The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-01-19
BILLINGS ASSA|LS
STATE CHARITIES
BOARD OF CHARITIES FIND CRU.
ELTY AND WANT REIGN AT
GIRLS HOME.
INFESTED WITH VERMIN
AsyIums Are Fire Traps--lnsane Pa.
tents Still Herded in Chain.
Gangs Like convlcts,
Is Charge.

Springfield Ill.,, Jan is Official
disclosure of a scandalous regime in
the Illinois Industrial School for Girls
at Peoria was made this. afternoon at
a meeting Of the State Board Of Char
tiles. The facts brought out added
both force and Illustration to charges.
made earlier in the day by President
Frank p. Billings of Chicago, in ad-
dressing members Of the Legislature,
that atrocious conditions exist in the
state charitable institutions.
AS result Of the report Of com
mittee hat investigated the home ii
was refused sertifcate and the
states attorney Of Peoria county was
requested to begin proceedings to take
away its charter, under which it had
been receiving young dependent girls.
Dr.. Emil G. Hr ch made the motion
| approving the report of the investi-
gators and favoring legal proceedings.
Governor Deneen who sat all day
With the state Board Of Charities, ap
proved this finding. Mrs. Clara p.
Bourland it developed, was the mem.
Der Of the board thai had made the
inquiry in company with Charles Vir
den, state agent for the visitation Of
children, and States Attorney Robert
Scnoles of Peoria county. The inquiry
was conducted in Peoria last Novem.
Der but the report came unexpectedly
except to a few.
Charges Made.
The charges are as follows.
Scsnt Food- Morning meals con
sisted OF bread and huttegine, oatmeai
and coffee and that meat was served
only Gnce per week The evidence in
dlcated thai the quantity was very in.
sufficient for growing children. Only
one helping of a plate was generally /
allowed and the children often were
hungry The cash book for the school
shows that Sl2G was expended for
meat during the first ten months of
The year, from Panuary to November
|. 1906 with an average attendance
about thirty pupils.
Poor suppIies-and a lack of them
The evidence showed that the cloth.
ng Of the children was poor ANA scan.
-y, most of it cast off clothing, ap
donated
observation-disclosures on both
sides goes 10 prove conclusively that !
he children's heads were infested :
with yermin In adequate means
Fere "a cd to get rid Of it, as apparent
y vermin always was present One
,iri testified that there was only one I
Inc ioothed comb ar the school Sew
'ral Of the girls who were Transferred
rom the Peoria school to the state |
ia ming school at Geneva, were YER
min infected and r. a filthy condition
when received Mrs. Ophelia Amigh :
of the institution at
ieneya testified to this. &c
Cruelty Shown,
Cruelties-The te timony shows
hat under punishment has been in }
.icted upon some of he inmates from
ime 10 time and for what appeared .
o be trivial caus S such as being
ate 10 meals, etc. The instrument
sed in such punishment was com
monty a paddle. or a piece Of board.
IT switch frcm a tree.
School Training and insunic.
ant. On personal inve. tigation your .
omm ttee found several girls from
-yeuteen TO nineteen years Of aga
Dsulutely ignorant OF the simplest
of a common sch Oh odu- q,
alton. These girls had been inmates
{ The school from four TO ten years. !.
nd according 10 thc'- own statements
ad spent one half dav Of each dav
f each school wear in the school d.
oOm. Geography. history. aritbms- .
ic. language AMI spelling we're the n
tudies pursued. one girl studied the b.
is,ory 0f America written by Col1m. I
us. another located Lake Michigan d,
rest Of Peoria. another said thai S. \
.0Iis was tha largest city In Illinois =
till another thought that the uli =
DIS river vas the largest in The Uul >.
ia = dfes ana t1ff Peoria va The g
irgest- city in the United States. The
iris were taught nothing Of the eFerv- X
as Industries Of life no sewing UhatI ID
rsr They seemed TO have cooked f.,
-d worked along with a caretaEer OF Il
ouseEes per as ignorant as them r.
elves 10
Little nr M m,raI training wasI +,
iren and the labo-s of the children q,
.e-e r5o arlU0u. and severe.
Laundry in Barn. Isl
TIE general work Of the h0use w1s|
one r. the girls under dir ction Cf 4
h01seEeeDer Cr caretaker. the E1-k =
si1r divided into shifts Of three n
,onths each. two girls employed iH e.
(Conciuded on Thi-d Pagel