The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-30
THOMAS IS GIVEN
THOROUGH SCORING
Reform School Superintendent
Denounced for Brutality
to Inmates.
SENSATIONAL HEARING
NOW NEARING THE END
Wholesale Graft Is Charged
Against Former Trustee
Evans.
Special TO The Tribune.


Special to The Tribune.
OGDEN, June 29.-Tbc labors OF the
investigating committee appointed by
Governor William Spry several weeks
ago to hear charges of incompetency
and unfitness against Superintendent
Heber Fl. Thomas of the State Indus
trial school, were terminated this after
noon at o CLOCK, after the committee
had listened for two hours to the ar
guments Of the attorneys engaged in
the hearing.
| 1t was nearly 3 clock when Chair
man Harry Joseph of the investigating
committee called the meeting to order.
| The chairman invited the citizens
/ committee, which advanced the charges
| against the superintendent, or anyone
else, to submit any complaints which
| they might have to the board of trus-
| tees Of the school at its next meeting.
| Attorney T. d. Johnson, representing
Superintendent Thomas, then read sew
eral communications in addition 10
those received several days ago from
reformatories IN different parts of the
! country, showing that some form OF cor
! poral punishment was used 10 correct
! the inmates Chairman Joseph then
| announced that the committee had de-
| cided 70 limit each side 10 one hour S
argument
Attorney Valentine Gideon. on be-
/ half of the prosecution. was the tlrst
/ TO address the committee. He declared
| that the interest which has been taken
| IN The affairs of the Industrial school
/ since the investi CATION was rirst De
gan was a tribute TO the patriotism OF
the citizens of the state. In a general
| wav. without commenting IN detail on
the evidence before the committee, the
speaker declared that 1t shows the ut
Ter ipcompeteucy of Superlntendent
| Thomas: that there is no recognlzed
head of the institution; no well-detlned
nIon for the management OF Its a1ialrs,
! md ro outline OF the studies which are
| followed at the school. The. superin-
,.tendent Of such a school, declarc6 the
! speaker. is the mainstay, ana shoola ne
I a competent man
SlThought Thomas Incompetent.
Mr. Gideon declared that the board
Of trustees Of the school had twice lee
orpiZed the iucompetency OF Mounts
when il ruled. on different occaslpnsii
tbat severe corporal punishment shall
not he allowed at the school, denying
fbe superintendent the right to use MS
discretion, and requiring him to report
cases whore corporal punishment Is
necessary 10 the board for action.
Mr.. Gideon laid considerable stress
an +be testimony which showed that
BOYS at the school had been lmprlsoned
| in the cell for the use OF tobacco. wheu
| fhe guard over them was addcteu 10
the habit and used IL IN their pres
ence. While tue speaker admitted that
Tbnmas NAV have talked kindly to the
boys at the school upon some occasions,
vet he insisted that "the superlntend-
ont had not gotten down INTO thelr
lives and obtained their confidence.
The treatment of the boys, as detailed
nv the witness. Max Chandler, was
pointed out by the speaker as uncoh"
! tradicted testimony.
The vile questions, alleged TO nave
been asked the girls by Thomas IN the
1rcsencc of Mrs. D. T. Tracy, the ma
iron. testified to by her and corroo
Grated by Captain Kneass. the speaker
! declared were not contradIcted by Dr
| Conroy. a member of the former board
Of trustees when he took the witness
stand.
Boys Horrible Orgy,
Attorney Gideon described tho whlp-
ning of the seven bows for an un-
namable offcnse, committed on their
camping trip during the summer OF
| 1908, as n "horriblc ORGY In an
effective manner he described the pun
ishment of the bows in the schoolroom
for forty minutes, "hlie tne s scnUu,
band was playing outside TO drown
their screams. Mr., Gideon character
lzed this treatment of the boys as
- scovardlv crime After speaking FOR
eighteen minutes, Mr.. Gideon concluded
his address. reservng the balance or
the allotted hour TO his associate, Judge
A. W. Agce,
Attorney T. D. Johnson, on bchalf
of Superintendent Thomas, then ad'
dressed the committee. lie SAID chat
the regulations OF the entire state, Og-
den CITY. Superintendent Thomas land
ms wife are at stake. He declared
that the investigation was started by
some woman coming from Salt Lake
who whispered TO others in Ogden
that if Il crowd were rotten together
she would tell what she knew about
the institution,
The investigation was then started,
which. the attorney declared, gave
number of discharged employees or
the school the opportunity TO vent Their
spleen upon The institution. The
speaker made light Of the charges or
graft lodged against the super)ntcnd-
| ent declaring that the whole charge
was based on the fact that two or three
EMPLOYEES of the school, with several
|
work on Thomas 5 residence after per-
mission had first been obtained from
! the board of trustees 10 leave their
work at the school for the time. He
declared that the committee should
have gone to the board of trustees with
it's complaints before making such seri
Gus charges against the superintendent.
He commented on the testimony of
Mrs Tracy, who said that bed bugs
infested The girls building, although,
the speaker declared, she had been at
the school IN charge OF the girls cot
tage for more than three years at the
time. This kind Of testimony showed
small spirit, declared the speaker.
Justities Brutality,
Replying to Attorney Gideon, regard
ing the whipping of the seven boys for
an unmentionable crime committed last
Continued on Page Eleven