The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-09
TAKING oF TEsTTMoNY-
Witnesses Are Examined as to Az
fairs i'm School.

Witnesses Are Examined as to AT
fairs in School.
Sheriff J. w. Bailey Of Weber county
was the first witness. He testified re-
garding the department of Eva Curtis
In the Ogden jail as follows.
There are Two of the girls there
together, and they are always trying
10 get the boys TO give them tobacco
and cigarettes. They talk beck and
forth with the boys whenever they can.
using the most filthy language. They
swear and shout and threaten 90 COM
init suicide Then they said they want
ed 90 live little longer SO they could
raise some more -"
Did you ever catch them lyiug2'
asked Representative Spry
Never caught them doing anything
else replied the witness. "They all
ways complained about Mr. Allison.
and at the same time admitted they
had tried 90 provoke him by disobey-
ing the rules They smoked whenever
they could get any cigarettes, and al
ways denied it, even when the cell was
fun OF smoke"
Minerva Reaves was the second Wit
ness. She is Eva Curtis half-sister,
and is confined with her iu the Ogden
jail for trying 90 burn the reform
school.
When I first came here I was asked
90 do some work, and when 7 couldn't
do il on time Miss Bilby locked me
up for four days" said she. "She told
me 10 make an apron. but I didn't
know how. and she locked me uD again.
i saw Helen BloOmquist locked up
for reading a book on the floor. Mr..
Allison did 10. Lots of times girls were
punished when they hadn't done moth
ing.
Tried to Run Away.
Mr.. Meyers shot at me without tell
ing me 90 stop running, upon the HILL
We were going to run away. Eva Cur
lis and 7 came here together. and
Amelia Robinson and i tried % es-
cape together.
when Helen Bl00mquist was Jet out
Of the cell once she nearly tainted m
Sunday school she was so weak The
only time i was whipped was when
Miss Bllby slapped me for talking at
the table. Neither MT Allison nor
Mrs. Allison ever punished me. Miss
Billy iawed me an along. She is the
only one I have any complaint ABOUT
II know one of the big boys, Walter
Harper was with the little boys. and
he got piece knocked out of his neck
Mr.. Peterson admitted he did IT, He
hit him with a blacksnake.'
you were never thrashed yOurselft'
interrupted Senator Lawrence.
NO. sir"
"Was the clothing given you good2'
Yes. sir"
How often were you sent to school?'
asked Representative Cotton
Half a day when I was kitchen
helping I'm the kitchen"
Farley Christensen Testifes.
Farley p. Christensen. ex-county at
tOTney of salt Lake. took the stand
and told the story of the Curtis
Reaves girls.
The three girls were frightfuI in
corrigibes. They were terr0rs I'm the
county Jail. vicious and filthy. Their
language I'm point of vulgarity was
worse than "a man could use. They
threatened TO break up the institution
when they were sent up here. They
had two brothers i'm the Denitentiary
and a third brother is i'm Jail now.
Mrs. Allison asked me: For heavens
sake, are we going to have those Cur
tbs girls here2 I know what that
means for we had one here before
Il circulated among the girls here,
as I wanted 90 learn whether 10 was
good place 10 send Maynard girls The
chief cause of complaint seemed 20 be
that the girls felt that after they had
been here a while and learned 90 quit
smoking and had abandoned their bad
language they should be released on
parole. Many complained bitterly be-
cause they were still detained while be-
having themselves.
opium fend We found the little girl
a total wreck. drunk with whisky and
saturated with morphine She was
about IA years Old. Here she is cured
Of the morphine habit, has grown TO-
bust and seems TO be a different girl
altogether. Her parole was asked, but
superintendent Allison advised against
il on The ground she was doing SO we'll
that it would be too bad 20 let her
out. where she might be subject TO
temptation. The girl herself said she
would rather stay here than be allowed
ONT.
Reformed a Young Man.
"There was a young fellow named
Powell who was regenerated here. He
was convicted and sent here and later
his father told me how he had changed,
had Quit cigarettes, learned 90 read ana
AILNr. ana M AH EHlI mus AlAH lAHAAAHa
RUBY Kraft. a beautiful little GIRL
was committed here and was benefited
greatly. She was rapidly going down
ward until sent here.
MY experience has been that the life
I'm the institution benefits the prison
ers as a rule. There may be eXcep-
tiOns. but on the whole I know there
have been fine results accomplished.
Many boys and girls ont on parole are
living honorable. useful lives.
There are no girls here over "a
years old not guilty OF uuutterable IT,
centious conduct. one girl. a member
of a prominent Salt Lake family. born
in a lovely home and of ideal parents,
was guilty of association with negroes.
We brought her here simply charged
with incorrigibility. as we didn't want
to expose her In court She was so bene-
fitted here that now she SIS living de-
Gently IN her home
81 think 1T would be better were the
institution graded so that girls of diff
ferent ages and degrees of incOrrigi-
buity could be kept separate. With
the present equipment of the iustitu-
ton that Is impossible.
Daniel Hamer. the steuographer who
was taking the testimony. testified 20
the unutterably bad character OF am
other Curtis girl now under indictment
for murder.
Catherine Knox.
Catherine Knox OF 28S East First
South. Salt Lake. an inmate for over
two months. was brought on The stand
Continued on Page s.