The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-28
is graduated an accomplished crimi-

| nal
| Il consider that we have a system of
schools for crime in our county jails, sup
ported at great expense by. the various
| counties"
| Mrs. Blair said that as Superintendent
OIL prison work, she had had great exper-
fence with tails all over the State She
| had round that there We're no religious or
| school opportunities offered in the ja;ls
| or the State Prison.
ohe cited the case of a little boy in
| knee pants who was put in Jail in her
| county for stealing a mule He was in
| ordinately fond of horses, and therefore
| the State made him Unfortunately fond
Oh every vice, for he was an apt scholar
| III every form of vice that he could learn
| from the Jail habitues.
| The iails of North Carolina she said.
might be excellent places of punishment.
| out they We're not in any sense refor1na
| tories.
| There was no reason for establishment
| that some of these boys were sent back
to prison again and again, for they wore
| brought in contact with nothing but
crime and vice.
Now, if the prisons have this effect
L
them greater offenders against societ;,
what shall | say of the colored criminals
| in our jails? What a harvest of crime 70
are reaping in North Carolina! Who has
not noticed that the most heinous of
crimes committed in our Southland are
generally committed by ex-conyicts?
The judges of our State all feel the
need of a reformatory. We seem all to
n of
II ouble? Where is the stumbling block?
progressive countries, and with other
states of our own cOuntry?"
1t was shown that where the reform
atory had been tried, crime was on the
decrease.
Il have always been told that we could
not afford to spend the money for a re-
formatory. But the question is, can we
afford to do without reformatory?
Crime is very expensive to the State.
1t costs us about 100000 each year to
prosecute criminals. Can we afford to
go on educating criminals?
These boys have claims of their own.
The State calls them her sons. Does a
mother care only for her good boys, and
not the bad ones? In fact, she often owes
badness is largely her own fault. The
State cares for the blind, the deaf and
the dumb. why not for other afflicted
ones?''
Mrs. Blair was heartily applauded as
she concluded.
Senator McBryde, of Cumberland, read
a letter from Mr. E. A. Poe, of Fayette- |
Vile, offering So acres as a site for the |
Reformatory.
Mrs. F. A. Olds said that she was pres |
ent as a member of the committee of |
the Kings Daughters. chosen especially |
TO memorialize this Legislature for |
Reformatory; but this, as president Of |
the State Organization of Daughters of |
the Confederacy, she would also enter |
Plea for the same purpose.
Mrs. Burgwyn said that North Carolina |
lid not record in her history one instance |
IF failure on the part of her representa-
tive men to fulfil their obligations, and |
she did not think that this body of North |
Carolina men would fail in their duty
England had expected every man to do |
his duty, and the battle of Trafalgar had |
been won. Only let every man here do
his duty, and a greater battle than Ira
falgar will be won.
Mrs. Burgwyn then stated that the last
diocesan convention of the Episcopal
church had appointed committee TO
nemorialize this General Assembly for |
I ReformatOry, and she would leave il
- them to address this Snmittee,, for
t was novel experience to her
Mr.. r. H. Battle, of this city, then. |
as a member of that committee appointed
~ the diocesan convention, addressed
the committee. He said thai little re-
manned to be said, after the very full
and excellent address of Mrs. Blair. as
20 the need Of Reformatorv. Thirty
Eve of the forty-five States of the Union
had them, and experience had shown that
- per cent of the children confined there
n turned out useful citizens. They were
taught trades and Industrial pursuits
md came out with the habit of worE and
the means of getting an honest liyeli-
hood.
He recalled an incident from the Wake
county criminal court of a young col
ored girl fifteen years old, who was SEN
fenced to prison, more for the purpose,
80 he Judge said, to get her away from
her bad home influences as anything else. |
A gentleman of this city took her and
sent her to a far distant city. to a Re-
formatory there, where she will be taught
4 useful life.
Mr.. Battle favored a bond issue, if
necessary. to raise a fund for a Reform
'tcry. The money should be spent, he
thought, fer this purpose, in any event.