The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-21
THE ENGINEERS STORY
THOMAS BARNETT, WHO Is EN-
PLoyED AT woMAN.s PRIsoN.
Testified Before the Investigating
Julia Page, n
Teacher, Also a Witness.

The investigation OF the affairs OF the
Industrial School for Girls and Woman's
Prison was resumed in Room no at the
Statehouse last night. Although three wit
nesses were on the stand for more than
three hours, there was little testimony of
a startling or sensational nature disclosed.
Senator Agnew, chairman of the investi-
eating committee, was present for the first
time since his accident.
Thomas Barnett, who has been night
engineer and night Waterman at the in
stirution for twenty-seven years, was the
FIST witness. He testified that it had been
mere than two years since he had seen any
girl punished at the institution. He recalled
an occasion on which he had been called
by Miss Keely to assist in taking one of
the girls up TO the punishment room. The
girl was very refractory, he said, and 1t
took the combined effort of three people
&c get her up stairs 10 the punishment
room. On another occasion he was called
TO assist in taking two girls TO the pun
ishment room who were vilifying Miss
keely in the back office of the institution.
One of the girls, he said, knocked him
down with a broken chair. He testified that
the girls at the institution were well taken
care of, but naiyely admitted that he would
prefer eating at the officers table. When
the girls were i'll, he said, they were given
the best of care. He said he was keeping
the steam on all night at the present time
for the sole benefit OF one girl who was
troubled with rheumatism He did this at
the order of Miss Kelly.
The witness said Miss Keely was rarely
excited when dealing with culprits. but
preserved an equable temper at all times.
He said she was just in her punishment of
refractory girls and he had never known
her to be unkind or unjust TO either the Of
hcers or the inmates of the institution.
MISS PAGES TESTIMONY.
The next witness called was Miss Julia
Fage. a teacher at the institution. She
testified TO a time last June when she hal
trouble with three colored girls who re-
fused to obey her orders. She reported the
matter to Miss Keely, who ordered her to
bring the three girls to the office and pun
ish them. The witness said she whipped
the girls with the machine strap custo-
marily used at the institution. She whipped
the first girl on the legs. but the other
two were whipped across the back by
orders of Miss Keely. The witness said
she used two straps, each OF which were
doubled twice, and administered about
the culprits laughed after she had been
whipped and Miss Keely advised the wit
ness to give her q little more OF the
strap" and the witness did.
On one occasion the witness saw Miss
keely take a strap and in a very angry
and tempestuous manner strike a girl over
the neck, arms and face without regard to
how or where she struck her. The girl, the
witness said, made no attempt TO fight
back, but only tried to get away Witness
said that on numerous occasions she had
seen some of the girls whipped on their
bare flesh. She defined the word "numer-
oIs' TO be about ten times in five years.
The little children at the institution, Miss
Page said, had not been out of the insti-
tuition during the cold weather, but the
olcer girls were taken out on the play
grounds for recreation several times dur
iES the day. Witness said she thought the
method pursued in degrading the girls at
the institution was often unjust. One girl,
she said, had been degraded because she
had washed another girls head, and an
other for turning down an officers bed.
MISS KEELY'S WAY.
Miss Page testified that Miss Kelly was
in the habit of correcting the officers of
the institution in the presence of the in
mates. She also related an instance in
which Miss Kelly had publicly referred to
the former record of one of the inmates.
The girl, "who was colored," had biushed
a. the mention of her past sins. Many of
the inmates, Miss Page said, were given
to the use of bad language. She had seen
lis LkCtAy SAdP 80 III tHO az
and box their ears. These girls were not
separated from the better girls, but al
lowed to mingle with them freely.
The witness said she had heard Miss
Kelly say that she used morphine because
sho could not sleep, and on one occasion
Miss Keely had recommended morphine to
the witness for the backache. Miss Page
volunteered the information that return
girls were always KEEP out OF school. The
witness testified that there had been oc-
casions on which Miss Keely had not in
ficted enough punishment. She believed,
she said, the amount of punishment admin
istered was governed entirely by the way
Miss Kelly was feeling.
Mrs. Helen r.. Edison, the last witness.
SAID she had employed two of the girls
from the institution, each OF whom she
had paid $50 a week. The girls were al
lowed to retain % cents OF their weeks
| wages and the rest of the money was paid
to Miss Kelly. The witness did not know
what had become OF the money so paid
To Miss Keely.
The hearing will be resumed this morning
at S o'clock.