The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-08-11

strait-jacket and anklets upon the girls
to be punished. and I necessarily had TO
witness the corporal punishment inflicted
by Mrs Eyler / had to obey Mrs. Ey-
ler's orders in these matters or resign. l
chose the latter.
Il make 1t as a general statement that
at no time while l was at the institution,
under Mrs. Eyler. was a girl punished
by being placed in a dungeon, unless at
the same time Mrs. Eyler beat the child
with her hand or a strap.
During the nine years that I was at
the Institution under Mrs McFadden, I
never saw Mrs. McFadden strike or
otherwise molest any of the children
Mrs. McFadden treated the children un-
der her care at all times as though they
were members of the family. She trained
them and taught them to obey by moral
suasion, by talking to them and reason
ing with them.
when Mrs. Eyler came she changed
the entire methods that had been in vogue
under Mrs. McFadden. Her method was
to coerce and to compel immediate obed-
fence by physical force.
Immediately after Mrs Eyler came
she procured a number of straps and
placed them in the hands of some of the
teachers for use. Mrs. Sickel and Miss
Vanderveer each had one; so did Miss
Hammill, but she threw hers away. Mrs.
Eyler frequently used hers in Furnishing
the girls, and herfavorite expression while
striking the girls was:-"You got the
devil in you and I'm going to get it out
of YOU
'fAIrs. Eyler's manner in treating the
girls was calculated to tantalize and
annoy them and arouse their anger.
Her notion always was that the inmates
should obey promptly upon orders, and
if they failed to do it, Mrs. Eyler in
yarlably grabbed hold of them and by
force sought compliance. Her method
was to grab them by the neck-band of
their dress, and she frequently stated
that this would shut off their wind and
thay would be easier subdued."
Miss Day then took up the case of
Sadie Weissman, telling horrible tale
of the cruelties inflicted on the child
sTh.s girl was at the school when Mrs.
Eylsr came there said Miss Day. She
was sixteen years of age, rosy checked
and healthy in mind and body. When
she left she was broken down physically
emaciated and bloodless. Mrs. Eyler from
the start showed an aversion and an
tipathy toward Sadie Weisseman- She
was constantly nagging at tha girl and
Furnishing her severely for the most
trifing offensss. The. girl could never DO
anything that would please Mrs Eyler.
"One Sunday afternoon in April, 1897
Mrs. Eyler sent for me to get strait
jacket and pair of anklets. The girl was
on the fat of her back in the upper hall
Of the school with Mrs. Sickel. who
weighs in the neighborhood OF 200 pounds,
sitting on her abdomen with the girls
arms pinioned to the floor. When I re-
turned Timothy Commit was also there.
Mrs. Eyler said to Commit, Drag her right
uptairs to the dungeon Commit obeyed.
When he got her upstairs I was ordered
to put the strait-jacket and anklets on
her I did so while Connif was holding
her Sadie was in a great rage, and was
screaming at Mrs. Eyler and threatening
to report her to the Board of Managers.
Mrs Eyler was also in a great rage.
She had lost complete control of herself.
She ordered Commit to choke Sadie
while the girl was talking. She said to
Commit, choke that off, Conniff obeying
orders, put both his hands around the
girls throat and choked her until she was
black and blue in the face and until she
could not talk-she simply gurgled. Tom
released his hold upon Sadie twice and
each time was ordered by Mrs. Eyler to
repeat the treatment. The breath was al
most choked out of the girl, the strait
jacket and anlxlets being on her during
the operation.
while the choking was going on Mrs.
Eyler was whipping Sadie with a leather
strap. She struck her at least a hundred
times about the body and twice in the
face. She whipped the girl constantly
from the time that I started to put on the
strait jacket until she was dragged into
the dungeon.
Mrs. Eyler struck right and left
She struck at Sadie whenever she could
get at her, and in her fury struck me
several times by accident. The striking
across the race raised welts, and Sadie
was black and blue from the beating.
Mrs Eyler ordered Conniff to drag her
into the cell, which he did. 1 had
charge of Sadie after that She was in
confinement ever after, until she was
taken from the school to be taken to the
lunatic asylum. Sadie was in the dun
geon for six days.
Mrs. Eyler ordered me to give her
one slice of bread and one cup of water
at O'Clock in the morning and at
O'Clock in the evening and no more.
When the strait-jacket is in use the
prisoners arms are drawn taut across
the breast and fastened with heavy
strips of ticking.
''When 1 took the strait-jacket off
Sadie her arms were completely par
alyzed. She had no feeling whatever in
them and I had to rub them for some
time before she could even feebly use
them.
After Sadie had been in the dungeon
twenty-four hours she told me that she
was sorry for disobedience and for losing
her temper. I then reported to Mrs.
Eyler that the girl was penitent and
promised to do as she was ordered if she
was taken out of the dungeon Mrs.
Eyler replied: 'Sadie's in a very good
place where she is and would not
grant the request. During the six days
Of the girls confinement l applied four
times to Mrs. Eyler for the girls re-
lease
Mrs. Eyler always treated my re-
quests for the girls release in f1ippant