The San Francisco call., 1908-07-19
MAKE CHARGES
OF IMMORTALITY
AT WHITTIER
Grave Accusations Brought Out
in Testimony Before Board :
of Inquisitors
Love Letters to Inmates and Bad
Practices Among Boys
Are Aired
Wife of Officer Writes AmOrous
Missives, While Husband
Flirts With Girls.

ton of the chargesspreferred against
Superintendent ]. P. Greedy of the
Whittier reform school by Trustee c.
c. Desmond was resumed today by
the state board of charities and cor
rections. The specific accusations
made by Trustee Desmond now num-
Der rs, and many officials and en-
ployes of the school have been in
volved.
It was charged bySome of the wit
nesses that the daughters of Matron
Thompson had sent their laundry from
the State university at Berkeley to the
Whittier school; that an agent of the
assistant superintendent found Super
intendent Greely and a woman teacher
in darkened room at 9 o'clock at
night; that three officers of the
school kept stock of intoxi-
eating liquors in their quarters, and
that the tobacco habit and immoral
practices are prevalent among the boys.
officers of the cadet corps and employees
of the institution testified that the dis
cipline at the school was very bad.
W. Almont Gates. secretary of the
board, conducted the questioning for
the prosecution, while e. c. Cooper.
secretary to Governor Gillett, con-
Quoted the cross examination.
superintendent Greely asked to be
allowed an attorney. but the board
had agreed to conduct the investiga-
tion without the aid of outsiders.
FOUND WATCHMAN DRUNK
Captain L. E. Wade, the first witness
or "a of ai oh " a
night watchman, had been drunk and
that he, Wade had reported it several
times TO the superintendent, but
nothing had been done about it.
Captain Charles A. Vanderpool, who
for 3 years was connected with Wis
consin state industrial school, said
that the discipline at Whittier is not
quite as good as in the other school.
Fifty per cent of the boys, Captain
Vanderpool said, used tobacco. When
ever he discovered them doing so he
has reported them to the superintend-
ent and the offenders had been pun
ished. The boys also swore consider
ably. for which he gave punishment
himself.
The commissary captain, ]. e. Lynch,
asserted that there was practically no
discipline in the school
Major Truman Cole, military instruc-
tor, against whom some of the charges
have been made testified that the mill
tary drill was good. He positively de-
MED knowledge of officers using liquor
on the grounds or that he and two
other officers had kept a supply of
liquor in the building. Major Truman
said the use of tobacco was not partic-
ularly common among the boys.
c. C, Desmond, trustee, of Los An
geles, who is responsible for the
charges, took the witness stand to es-
fo1 fcl. bo 1pin al ofc-
conduct on the part of Mrs. Grace Will
lis, former music teacher in the
school, who had been discharged, and
her husband, Captain Willis. His idea
was TO show that superintendent Gree
ley had not acted promptly in dis
charging Mrs. Willis and her hus-
band.
SEEKS LOVE LETTER
In company with Superintendent
Greeley, Desmond said he went to see
Miss Morrison and found her at
friends home.
Il told her. said the witness that
stories we're floating around that re-
fiected on the school, which 1 hoped
were not true, and I questioned her
about certain love letter
"She looked at the superintendent in
quiringly and then said she knew of
such letter; that she had noticed a
boy named Willard have letter in her
schoolroom and had taken it from him.
and had found 1T was a letter from
Mrs. Willis to Willard / asked her
what she had done with it, and she
said she had given it to the superin-
tendent. The superintendent told me he
had destroyed it. 1 said I would sup
pose he would have kept it. He said
he had talked the contents over with
Mr.. Willis, and he thought best to de-
stroy it."
The witness afterward stated that
Mrs. Willis had been discharged. ac-
week before he (Desmond) heard the
story.
Desmond said he repeatedly had
asked or commanded fGreeley to dis
charge Captain Willis. but that he had
not been discharged until later. be-
cause, the superintendent said, he was
valuable man.
Desmond admitted having told wills
that If he would turn states evidence
against Superintendent Greely he
(Desmond) would see that Willis GOT
full justice in the records concerning
charges against him. There was con.
siderable dispute because Desmond had
not shown that Willis had been ner-
sonally guilty of any indiscretion.
IMPROPER CARD To GIRL
Desmond then introduced allegations
that Willis had sent postal card
which he thought was improper to
paroled girl; that Willis told obscene
stories and did other things an officar
ought not to have done. But no avi-
dence was given that Greedy knew of
these things before he discharged
Willis. :.
Desmond also testified that he had
complained to President Clark OF tha
board of trustees in June that condi-
tions were not what they should be at
the school. and Clark belittled the al
legged bad conditions.
In that interview Trustee Clark 10 al