Arizona republican., 1903-12-22
BENSON INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
Things Seen by Marshal Kinney in
His Recent Travels.

Marshal Kinney returned home yes
terday morning from Benson where he
placed a couple of Phoenix lads in the
territorial industrial school. He stop
ped over Sunday in Tucson on the
way home.
Speaking of the Benson school Mr..
Kinney said he was agreeably surpris
ed. He says it is a popular idea that
if boy is placed in an institution of
that kind and there happens to be Il
worse boy in the school, his vicious
influence will be the means of pulling
the better boys still further down. He
says that having seen the school, he
is prepared to take exactly the oppo-
site view and believes that under the
system which the school has adopted
from the beginning, that if there is u
spark of good in the boy it will be
properly cultivated and developed. and
if he is all bad he will be kept in
such restraint that his influence on the
Others Will be that of a horrible eX-
ample rather than something the 9TH
er boys Will emulate.
The school has no enclosure around
it; nothing to suggest the rigidity OF
prison rules. Nature has done a great
which is in the center of a 200 acre
tract OF land that is practically wall
ed i'm by bluffs. There is scarcely a
minute of the day when any boy is
out of sight of a guard or an employee,
and should he attempt to run away,
he will have to be fleet of foot to get
out of sight. At night the dormitory
is guarded by a man whose business
is to stay awake, so that altogeth-
er the boys do not have much oppor-
tunity for plotting and stil less chance
TO carry out any enterprise they
might hatch up.
The daily routine is in a general
way as follows: Rise at 5:45; salute
the flag at 8 o'clock; breakfast at $50;
atheletic exercises follow and then
each boy is assigned to some work I'M
der the industrial teachers, like the
carpenter shop. blacksmith shop etc,
till o'clock. From o'clock till noon
they are allowed to play, though all
the time under the eye of an employe.
At noon they all retire to the lavora
tory and wash their faces. each hav-
ing a washpan and towel of his own,
which he must care for and keep in
place. Then they form in line and
march to dinner in military fashion.
During the meal they are allowed to
converse in a proper way, but table
manners are always rigidly adhered
TO and at the conclusion of the meal
they are marched into spacious read
ing room, where an abundance of lit
erature is provided and where they
may enjoy themselves for an hour
Then they are marched to the school
room for four hours of study. after
which there are mere athletic exer-
cises. supper. etc, and at p. m. the
lights are out.
TO show what sort of discipline is
maintained, Mr. Kinney related an in
cident that occurred the day be was
there. The boys were all at play. when
one of them i'm moment of anger ap-
piled profane epithet to another. The
guard of course heard it. and Mr.. Boy
was summoned to one side of the play
ground, given a stick of wood weigh
ing couple of pounds and told to
drill back and forth along a path be-
tween two posts set to describe the
boundaries of the penal trail He was
kept at this amusement for the next
two hours. or until the play hour wa
over, in sight of his fellows, who Were
enjoying themselves. In the event it is
necessary a dark cell is available as a
last resort, and if any lad shall at
tempt to run away he may be subject
ed to the lash. This. however. is only a
last resort, for the purpose of the
school is to teach by kindness and res
traint and not by cruelty.
There are at present six employees at
the school and only six students. but
there is no uncertainty about the
institution securing even too good A
patronage before many moons have
passed.
Another boy was committed by the
probate court of this country yester-
dav. The proceedings We're secret as
the law provides they must be when
the parents or guardian of the boy
demands privacy. This was a rather
peculiar case. The boy though only IA
is inCorriGible and he knows IT, His
parents have not only been unable to
keep in school for the last two years
nut they have not been able to keep
him from wandering about the country
in the company of hoboes He is more
over a boy of vicious disposition and
has frequently threatened his compan-
ions with a knife or other deadly
Weapon.
The boy is in full realization of all |
cure himself of them and it is said that
he first suggested the notion of his go
ing to the reform school. At any rate
he is quite willing and even anxious to
20. Speaking of his case yesterday he
said he wanted to learn trade of soma
kind but he could never do so unles=
he was restrained
He said he would rather be a good
hoy than bad one but he cannot De
good. He thinks that if he is confined
in the reform school for awhile and is
kent by force from being bad he will |
after while get to be good all the time.
After his trial he was allowed to go
home with his parents and he will re-
main there until the time comes to
take him to Benson. He is SO enthus-
iastic on the subject of his reformation
that the officers do not think there is
any danger of his disappointing then
OF Tucson Mr.. Kinney cannot say
enough. 1t was his first visit there and
he met dozens of his former Phoenix
friends, who did all they could to
make it interesting. They kept him so
busy seeing things that he had no