The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-09
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
CONDITION AT SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
AND wOMAN's PRISON.
The Charges Against Miss Keely Got
sustnfned-suggcstions offered
by the Senator's.

DN1 viz A4NtoNAbaNC0
the affairs Of the Industrial School for Girls
and Woman's Prison yesterday returned to
the Senate the following unanimous re-
port:
Your special committee 10 whom was
referred the matter Of investigation Of the
Girls Industrial School and Woman's
Prison and to investigate certain charges
made In connection with the management
OF the said institution beg leave TO sub
NIT the following report:
Your committee has carefully inquired
into the charges made, has heard the testi-
mony of every witness who desired To be
heard and from whom the charges
emanated so far as we have been able 10
nnd the source. We have also heard the
evidence submitted on behalf of the man
cement OF the institution and We find from
the evidence as follows:
i. The charges of financial mismanage-
ment of the said school are not in anywise
sustained.
%. The charges that the superintendent
Is or was addicted to the use of narcotics
or intoxicants are not sustained.
g. That the charges that the super1n-
tendent has been guilty of improper ana
harsh treatment of teachers and officers are
not sustained, but we are inclined TO THINK
that she has been lacking in courtesy ana
at times may have been peevish on account
Of her Ill health.
ALLEGED CRUELTY TO INMATES.
Upon the question of the charges Of
cruelty to inmates. your committee desires
TO say that there is evidence that girls and
young women have been whipped; that
such practice has been in vogue since the
establishment of the institution; that there
are less whippings inflicted during the last
few years than formerly; that during the
past six or eight months the practice has
been greatly reduced both as to the num-
Der and severity of the punishment adj
ministered. There is no evidence that girls
have hapn TQranfIW Whinnpd severely. IneTH
is evidence that ten years ago girls Were
whipped severely. We are unable 10 ma
connection with the institution during the
last few years. Under the present board
OF managers there has been no cruelty.
LAS TO the charges that the girls are
not allowed to talk TO each other while az
work and while at meals, and not allowed
10 talk 10 officers, we ma that such
charges are sustained. but we are unable
to say that the regulation is an arbitrary
or unnecessary one.
1--WE do find that the State has been
greatly at fault in not furnishing adequate
accommodations for these girls; that there
Is no proper division of girls according to
moral status, but this is not the fault or
the board or managers nor the superln,
tendent, but is the fault OF the State In not
providing adequate accommodations. When
compared with what is being done for the
boys at Plainfield, this institution is pittl-
fully mean, narrow and i~ncommodius. The
boys are comparatively free, While the
girls are prisoners. The vicious and the
innocent are necessarily Kept In the same
rooms and are at meals together, ana 50
long as this is necessary we cannot find
that the regulation which forbids converse
ton at meals and at work Is unreasonable
or that ii is detrimental to the best inter-
ests Of the girls. We do not feel That the
board of managers ought TO be arbitrarily
interfered with at the present time, but
we do feel that there are many changes
that can be made and which We hope will
be made for the betterment of this institu-
ton.
THE REMEDY.
'It is the opinion Of your committee that
these matters can be remedied, and the
moral condition and comfort of the girls
be largely bettered by providing a sep
crate institution for the girls and a sep
arate one for the women, so that they may
be entirely separated and have no COM
municatlon; and by providing grounds and
buildings which will admit of a more en-
lightened policy in the care and treatment
Of these unfortunate girls. The two insti-
tutions ought not to be under the same
superintendent, and we therefore recon-
mend that a site be purchased for each one
of these Institutions, and appropriate anu
suitable buildings erected, and that such
legislation be hereafter enacted as will
provide a separate superintendent and corps
of officers and teachers for each institution.
In our Judgment it is not necessary That
they be managed by a separate board OF
managers. We believe that these 1nStitu-
lions should be managed by women ex-
clusively. The present board of managers
is almost entirely new. one of them having
been appointed in June, 1900, and the other
i'm January, 1901. The term of office of ore
Of the managers has already expired, and
a successor may be appointed at once. Our
Judgment Is that the present Board of Man
agers has instituted a better order of
affairs, and that the matter of changes
should be left TO the Governor for the
present.
I've submit herewith a copy of the evil
cence which has been taken in the investI-
cation. for the examination of those who
may desire TO inform themselves of the
evidence submitted.
"The committee further reports that II
employed Miss Emma Messing as its
stenographer, and that she has taken all
the evidence and has written out the same
in full. making four copies; that the evil
dence makes 675 pages of typwritten mat
ter: that Miss Messing has given her whole
time to the taking and writing up of the
evidence, and that the most of the sessions
have been held after night. At the rates
usually charged by stenographers for the
work done her bill would amount to 500,
exclusive of any charge for taking short
hand notes. We m that she be
allowed $500. The pay usually allowed TO
stenograrhers of the Senate will be en-
tirely inadequate to compensate Miss Mess
ing for the character and amount of the
work done, and we recommend payment OF
her bill, as above set forth
Wy N m N0uED