The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-08-02

/, found there was a serious Outpieah
among some of the girls. cannot rer
member all of the girls names, but 4
remember a girl by the name of Theresa
| and another named Elsie Fields. Gott-
| lieb had been in the house for probably
! an hour before / was called. We took
Elsie Fields in a room by herself, but she
| would not behave and then we took her
! down to dungeon and put q, straight
jacket and silackles ON her. Then we
moved her up to the attic The girl
/ Theresa was taken and put up next TO
her. She was shouting so that Gottlieb
! and 1 were ordered to take her out OF
| that room by Mrs. Eyler, who instructed
us to take her into the cellar We took
Theresa down to the cellar and sat her
! on chair 1 was ordered to take hold
| of one hand and Gottleb was ordered TO
/ take hold of the other Mrs. Eyler stood
behind the girl and took the girls hair
ana twisted it up around her hand until
the girl screamed, and then Mrs. Eyier
punched her in the face. still holding her
| tightly by the hair with the other hand
! Then Mrs. Eyler stopped down and took
off her slipper and lifting up the girfs
| clothes in the presence Of Gottlieb and
myself. she hit her on the legs with the
simmer. That continued quite while
ssWhy was it necessary for Mrs. Eyer
! to administer the punishment at tnat
/ timer" asked the Governor.
ashe would not answer Mrs. Eyler; she
would only mutter once in a while
Jpon being questioned by the
Governor and Managing Trustee Cook
Coniff failed in any way to change his
statement as to the manner in which the
frei in
clothes were lifted to the waist.
Were you ever called in before Mrs.
Eyler came?" questioned Mr.. Cook.
II was called in once when there was a
meeting of the Board there. girl by the
name Of Katie McLea became very un-
ruly and Gottleb and l were called in to
quiet her.
I'm half dozen years. then, you were
only called in once?' asked Mr.. Fitz-
glbbon.
coniff replied IN the affirmative, and
Mr.. Cook remarked, I'VE didn't have SO
many girls them
.'How many have we now?' asked Mr..
lFitzgiobon.
"one hundred and thirty-one,7 replied
Mr.. Cook.
and we had one hundred and twenty
five then said Mr. Fitzgibbon.
We'll, that's six more said Mr.. Cook,
almost in a pout, and a smile went over
the faces of those present
You were placed in a room one night
SO as to be ready at moments call, were
you not?" asked Mr.. Fitzgibbon.
"Gottlieb and 1 We're stationed in a back
room, because Mrs. Eyler said she was
afraid of the girls
What was the cause of the uproar in
May?"
Hannah Clarke was beaten and given
a black eye, and the girls became un-
manageable as result
HAS the strap been used since the last
| investigation?'
Il have not seen any strap since the
last Investigation.
Coniff next related the case of a girl
who had refused to make a second trip
| down stairs because she had made a noise
in the first trip. He said the girl was
held by him and Kohler while Mrs Eyler
pounded her face.
Pounded herr" asked the Governor.
yes, sir; used her fist" replied Coniff
He went on to say that he had fre-
quently with the aid OF Kohler, put
| ankle straps or shackles on the girls
feet and placed the girls in straight jack
cts.
Dr. Maddox said he was quite in ignor-
ance as to these ankle straps, and Mr..
| Fitzgibbon informed him that he discov-
| cred that on the seventeenth of last May
Rev. Mr. Eyler, the principals husband,
had five sets of straps made for the in
stitution at a harness makers. Neither
| Mr. Maddox nor Mr.. Fitzgibbon were
/ able to recall the Boards having given
an order for such straps, and the Man
aging Trustee seemed to be getting great
| ly embarrassed when the Governor said
/ that judgment on the matter should be
suspended for a time.
Miss Martha Wight, a teacher was
next called, and upon being examined dis
/ closed the fact that she and Miss Mar
| garet Harbourt have charge of fifty-nine
/ of the girls at the institution, while there
are a dozen others to care for the other
half of the school The girls in her class,
| II was further disclosed were what were
| known as bad girls. Miss Wight stated
| that she had never seen a girl punished
| by Mrs. Eyler as she had taken great
| pains to always get out of the way. she
| had heard the yells Of the girls and knew
4 punishments were being administered,
but always kept out of the way as she
could not bear to see the girls treated 50.
Have you anything to say about girl
who was kept in a dark room for two
months?" asked Mr.. Fitzgibbon.
Five weeks is the longest l know OF.
There were three girls who attempted to
run away on Decoration Day. mad
charge of one OF them, and l asked Mr.:
| Cook to give her her liberty for the 4th OF
July. but it was not given. The girls were
riven nothing but bread and water for
fhes first three weeks. and / was instruct
ed not to leave the cup with any water
/ in it for the girl attended, to drink. She
| was only 10 have water at meal time
The rooms were very close and the
weather very warm, but we had to obey
instructions They had to sleep on the
bare floor for the first three weeks.
Miss Wright admitted that she had not
| found it necessary to call in any of the
| farm hands to help suppress the girls
since she took the Bad family on the
first of June. She had never put a girl in
:, cell nor had she ever slapped girl.
Miss Margaret Harbout, another teacher
was next called, and she told of the Katie
Barlow case She said there are forty
stairs, and Miss Curtis had directed the
girl to walk up and down twenty-five
times each way because the girl had
scraped her feet. She repeated the story
of tha rnilfinv in Nav When asked il