The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-28
DIR. Eva Harding Investigates
Reform School.
Insists That Boys Are NJ
Treated Properly.
TWO MORE MEN QUIT
Officers Conner and Williams
We're "Out Of Harmony"
Miss May Stout Stands by Her
Statements.

| to the State Reform school early We'd
nesday morning for the purpose of see
! ing what the boys are getting for
| breakfast, since the State Journal aired
the menu which has been established
| by Superintendent Charles. This is
| what she found:
Boys dining room: Breakfast food.
without cream or sugar. molasses. po-
| tatoes boiled with the skins on, bread,
butterine and coffee.
Officers dining room: Breakfast food
with cream and sugar. beefsteak. fried
potatoes, hot biscuits, butter, apple
| sauce, coffee and milk.
| Edwin B. Snyder, formerly member
! of the state board of charities, was also
| at the Reform school,
Superintendent Charles and his chief
! cook, Sherwood, were both present in
the boys dining room, and had. it is
claimed, made especial preparations for
| the meal
/ There were no boys standing ION the
/ gang; that is, in the aisle in the middle
of the dining room, where culprits are
| forced to line up during meal hours
when sentenced to go without food for
punishment. Those familiar with the
| school say that the presence of Super
| intendent Charles in the dining room
and the absence of boys ION the gang
| is positive proof that visitors were ex-
pected.
Here are few of the pleasant little
rules which are enforced in the boys
| dining room
All the food for the meal is placed
on one plate at the beginning of the
meal. If the mixture of potatoes, mo-
1asses and breakfast food does not form
! a palatable combination. that is not the
fault of the superintendent The boys
must eat up everything on their plates,
1 or go without their next meal Thirty
| minutes are allowed for marching into
| the dining room, mumbling a grace,
serving the meal, and eating. If any
boy is not done eating when time is
called, he must not tarry to finish.
| There is a system of signs and signals
for use in the dining room. No talking
! is allowed.
MORE EMPLOYEES QUIT.
Mr.. Conner and Mr. Williams, two of
the officers al the school, quit their jobs
| Tuesday and left for their homes in
Emporia. They were not 'in harmony"
Miss Pendergast, daughter of A. c.
Pendergast, who quit short time ago.
| Will leave her position within few
| days She is said to be only waiting
for the board of charities to meet SO
that she can testify before them con-
ceI ming the condition of the school Miss
Franklin, another officer, will also leave
the school in few days.
DR.. Harding says: superintendent
Charles has the remaining officers pref
| ty well under control. There is reign
of terror inaugurated. which will prob
| ably prevent any further disclosures as
to the conditions which exist at the
school. There were only two of the re-
to me, or even recognize me, while 1
was at the school yesterday. They were
afraid that if Charles should see them
talking to me they would be called up
the way Miss Stout was. The investi-
cation which the state board of chart
ties may make will accomplish nothing.
because the board is in full sympathy
with Charles, and will not consider the
testimony of any Of the discharged en-
pioyes 1t is strange that all these en-
ploves should Immediately be set down
as liars when they quit the school, but
that is what Charles claims
USED IRON KNUCKLES
DR.. Harding says: Il investigated the
report that an employe named Russell
struck a colored boy named Walker
with iron knuckles and knocked him
down. found it to be absolutely true.
When confronted with the story Charles
would not deny it, but only intimated
that the boy got what he deserved. In
my opinion, that is not the question. 1t
is certainly possible to get officers who
can control those boys without the use
of such weapons.
Russell is a man whom Charles
brought here from Indiana. He is
known at the school as 1.-The Gentleman
from Indiana I believe that he denies
that he used knuckles, but Charles
WRONG SYSTEM PREVAILS.
Mr.. Charles seems to think" con-
tinued DIR. Harding, that this is all a
fight on him personally. I have no i'll
I
simply trying to help those boys, who
are Disseminated against al every point
.. Not only in the matter of food, but in
every other way the boys are given the
, worst of it. That is not an institution
j. for Furnishing criminals, but for reform
ing young boys. They ought to teach
, the boys useful trades, SO that they
,, would amount to something when they
!, | come out
s'They have a fine gymnasium and
t bowling alley, but. it is never used by
3 hospital but Charles has Instructed the
officers to send only severe cases to the
; physician, and let the family officers
: doctor up the small ailments as bes,
' they can. They have a library, and only
small proportion of the books are
c suitable for boys. They subscribe TO,
: such magazines as Harper's, Scribner's
The Literary Digest, and Century
; which are of no interest to uneducated
? neglected boys. Since Mr.. Lundgren
: the tailor, quit the school, Charles has
e mad one of the boys in charge of thai
a work. They are now making new uni
e forms for the boys out of cloth which
costs S1.2 a yard, and 1t is only nat
urai that the boys will waste grea
deal of this material Charles is sait
4 to have sent to Indiana for anothel
: tailor to take Lundgren's place.
Mr. Charles has his own privat
table, and is soon to have his own pr
vate chef. He is very exclusive. evei
, from the other employees. The employs
: | have their own tables. and their owl
cook. The boys have to take what il
8 left.
Il am confident that Mr. Charlie
ascertained in some way that 1 wa
!. planning to come out. for he adde
s breakfast food. molasses and butterin
> to the boys breakfast as a specia
e treat, and stated to me that he though
3 that the food which the boys were get
y ting was plenty good enough
/ STARVED FOR PUNISHMENT
K Miss May Stout who severed he
e connection with the school because sh
# did not approve of Charles methods
I, | said to a reporter for the State Jour
: nal:
g 1T is certainly true that the boys ar
/, punished by being deprived of food
and made to stand on the gang A