The herald., 1896-12-02
THE WHITTIER SCANDAL
The Trial Opens to a
Crowded House
THE LADY DEFENDANTS IN COURT
Grace Maroney Recites the Story
Of the Whipping
OVER THE AGE OF DETENTION
Constant Sparripg Between the Opposing
Attorneys
The Complaining Witness Gives Her Testi.
mony
Mrs. Threlkeld Advocates Moral Sua-
sion-Superintendent Coffin on
the Stand-The School
Physicians Say.
Constant Sparripg Between the Opposing
Attorneys
The Complaining Witness Gives Her Testi.
mony

Physicians Say.
The sign. so familiar to theater--goers.
of Standing Room Only" might, with
perfect propriety, have been hung out
side the doors of the township court yes
terday. Throughout the day even
standing room was at premium for the
Whittier Reform school and its meth
DDS were under investigation.
True, the court was engaged in the
trial of Mrs. Wilson, Miss German and
Mrs. Henderson, three officers of the
girls department, for battery" commit
ted upon one of the girls named Grace
Maroney, but to the outside public the
interest lies deeper than the mere charge
preferred against the lady officers.
For years rumors of ill-treatment ac-
corded the inmates of the reform school
| have been more or less current, but
heretofore the mater has never been ven-
tilated in the courts. The peculiar char
acteristics of large proportion of the
| boys and girls sent to Whittier make
| them particularly hard charges to man
age. On this very account, however.
they are deserving of wider sympathy
and a more thoughtful care in the train
| ing which the state accords, with the
intent that they be reclaimed from hu-
manity's driftwood and sent out into
the world to play their part as good citi-
zens.
| For these and other reasons a deep
| interest attaches to this trial, and it was
not surprising that religion, law and
politics-particularly the later-were
we'll represented in the courtroom yes
| terday.
| Last week one juryman, J. Rudisell,
hadbeen sworn in after weary and pro-
| longed examination. Yesterday better
| fortune awaited counsel on both sides,
| and by 1890 o'clock the panel was COM
pleted and the following gentlemen
sworn in to try the case: G. Mathews.
G. p. Taylor, c. S. Bradford, Peter Kef-
| fer. DR.. w. E. d. Morrison. J. Cantley, c.
j. Walters. ]. Rosecrans, A. B. Cass, J..
| Spiers, E. Munsey and ]. Rudisell.
| Without wishing in any way to reflevt
upon the bona fides of any gentLm
| included in the panel, it may be noted
that a very fair proportion might reas-
| onably be supposed to view with more
than ordinary faith and trust the pres
| ent administration at the Whittier re-
| form school. Several of the jury
| men stated that they were more or less
| familiar with Superintendent Coffin, and
one had had business dealings with the
| institution in the way of furnishing sup
plies. Each and every one stated how
ever under oath, that there existed no
reason why he should not be able to
weigh the evidence carefully and pass
| upon the case. They were thereupon
passed without challenge The fact re-
| mains, however. that the human mind
is so constituted that absolute imparti-
| ality is an impossibility. The nearer it
| can be reached, however, the better and
| While. doubtless, every juryman will try
| to pass upon the case with the utmost
fairness to all parties concerned, it can
hardly be imagined that personal ac-
| quaintance with any of the Whittier off
| Gals or business interests connecting
| them, even SO remotely, with tne ehsti :
tuition will aid any one or more of the
| Jurymen in attaining to that judicially
! impartial state of mind so much to be
! desired IN case of such Importance as
| this.
| THE LEGAL FIGHT OPENS.
| The jury having been selected the dis
trict attorney made an opening state
ment to the jury. and in doing so trav-
| eled outside the bare details of the Of
tense charged in the complaint. Attor-
| ney Arthur, of counsel for the defense,
objected to any such outside matters
being presented to the jury.
The district attorney stated that he
| was about to ask the defense to be gen.
erous enough to permit sufficient evil
dence to go in such as might warrant
him, in his official capacity, in either
dismissing the charge that had been pre-
ferred against Superintendent Coffin, or
of pursuing it with a greater degree of
certainty. He stated, also, that when
the complaint had issued against Super
intendent Coffin 1t had been without his
knowledge; had he known it would not
have issued
Mr.. Arthur protested. He objected
very strenuously to the defense being
put to the trouble and expense of an in
| vestigation into the administration at
| Whittier. He desired the investiga tior
to be limited in scope and confined to the
alleged offenses of the three defendants
That settled 1t, and the legal fight was
opened by the district attorney calling
for Grace Maroney. This is the gir
against whose person the lady officers
on trial are charged with having COM
mited battery" Upon coming forward
to take her seat upon the witness stand
the girl, in general outline and feature
was fair presentment of the average
tough" girl. Not but that her feature:
were pleasing and her dress tidy and
neat; but the tangle of raven hair, the
shifting dark eye and the too matur,
form for young girl betokened an in
different up-bringing. In giving her tes-
| timOny she spoke in an apparently
straightforward manner and did no
strive to conceal any little peccadlloe:
of her own when asked about them. II
brief her testimony was as follows:
Il am three months over / years o
age and was sent to Whittier in January
of this year from Nevada City. Mrs
Wilson was principal. Miss German
matron and Mrs. Henderson the dress
maker in the girls department of tn,
school These are the three who on No
vember sth whipped me. The girls hat
been stood up in line the night previous
and on the Sunday we were in the librar,
when they took me over to the indus
trial building. They laid me down an,
whipped me with strap. and when
got up Mrs Wilson asked me if Their
| would be any necessity to repeat tn
whipping within the next twenty-fou
hours. l answered, / guess not' an,
then she ordered me to lie down agail
and again whipped me-
The witness was asked by the distric
attorney to illustrate with chair hoy
she had been treated. She then de
IslCrffAA hnvv whf1o Misc O1r~nosr -