The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-03-31
NOT QUITE 50 BAD
Governor Smiths Investigation Into
the Reform School.
BUT HYLTON WAS CRUEL
The Governor SAYS Corporal Pun
ishment Is Necessary, but Not
the Unusual and Violent
Modes That We're inflicted,

tu-daS returned hts report ui the state
reform school investigation, conducted
by him al Miles City 10 days ago, to
the state board of prison commission
ers, The governor finds that the report
OF the legislative investigating com
mittce. i'm some particulars, was un-
warranted and exagggerated. After
thoroughly investigating the charges.
he finds that there has been no extrav-
aganCe In the management aud that all
the funds have been judiciously used
In the main he sustains the charges of
cruelty against Director 4. j. Hylton
and Mrs. Hylton. although he says that
the reports about them have been over
drawn. There Is no question. however,
he says, that there were many cases OF
unIustiiahle punishment aud that the
management was cruel in the extreme
on occasions, The governor says that
Director Hylton and his wife worked
hard in the interest uf the institution
They did not USE Judgment however
and their influence was not such as
would tend To reform the children un-
der them. The governor says that the
trustees acted in good faith and the
only thing that can be criticised about
them " that they give too much ere
denCe tn what Director Hylton said
The report OF the governor IN accom-
panied by a Noluminous report of the
testimony taken by him. All the wit
nesses examined were unanimous that
Mr.. Hylton and his wife had been most
unjust and cruel in their treatment of
the children. Here are the conclusions
Of the governor which, with the testi-
mony of the witnesses, constitute his
report
To the State Board of Prison Commits
siOners:
nder and by virtue of
the authority in me vested by a joint
senate resolution. passed at the last
session of the legislative assembly. l
have visited Miles city and the reform
school and made such examination of
the persons there and clseN here as I
could. in order Ia make a careful inves-
tigation of the conduct and manage
mcnt Of that institution. All the eNi-
dence taken by the legislative investi-
eating committee. together with that
taken by myself. is filed herewith as "A
part Of this report.
Il find upon investigation that the
money expended for buildings and i'm
pr"vements al the institution by the
board of trustees has been very wisely.
Jh'N'ueiS anu '''h''ih'h 'Nf'iih'h,
and the cost of the maintenance IL not
too high for the first year of such an
institution. The cost per capita OF
maintenance. | feel sure, will decreas"
from this time forth. because the insti-
tuition will he better prepared To- fur
nish "A large part of the food and neCcs-
saries required To run the school
Second find that the inmates are
reasonably wen Ted ana haN" NO great
reason 10 complain OF th"ir food bui
In this respect ] would recommend that
daily diet he furnished.
Ihlrd-l hnd every inmate ana the
whole institution have been ~ all Tunes
keN as clean as u Is possible ana "
the school had proper sewerage the
sanitary conditions could not he better.
FOURTH tnd the superintendent
and his wife have been very hard
workers In trying Ia keep the institu-
tion and inmates clean and healthy,
and IN doing all IN" Work possible I" b"
done 10y them.
Fifth hnd IN" superintendent
and assistants have AT times whipped
som" nf the inmates too severely, But
this has not occurred to the extent one
would suppose from the newspaper re-
ports. or the report ot the legislative
investigating committee. The greatest
trouble ! found II the fact that unusual
methods OF punishment were resoried
to in some Instances tas will DE shown
10y reference To the evidence such as
would bc disapproNed by everyone.
There seems to DE disregard nt the
more sensitive feelings "t the chlldrrn.
All parental feeling or influence was
absent In the management "f the dlrec-
tor and his wife. There was no lnflu-
enCe held out Ia the child tn mend his
ways or Ia induce "A feeling OF sclt-re.
spect and ultimate reform. The good
or better class received usually the
same treatment as the more hardened.
The smallest and largest we're treated
as Of one class. and NJ distinctions
made ur credit given for good behavior.
except that occasionally child was
placed on his or her honor, TheT"
seemed ia he an absence of order or
rule In the conduct ui employees apd
inmates, out nf some 20 or 30 employees
engaged sine" the school opened, al
most everyone hnds fault with the
head of the institution, and claims that
Mr. and Mrs. Hylton were dominc"ring
and petulant and directed matters
without any prescribed rules or regu-
lated periods. IT the management had
been proper. out ~ 80 many employees
some would have commended the dir"c-
tor aud during his four years time
good employees would have peen select
Ell and retained The very fact that
such Is not the ease speaks volumes Ia
my mind that something was wrong at
the head uf the institution.