The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-19
UGLY STORIES.
Reports of Abuses at Reform
School Circulated.
Employees Make Statements Of
the Conditions.
NOT ENOUGH FOOD.
Claim That the Boys Are In
sufficiently Fed.
Complaint About Sleeping Quar-.
ters Also Made.
Superintendent Charles Gives
His Side Of the Case.

lis OxUC Vi GM0 O0S0s
It is claimed that the boys at the
State Reform school are being starved
for the purpose of enabling the officers
to live on the fat of the land, and at
the same time return to the state treas
ury a large portion of the appropriation
made for the care and maintenance or
the school.
An officer still at the school who is
not in sympathy with the present way
things are being run furnishes the fol-
lowing statement of the usual daily
menu at the institution. The date upon
which the following meals were served
was August IA, and it is taken as
typical of all the days under the pres
ent administration:
Breakfast in boys dining room-Pota-
toes. bread. coffee.
Breakfast in officers dining room
Mullins. butter, beefsteak. potatoes,
coffee, milk. breakfast food. apple
sauce.
Dinner in boys dining room-Cab-
bage, potatoes, bread.
| Dinner in officers dining room-Roast
beef, gravy, potatoes, dumplings,. cab
bage, fried apples, tomatoes, pudding or
pie. coffee, milk, iced tea.
Supner in boys dining rOOn-Stewed
apples, bread.
Supper in officers dining room-SHced
! beef or ham. salmon, cheese. crackers
potatoes, tomatoes. fruit cake, coffee.
tea. milk.
.One morning a few weeks ago." says
the person who is anxious to have the
condition of affairs at the school ex-
posed, 1.-The boys had for breakfast moth
ing but bread, onions and radishes.
Miss Rose Kennedy, who is in charge
of the laundry, lined her boys up and
marched tenn before the superintend-
ent, Mr.. Charles. and said that unless
the boys were given something more to
| eat, she could not ask them to work
Charles said nothing to the woman
- h. k@I1 he hot =,
did not want to hear any n ore COM
plants from them" Miss Kennedy was
discharged yesterday by Superintendent
Charles.
served to the boys, it is claimed The
! boys complain that the coffee which is
given ttem at breakfast is not At to
| drink-that it makes them sick.
| The system Of corporal punishment
| has been abandoned at the school, and
| instead the boys are punished for dis
| obedience or infraction of rules by be-
| ing deprived of food for certain num-
| ber of DAYS. They are given no food
| at all during the period of their pen
ance- In speaking of this condition, one
| of the officers at the institution says:
1.-THE work in the laundry is very
| hard, and at one timecone of the boys
| who works there was sentenced to go
| without food for two days, working all
! the time. The other boys, however.
smuggled hin food enough to keep him.
| self alive
| 1t is further claimed that the sleeping
| accommodations for the boys are ex-
| ceedingly bad. The main dormitories
| are in the attics of the buildings. close
| under the roof There are no screens
| over the windows, so the officers do not
| deem it safe to open the windows at
| result is that during the recent hot
| nights the atmosphere in the rooms has
| been sitting in its heat, and unsafe
| from a sanitary standpoint. 1t is said
IL 1k~,s- 1s--I14
ing in the rooms all night, adding to
| the fntolerable heat, and attracting the
| bugs and mosquitoes.
It is claimed that the officers of the
school should expend enough n oney to
screen the windows SO that they can be
| opened at night for purposes of ventila
| ton. Instead of that, it is asserted that
| the officials prefer to make a record
| by turning back as much money as pos
sible as result of Economical admin
| istration-"
The last legislature increased the ap-
! propria tion for care and maintenance al
| the Reform school by one-third. In
stead of $4,000, the amount now avail
able for care and maintenance is $780,
600. The increase was secured through
| the efforts of John Seaton for the ex-
press purpose that the boys at the
| school might be better fed, and more
| personal attention be given to their
| wants
It is said that some of the boys are
required to work too hard. THE boys
who work in the dining room,'' said ar
officer, besides having other work
never have any leisure. They get up a,
6 O'Clock, go to the dining room at $50
work there till 7:30 or later, go to theil
work in the shop or cottage. work till
11:3O. return to the dining room, work
till L O'Clock or later, go to school o,
work till $50, then back to the dining
room till the work is done, which is
about 1880 Then it is almost time fol
them to go to bed"
There is a fine bowling alley at tn.
school. but It IS claimed that the boy.
the exclusive amusement of the en-
ployes. The boys set UP the pins There
| are also said to be two swings which
are supposed to be for the boys bul
which are used only by employees ant
officers. The library is also said to bs
run on the same exclusive basis, and t.
be stocked largely with books entirel,
, unsuitable to the age and needs of ths
inmates OF the school.
1t is only within the last six weeks
that the use of the strap as a method
of punishment has been abandoned I
is said to be proving a very beneficia
change. Instead of whippings the boy.
are now put on bread and water diet
or compelled to go without food en-
tirely, so it is said. There is also
dungeon for the punishment of run
| aways. An official said in speaking o.
| this dungeon:
! and close to tie west side of the build
ing. When boy who has escaped il
caught. he is stut up in the dungeon
and fed on bread and water 1t is ter
dungeon is almost dark cell. Whel
a boy has been in there for few day,
he looks as though he had been through
4 long sick SPELL
employees have left the school since MI
l Charles assumed control Charle