Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-27
REFORM WITH A ROD
New Teacher at Mitchellville Tells
Some Narrowing Tales of
Cruel Practices.
After Three and Half Days in the
School Miss Magruder
Resigns.
Says Girls Are Flogged and Sent to
Dungeons on Bread and
Water Diet.

Des Moines. Nov. 27.-Miss Emma
Magruder, after three and one-half
days experience as an assistant super
intendent in the Mitchellville reform
school, has returned to this city with a
story which has set all the tongues
wagging and all the reformers at work
again. Miss Magruder was practically
engaged to take a position in the insti-
tuition before Superintendent Leonard
| left it. The change Of superintendent
caused a delay, but on Monday of last
week she went to the school and be-
came assistant manager of building No
! 2, in which the recent riots were CEN
| tered and where most of the rioting
girls are now confined. Miss Magruder
remained till Thursday, when she left
and returned to Des Moines, telling SUI
perintendent Miller she could not re-
main under his management
| Miss Magruders story was laid before
/ the w. c. T. U. and the officers deter
| mined to place the statement before, the
board of control when that body returns
| from its present semi-annual trip
among the institutions on the southern
| circuit. Miss Magruder in her state
ment to the women and to the newspa-
| pers, telling of the treatment of the
girls, declared that it is inhuman.
| Building No. is converted, she says,
/ into Jail. Not only this, but the girls.
are in solitary confinement, without
work to do or anything to read. They
are marched three times daily to the
| dining room, but are not allowed to
/ speak while in line or in the dining
| room. Offenders against the rules are
4 confined for days on bread and water,
in dark room. Corporal punishment
| is administered in the most brutal way.
Miss Magruder says that on one oc-
| casion some of the girls in adjoining
rooms We're heard whispering through
| their transoms to one another. She re-
| ported the occurrence to the manager of
! the building, Miss Klinefelter, who
/ promptly went to the corridor where it
/ had taken place, marched out six girls
and had them sent one by one to Su-
perintendent Miller for punishment
i This was administered by heavy
/ thong of hard rubber about twenty
inches long and as thick as mans
4 wrist, the method of application being
\ the same that is popularity used in the
case of naughty child, the girls skirts
/ being raised to make the application
more effectual. In this particular case,
of the six girls punished not one was
4 known to be guilty of any infraction of
the rules. They We're taken from the OPP
/ posite side of the corridor to that on
which the Whispering had been done.
4 But it was explained that discipline was
needed, as there was reason to fear the
girls We're planning another outbreak
\ Miss Magruder severely censured
Miss Klinefelter. who is in charge of
/ No. 2. She said:
Miss klinefelter is absolutely cruel
and heartless in her treatment of the
4 girls. Her behavior more than any
other one thing melted the riot. She
came to the institution with Mr.. Miller
from Marshalltown, where she was d
trained nurse, and knows absolutely
nothing about teaching. She is a firm
believer in corporal punishment and
believes that the rod should never be
spared A cruel woman displays the
highest type of the inhuman. Miss
Klinefelter told nae when l entered the
school that if | didn't jerk the girls by
the hair and slap them in the face upon
the slightest provocation that l would
not do for a teacher. She said that was
, the policy of the reformatory and that
7 L had to do it or | couldn't stay. She
seems to fairly control the institution
, and has a power over Miller that add
l mits of no opposition. Indeed, when the
{ girls were confined in the cellar MIR
) Miller said that he was going down &c
5 see them and she ordered him To keer
away from them, saying: Every time
do anything to bring the girls under
subsection you go and spoil it, But
that time Mr.. Miller was not so obedi
r ent.
! Ion the third floor at the foot of tbs
: attic stairs is a dark room with but one
small opening, the transom over tbs
: door, perhaps six inches wide. There is
4 no window opposite the transom ane
i the air in the room is very dense an6
4 close. For one week a girl has beer
confined in this room with only com
: forter on the bed, upon fare of breae
4 and water, for the trivial offense oi
9 Whispering in the dining room; because
( she pleaded To be released she Was
given another week. There is no furni-
ture in the room, except the bare bed
stead. not even a mattress covering the
springs. A girl may live upon the fare
$ a cup of cold water and two slices OF
(. bread three times day, but it is NOR,
1 than likely that her health will be ire
e parabiy ruined She begged repeatedly
t to see Mr. Miller, and repeated hel
e request to Miss Klinefelter, who simply
e remarked, Mr.. Miller is busy and she
r can't see him. Then I went to Mr.
Miller myself and he even went up u
: the room, but it was impossible to car.
! nv on a conversation with the dool
closed and he said that he hadn't thu
key and went away. thinking no NOR,
about the matter"
Former Mason City Woman Shot.
Mason City, Nov. 27.-Mrs. Jenni
: Fitkin, the woman who was shot dow,
+ in her home in Minneapolis. Tuesday
d was formerly Miss Jennie Tubbs, of thi
: city. and her parents. Mr.. and Mrs
: Sylvester Tubbs, and two sisters liv
n on Douglas street, South Mason City
: The family Is stricken with grief owe
8 the affair, and the mother and daughte
3 May, left yesterday for Minneapolis I
s be present at the bedside of the wound
~ I'll, Zoe,