The age-herald., 1901-02-21
SAYS GRIFFIN IS
 CRUEL. TO INMATES Charges Against Superlntend- ent Boys Industrial School MADE BY FORMER EMPLOYE Mrs. R. Q. Johnston, President of the Board of Trustees, Defends the
 Manasement-Will Initiate In.
 vestIgatlon for the Truth.
MADE BY FORMER EMPLOYE

Joseph Rymarkiewcz, white man, who for the past thirty days has been employed as cook at the Boys Industrial School, near East Lake, makes sensa- tional charges against Superintendent Griffin of that institution. He charges that the superintendent has been cruel to the inmates of the farm, had not fur nished them with sufficient food and pre- vents them from communicating wioh outsiders, as to the conditions he claims exist. These charges are emphatically denied by Mrs. R. D. Johnston, president she will institute an investigation, how ever, since the charges have been made. Rymarkiewicz came to Birmingham from Nashville, and about four weeks ago was employed as d cook at the farm and filled the position until yesterday, when, according to his statement, he re- signed voluntarily.
 The Mans Statement.
 Concerning affairs at the farm he makes the following statement:
 'The boys are treated inhumanly; they are beaten and are not given enough to eat They are allowed water three times a day and if they happen to get 1t oftener than that they are punished and put on bread and water. The food they get con- sists of a little soup. gravy made out of lard, a piece of corn bread and water meal and out of this twenty eight boys and the foreman are fed.
 "One day I gave Charley Johnson, Swedish boy, something to eat - few scraps left from MT. Griffn's table An other little boy saw me give him the food and told MT. Griffin MT. Griffin came to me and in a very harsh manner told me not to give the boys anything again, as he would whip them for 1t if did so. He said that if he caught any boy ever taking anything from me that had off, fered him he would whip him. Two boys told me that the Johnson boy had been so severely whipped several times by MT. Griffin that they thought he would be killed because he did something he could not prevent.
 ''One of the boys, a tall respectable young man, ran away, and when he had been caught and returned to the school shackles were put on his legs, and these he wore for two weeks He begged to be sent to the penitentiary, saying he would rather go to the penitentiary than to re- main at the school and suffer with hum ger. Once I gave him two pieces of bread and he said he was so hungry he could eat rocks. When I gave any of the boys anything to eat had to do so secretly, as MT. Griffin watched very closely and punished them If they ate anything he did not authorize.
 MT Griffin will not allow the boys to speak to any one and does not admit vis- itors on Sundays. The boys cannot com plain of their treatment to outsiders oe- cause they are not allowed to talk to any one not connected with the school.
 "If any of the boys gets letters MT. Griffin opens them before turning them over to the boys. In this way any com munication with the outside public Is for bidden the inmates
 'I think a committee should go to the school and ascertain from the boys them- selves the real condition and the treat mant they receive from the superintend- ent."
 MT. Rymarkiewicz said he was willing to go before a notary public or justice of the peace and swear to the above statement. He said he would remain in Birmingham for several days and would go befor the trustees of the Industrial School at the meeting next Tuesday If they desired him to do so.
 Mrs. Johnston Talks.
 Mrs R. D. Johnston. president of the board of trustees, was seen at her resi- d.nce on the South Highlands by an Age Herald reporter last night. After read Ing the statement T1duc uy ny yuidi- klewichz she did not hesitate to pro- nouuce 1t as false. Some of the alleya- tons, she said, referred to incidents that came under her own observation and these she knew to be entirely without foundation in fact She said she want ed the charges thoroughly investigated now thar suspicion had been created by statements made by a former employe. Concerning the statement she said:
 ''Mr. Griffin has had great deal of trouble with the cook and Mrs. Griffin has almost broken herself down stay ing in the kitchen to help him. This man did not prepare the food so the boys could eat it, and suspect they have been hungry a part of the time. Mir. Griffin hns provided enough of everything for al, the boys at the school and they have had meat and bread and potatoes and reas and such other things as they needed.