The herald., 1896-12-03

I
| girl complained. but night after night
! she seemed to be in pain.
Mrs. X Griswold, the present matron
| of the cottage at Whittier, testified to
having taken office on June g She re-
| membered November s, but did not see
Grace Maroney on that date save when
she saw her being taken to the indus
trial building and then returned. She
| did not see her again until nine or ten
! days later in the hospital. 1 saw Miss
| Germain and Miss Henderson take other
| girls one by one from the main building
| to be whipped in the industrial building.
| At this point the district attorney an
| nounced that the case of the prosecution
| was closed
| THE DEFENSE BEGINS.
Without delay the defense opened by
calling Superintendent Coffin to the wit
ness stand.
why was Mrs. Sutherland dis
charged? was the first question asked by
| Attorney Arthur.
Right there the district attorney in
| terposed and objected to such questions
being put. Counsel for the defense
thought they had right to show the bias
of the complaining witness. Justice
| Young had his little say, and stated that
the question for the jury was one of fact
whether Grace Maroney had been bru-
| tally whipped. Inasmuch, however, as
the prosecution had introduced the mat
ter of Mrs. Sutherlands discharge, he
felt inclined to permit inquiry into her
| leaving the school.
"She was discharged by the board Of
| trustees because she showed her inabil-
ity of cooperating with the principal
| of the girls department" replied the wit
ness. Something had to be done in the
emergency, and she, with other officers,
| was discharged"
BY a juryman-Was she instrumental
| In bringing about this trouble?
Such was my impression" was the
reply.
| Did you have some trouble with her
on the night previous to the whipping?"
| when l went to the girls department
| Mrs. Wilson spoke of the wisdom of
leaving the girls in the dormitory with
Mrs. Sutherland. I saw her and she said
| she would be responsible for the girls.
| She seemed to be more anxious to dis
| cuss the management than to care for
| the girls, and it was then first formed
an opinion of her disloyalty."
why didn't you take hold and stop
the trouble yourself?"
! The district attorney again interposed.
| He maintained that all this kind of tes-
| timOny was irrelevant. Only two queS-
tions had to be considered: Was Grace
| Maroney whipped, and If SO, was it with
| undue severity?
The usual cross-fire of words ensued,
| and the court then sustained the objec-
| ton. f., All,
What condition was the girls school
in on those two days?"
"On Friday and Saturday the girls
| department was in the worst condition
| in the history of the institution My in
| formation necessarily came to me from
my subordinates."
| How long have you been engaged in
! refOrmatory work."
almost four years."
rs it necessary at times to use cor
poral punishment in order to enforce au-
| thority?'
The district attorney interposed. He
argued that the state had given the
board of trustees power to make rules
for the conduct of the school, and the
employees were bound by any rules
SO made. The board had passed a rule
that no corporal punishment should be
employed. ans witness was bound by
that regulation.
permitted the witness to answer, and
he did so in lengthy disquisition upon
the modes by which the criminal mind
| might be reached.
| There Is no law, either of state or
nature" said Superintendent Coffin.
that unless it is followed by penalty
can be carried out. The criminal classes
are on such a low moral plane that oft
times 1t is not possible to reach them
| from moral standpoint In such cases
physical pain or privation only appeals
| to them So children, many of whom
have not known parental authority can
not be moved by moral suasion, and
| some penalty must be inflicted This
question is one that has been discussed
| for decade in reforma tory institutions.
| sometimes isolation Is used, but at Whit
| tier there Is only accommodation for
one girl. At the girls department I
think corporal punishment could be re-
| duced to minimum, but there must be
cooperation among the teachers, and
there must be some penalty for an in
| fraction of the rules
| do you believe ouradvanced civiliza-
ton advises the punishment upon an
| e1ghteen-year- girl upon the naked
flesh with leather strap" inquired the
district attorney.
| II don't think any such punishment
| liest spirit
And do you think that leather strap
in the hands of Mrs. Wilson fulfills your
| condition."
Il can only say of Mrs Wilson that I
knew little regarding her until she
| board of trustees"
IMPROMPTU LAW ADVOCATED.
DO you think it is necessary to vio-
tees, IN order to carry out your ideas?"
| Il don't know that rule of the board
is a law of the state. think that in an
emergency the board is made up of
| sensible men. and I certainly would feel
! justified in adopting means that might
| consider best to meet the condition. "
| The witness proceeded to tell regard
| ing the meeting of the board of trustees
on the day previous to the whipping.
| They refused to give her assistance. but
| they did not rescind the rule regarding
| corporal punishment and she went down
to Whittier, and next day the whipping
took place.
On redirect Superintendent Coffin
| said that he did not think that if the
trouble had been taken in hand on
Saturday instead of letting it go over
until Sunday, the punishment admins
tered would not have been necessary.
With regard to Mrs. Sutherland he had
never had more than ten minutes con-
versation with her, and his knowledge
came to him through Mrs. Wilson.
IN HER OWN DEFENSE,
Mrs. 81. Wilson, ,one of the defendants,
was then put upon the stand In her own
| defense. In condensed form her tes-
timony was as follows:
| Il went to Whittier in March and left
on November 18th. heard Grace Mar
| oney's testimony. When Miss German
| and Mrs. Henderson took Grace to the
| building and told her to kneel down.
| bending over the toilet, with her right
! side next to the wall. (Witness de-
: scribed how the girl was held, punished.
| etc,) allowed an interval to olo psa