglng some Of these men
sooner. plead guilty to this charge.
But would ask the public to consider
the extenuatlng circumstances that
was deceived by their lying lips, rs
they now seek to deceive aud poison
the minds OF the pablic-and that they
were discharged as soon AS the enorm.
lty OF their acts were found out
II. J. HENDRICKS.
Reform School, June ~.
---------- - --7---------