The herald., 1896-07-18

dent and done her work beautifully
When Rhoda came back to the shor
from her whipping she broke down en-
| tirely and said to witness: Miss O'Hara
| 1 can't stand it. If my heart had been
/ torn out could not have felt any worse. y
| Rhoda said her back was bleeding, but
| witness did not look at 1t then. She saw
| it, however, at IL o'clock.
| "How did it appear"
"It appeared a brutal whipping. The
| blood was right through to the surface
and l was Mortified when l saw II"
The blood looked as If II had come
! from her back; the whipping had been
/ given between s and o'clock. Rhoda
| looked to witness as if she had had a
fit of sickness for three or four days
afterwards. Rhoda would have been
in the cell three weeks in two days. She
had had nothing but bread to eat until
the morning of the investigation, when
some biscuits and apricots were sent to
her.
Mrs. Emma Tucker the night watch,
was next examined. A girl named Min
ME Stoke told her that -Rhoda had had
a very brutal whipping from Miss Ohm
stead and that her back was bruised
and bleeding and her undershirt was all
blood. Witness did not believe 1t. She
examined the vest herself. and knew
from the looks of 1t that it did not come
from her back 1t was smeared on.
Witness went with Miss Olmstead and
woke Rhoda up to examine her back.
There was not any sign of any bruise
on her back. Witness would call 1t a
very light whipping. She would be
ashamed of the whipping if she had
done it.
Mrs. Ole Venable, dressmaker in the
school. had seen Rhoda's back the morn
ing after she was whipped. Rhoda
looked very much broken Immediately
after the whipping. She is child Of
very high spirit. and usually stands UP
under punishment. She cried and laid
her head down on the table. The next
morning when witness saw Rhoda's
back it looked very badly bruised. as II
she had had a very severe whipping.
Witness asked the girl to show her her
back. She made no complaint at all.
THE SECOND DAYS INVESTIGA-
TION
The investigation was resumed on
July Sd. Susan Purdum, in charge of
the laundry, was the first witness who
was called. She had had trouble with
Rhoda on various occasions, and had
deprived her of her dinner and put her
on the guard lire until after o'clock
Rhoda did not take her bath the day Of
Witness had never heard the matron use
any strong language to this girl. ex-
cept what one would expect to hear
Minnie King, housekeeper, had seen
Rhoda's back about twenty-four hours
after the whipping. 1t looked verd bad
ly. She didn't notice any broken places.
She had seen a good many whippings.
but never saw anything like that.
Mrs. Jane Miller, in charge Of the
II. l.. 4 40 AtNl Il tN, n.
charge, washing dishes. She did her
work we'll enough, but was very hard to
She was fussy and very much
afraid of doing more than her share
On one occasion Rhoda had refused to
take a whipping from witness.
ONE OF RHODA'S PALS
Prudence Winters. an inmate, 16 years
old. had seen Rhoda's back. 1t had
stripes across 1t and had blood and red
marks on it. Rhoda was whipped
'or speaking to witness in the plunge.
They said she told a lie about it, but
I don't think So" Rhoda had asked
Mrs. Slyder If she might speak to wit
less for a moment, and Mrs. Slyder had
lodded her head. Another girl had said
yoodby to Mrs. Slyder at the same time
md when Mrs Slyder nodded her head
2hoda thought she was given permis-
ion. Rhoda had been whipped before
hat, but never seemed to think anything
If it at all. This time she seemed very
much broken. Rhoda was very popular
lmongst the girls, because she is kind
learted and does not try any sneaking
Ways.
A GOOD CHARACTER
Miss Alice Thomas, substitute officer
n the institution. testified that she
,ould always manage Rhoda; had found
Ter very willing to work, very
,atient an very cheerful. and
| very helpful girl; had never
,een any trouble to witness; she seemed
o have a very good influence with the
title girls.
RHODA'S EVIDENCE
Rhoda Webb, in answer to the charge
Lfter being sworn. said: Yes, will tell
,ou nothing but the truth She had
,een IN the school a year and month:
vas born in San Rafael and went to San
Francisco; had been an inmate of the
Maria Kipp orphanage and in the Girls
Rescue home in San Francisco. In the
)rphanaee she had only been punished
1nce while there, and it was not severe.
She had been whipped three times here
by Miss Olmstead and put in cell four
times. Rhoda declared that Mrs. Slyder
had nodded her head when she asked if
she might speak to one of the girls in the
plunge Mrs. Slyder afterwards denied
it and said witness told a lie; witness
told her she had not, and she wouldn't
listen to witness story a t all Two days
after Mrs. Slyder came back, Miss Ohm
stead said she would give witness her
choice. either to go to the lookup or
take a whipping" and ! said / would
take the whipping. and she said: You
it is going to be very severe.
I am going to make an example of you
for the other girls l said: 'All right
I would take the whipping" and we
went down to the plunge, and she soaked
the strap and whipped me. and whipped
me ten times She said she was going to
whip me fifteen times, but l couldn't
stand it. and she said If she saw me talk
ing to any Of the girls about the whip
I went out in the yard and showed some
of the girls my back, because / think L
had right to show how my back was
bleeding. | took a bath that day and
changed the clothes | had. and put on
another shirt, and 1 put blood on that
other shirt. but with the first shirt blood
came off my back, and several officers
saw my back, too, anu they could say
how it was"
The witness swore that the skin was
broken on her back.
Have you been punished since that
whipping?"
Yes. l kept pretty quiet then, and
had not given any trouble until three
Saturdays ago. when Mrs. Slyder told
me to come to the laundry. and l said:
1T wasn't my fault, Mrs. Slyder.' Mrs
Slyder taunted her about her previous
brute Afterwards Miss Olmstead
OIL