The herald., 1895-03-09
SEVEN COSTLY LITTLE BOYS


The Preston School of Industry is situa-
ted about one-half mile from lone, Anna
dor county, ION a beautiful eminence,
which affords fine view of the village
and the surrounding country, as we are
informed by the report of the SUI
perintendent. 1t might be added that the
mockingbird sings daily in the gusty
pines hard by, and that the gray squirrel
chirps to the jack rabbit in the chaparral.
| There is nothing like detail in the art of
descriptive writing.
| lone, it is further declared, is a town OF
about eight hundred inhabitants and is
nearly forty miles southeast OF Sacra-
mento and about 140 miles by rail north
east from San Francisco. 1t is ''the ter
minus of the Amador branch of the
Southern Pacific railroad, which connects
with the main line of that road at Calf. !"
This by way of example of the manner in
which the superintendent report is
'padded" to give Importance to very
trivial official function, for, as a matter
of fact, according to this report the Pres
ton School of Industry is in existence for
the housing and maintenance of seven
little boys-seven kids, two of whom have
begun life as burglars, four as grand lar
cenists and one as a robber. These boys
are all white. Two of them are from
Fresno-that wicked region of the fairest
valley in the world-one is from Tulare,
where "a save the spirit of man is divine"
one is from Sonoma, where they make
the wine that retails in New York under
French label; one is from Alameda,
where the good people of San Francisco
sleep; one from San Francisco, the dis
tricts of which are designated as Mob Hill,
Tenderloin and South of Market street,
and one from Los Angeles committed by
accident for crime contemplated before
the young tenderfoot arrived in this moral
town. So much for the personnel of the
wicked seven whom the state is support
ing at enormous expense" as an excuse
for squandering "princely salaries" on
nineteen ladies and gentlemen of enforced
leisure.
The payroll of the Preston School of
Industry includes E. Carl Bank super
intendent of the seven kids, at salary of
$3.50 month; H. R. Bernard, secretary
for the seven young crooks at a salary of
$50 month; W. R. Eckart consulting
engineer for the seven little boys at
salary of $50 month; c. w. Swain, SUI
perintendent of construction for the seven
small convicts at salary of SIS month;
G. f. Wood, commissary to feed the
seven yawning mouths at salary of SIS
a month; W. F. Eastman, engineer at $50
a month; H. S. Martin, teacher at $50 a
month; John Maclean, gardener at SIS
month; NJ. E. Fassett, farmer at $50
month J. w. Sibole, assistant farmer at
$40 month; Hugh P. Cox, nightwatch-
man at $40 month G. ]. McCready and
Miss Matte Hill, cooks at $50 each; NJ.
Bridge and P. B. Mace, general help at
$35 each; Mrs. Mary Bow, supervisor of
the mending room Mrs. NJ E. Fassett, SUI
pervisor of dining room; Mrs. H. S. Mar
tin, supervisor of the boys dining room,
and Mrs. G. W. Swain, supervisor of the
public rooms and hall, $25 month each.
These salaries are, of course, exclusive of
the cost of boarding" the outfit-feeding
the hungry officials and ministering to
the inner boy of the lawless seven pamp-
cred thus at the expense of the common
wealth and the taxpayers thereof. 1t will
be observed, also, that the SWANS, Fas,
sets and Martins are apparently in a
family relation, the expense of which ag-
gregates $3.50 month. How many others
are thus related for revenue only it is i'm
possible to ascertain from this report, and
as facts are the main issue in this invest
gation presumption by analogy is foreign
to the question.
On October s. 1894, E. NJ Preston,
president of the board of trustees of the
Preston School of Industry estimated the
amounts for the annual current expenses
of the institution for the next two fiscal
wears as follows: