Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-01-10
When questioned after

their designs. When questioned after
re-capture they admitted that the es-
cape had been planned for some time
and there was eIery indication that
the retiring officers were cognizant Of
what was to be done and gave IL en-
couragement. The children were led to
believe that the advent of a new man
agement meant cruelty and hardship
for them. They were Coached in cur
rent politics from the standpoint of the
retiring administration, presumably by
members of thai administration; for
they ware not readers of the daily
press and could know nothing of the
political side of the promised change
in management.
Such proceedings carry their own
condemnation. The young people who
took part in the enterprise have since
had no reason to complain of their
treatment by the new superintendent,
whose conduct of the institution has
been exemplary. His discipline is per-
feet but kind. The children enjoy
nineteenth century privileges and are
treated as though they were human be-
ings with pride and an even chance in
the world for honorable fame.
~ 81 rs
recklessly from his friends and seems
to have regarded the institution as pri-
vate plumber. AS a sample illustration
/ noticed a purchase Of 1865 pounds Of
nails bought in August, 1898, for 5
cents per pound; the came nails were
then retailing at "a cents. A large BIZ
ennial deficit had been the rule at the
school every year during his eleven
years mismanagement. During the
fiscal year from July /, 1898, TO July /,
1890, (Ainsworth's last year, the total
expense for maintenance was 500, $685.
IS, an average per month Of 81, TIA and
a per capita expense of 1851. From
July /, 1899, to July /, 1900, (Tomp-
kin's period) the cost of maintenance
was 81 ,055.74 an average of $921.31 per
month and a per capita expense of $40
AZ, a difference in the per capita cost
of maintenance of 1884 in favor Of the
Tompkins period. Mr.. TompkIns re-
turned 81, 262.5 SO to the state treasury
from his maintenance fund and during
his first year he saved S., $50 from his
maintenance M cash funds. Aside
from this he has made many needed
improvements which might have been
made years ago by j%udicious use of
money at hand and without an addi-
tional dollar of appropriations. Mr..
Ainsworth kept no suitable books of
account and those found were mutilat-
ed with the evident design to destroy
the record of his bad management.
Two small ledgers and a pocket cash
book were the only fiscal books found.
The cash book Ainsworth took with
him when he left but gave 1T to the
secretary OF the board who returned
IL to Mr.. Tompkins. This book covers
the entire cash transactions of the in
stitution, yet entries are found on but
seventeen pages and these in no regu-
lar order as TO date. Some of the en-
tries are entirely barren of dates. The
ledgers were in much worse condition.
From one of them leaves had been re-
moved from page / to 105 inclusive; in
the other book the leaves had beer
torn out, from page ] TO 131 inclusive,
The department record of The girls, the
record which fixes the date OF dis
charge, had also been mutilated, leaves
| No. s and 6 having been cut out.
Changes had to all appearances been
made in other places with the probable
purpose of embarrassing the new man
agement and covering up the dismissal
of some of h older girls before they
were entitled to their discharge. He
took no invoices from year to year, the
only n ever taken so far as Is known
having been made at the request Of the
board after Messrs. Brown and Lien be-
came members and just before Aims
worth retired. According to that in
yentory there were nineteen head of
cattle missing and u~naccounted for be-
tween April /, 1899, and July l, 1899,
These cattle were not slaughtered for
during that time there was $500 ex-
pended for meats, enough to supply
the institution, aside from the veal
calves which were then being used. Mr..
,Ainsworth has thus far failed to make
any explanation of this shortage.
Again, the Mail" the institution or
gan, supported for years by the state
as an experiment, for the education OF
the boys in the art of printing, was
appropriated by Mr.. Ainsworth when
he left the institution, All the money
he received from advertising and sub
scriptions during about eleven years,
was also appropriated and the state
bought the white paper, hired the men
and In fact paid the expenses of the ma
per. How he could acquire title to this
piece OF institution property with any
better right than the cattle which he
failed to account for, / am unable to
understand. | draw attention to these
details to show the utter lack of public
morality which has obtained in our
public institutions as a consequence of
long years Of continuous official ten
ure.
During the last five years of his stay
In the institution Mr.. Ainsworth was
not under bond, a neglect of the board
of charities and corrections which may
account for the easy in which
he handled public funds. / do not be-
iieve the institution can eve attain
the full measure of its possibilities
while located at Plankinton. While in
a good country for certain forms OF
agriculture IL is impossible to raise
the varied crops adapted to the work
of boys OF the age of the inmates. The
boys under instruction there are hu-
man beings with hopes and aspira-
tons. They take an interest in the
crops and to be continually ~disappoint-
ed is well calculated to sou them on
the world. The effect Is demoralizing.
If this institution had been located In
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