The herald., 1897-07-07
her husband. John w. Mitchell, drove
down to the reform school,

and a discussion was held as to the
best way of preventing any further out
break. So serious had the mutiny be-
come that the trustees and officials were
afraid of a possible break for liberty
by all the boys at once. All the former
officers of the school and residents in
Whittier were called upon to go down
to the school and assist in guarding the
buildings. Twenty-Five or thirty extra
guards were placed in the grounds for
the night.
The boys seemed quieter, and it
seemed at first as if the rebellion had
been nipped in the bud by the prompt
action of the officials. But when morning
came different state of affairs was no.
t.ceable. Mutiny was rampant on all
sides. Captain Brady was sent into the
play rooms to address the boys when
Companies and D made rush for him
He escaped quickly, being unarmed and
the superintendent being afraid that the
boys would seriously injure the captain.
would not allow him to enter the rooms
again. The same hooting and yelling
was kept up as on the previous night,
violent threats being made against va
rious unpopular officials. The name of
Major Thompson, however, always met
with unqualified approval, being greeted
with cheers from all the boys in revolt
When the lunch hour arrived the boys
We're sent to their meals, a S usual On
their return from the mess rooms they
passed through the kitchen and stole
all the butcher knives in the place Cook
Hlndmarsh was unable to prevent the
theft. The knives were distributed
among the members of the various COM
panies, only one or two being found in
each company.
When the theft of the knives was dis
covered there was great CONSERVATION
among the officials of the school. All
the workmen from the cannery were
called in TO assist the guards and good
force of men opposed to the riotous mob
of young convicts. Two of the companies
were separated from the rest and sent
into the ba asement while the others were
locked in the play rooms.
No trouble occurred a t any time in the
girls department or among the smaller
boys.
A number of eye witnesses tell some
what peculiar story of what they saw
in the evening of Tuesday. They aver
that one Haskell, alias Alaska a night
enter one of the basement rooms and vi
oiently beat several boys with a strap
He was in the room from about GAS l..
m to about Sis. The cries of the boys
while being whipped attracted the at
tention of some people outside the
grounds, and on approaching the win
dows of the basement several spectators
declare that they saw Haskell thrashing
he in, roll
This seemed to be almost the end of
the affair as far as tonight is concerned.
though the investigation now being con-
Quoted by the trustees as to the cause of
the trouble is not yet completed
One thing the trustees have decided
upon, they have dismissed, or rather
suspended both Major Thompson and
Captain Brady pending the result of the
investigation. 1t is claimed that the con-
etant pickering of the officers in charge
of the various military companies was
largely responsible for the sudden mu-
tiny OF the cadets.
Major Thompson's insubordinate act
in refusing to arrest the rim ngleaders of
the disturbance when called upon to do
so by the superinten is looked upon
as grave offense. Serious charges are
boys to laxity in discipline and over
stepping his authority ir removing boys
from one company to another. 1t IS
said that Thompson's reasons for doing
this was to create prejudice against
Captain Brady and thus cause the lat
ters removal. Why Major Thompson
desired the dismissal of Captain. Brady
is not stated.
Major Harry Patton was seen at the
school and said among other things that
thorough investigation was then under
way as to all the causes leading up to the
riot. Trouble had apparently been brew
ing for some time though the cause was
not given. When the superintendent or
dered Major Thompson and Captain
Brady to arrest the ringleaders of the
trouble it was supposed that the real
cause of the mob was an organized at
tempt at a wholesale escape. Major
Patton described the trouble Brady had
when attempting to arrest Hawkins,
ard said that Thompson called Com
pany G up and held off the assailants.
He admitted the disturbance in the dor
mitories, but minimized it. In the morn
ing the boys were said to be quiet, but
the spirit was manifest. During the in
vestigation, it having developed that
Brady and Thompson were the cause Of
the trouble, from their supposed bickel :
ing, they were both suspended, and Ma
jor Henry Oliver assistant superintend-
ent, put in command of the cadets for
the time being. Major Patton spoke
highly of the work of Company c, under
the command of Major Thompson, de-
claring that their behavior was admir-
able and that they headed off possible
escape of all the inmates of the school.
The jailing of the boys was said to be
simply a prudential measure in order
to get them away from their companies,
and was not caused by any particular
act of violence on the part of the boys.
The investigate will be continued
tomorrow.
Captain Thomas Brady has issued a
signed statement in which he says that
the trouble at the school is due to Major
Thompson, who has been nagging the
boys or to insubordination, which yes
terday eliminated in rebellion. Brady
also says that the cause of this action on
Thompson's part is desire to see him
(Brady) removed from his office. Cap
tain Brady declares that Company A,
his own command, was the only company
that did not join in the mutiny, and the
m rnhers of COn1pany C. so hie.hlv con1 :