Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-08
GRAF CRUELTY
AND |NCAI.P:'A \ 1T
sensational Charges Against
supt. II. II. Thomas Of the
State Industrial.
NEW LIQUOR ORDINANCE II in 3;
in Before City Council, Increasing
License Fccs-Statc Deaf and Blind.
school commencement.

OGDEN, June S.-Chargcs of cruel
treatment to inmates of the state in
Yustrlal school; graft Of funds entrust-
ed to him to he used for the needs Of
the school, an utter incapability of
conducting the affairs of the institu-
ton in a proper way and for the bet
terment of the youthful delinquents
IN his cliarge have been made against
Superintendent H. II. Thomas and
{ formally presented to Governor Will
V liam Spry by q committee appointed
f for that purpose. after a mass meet
h Ing held att he Weber academy yestr...-s
day afternoon, following a call by the
club women. of Ogden. The charges arc
preferred by former employees of the
Institution under whose observation
the Irregularities are said to have
When Governor Spry reached Og-
den late yesterday nfternoonthe COM
mittec composed or Mrs. Kate S. Hill
4 lard Mrs, J. NJ. Bishop and Rev.
7 Noble Strong Elderkin made a formal
presentation OF the charges against
Spry promised to give the matter his
immediate and careful attention and
take what steps he deems proper s.
soon as an investigation can be con-
Quoted. ss Il
The meeting which was presided
over by Mrs. Kate S. billiard was adj
dressed by former employees OF the
school who told Of the alleged cruel
ties Of the inmates as was practised
upon them by Superintendent Thomas.
The principal speaker was jill. Scott,
s OF Logan, formerly employed at the
state Industrial school as an instructor,
in manual training. His testimony
E was OF n sensational order and brought
forth a bitter denunication of superin-
tendent1 Thomas by those assembled at
the meeting.
Mr.. Scott recited a number of in-s
stances Of the whipping of the in
< mates. One case he recalled to mind
was that OF he whipping ola boy by
Superintendent Thomas with a strap,
until the boys clothing was cut to
shreds. Another case he told Of was
that Of David Buck. who died at the
school as the result Of scarlet fever,
so it was reported According to the
statement made by Mr.. Scott the boy
had been i'll in bed with scarlet feyGr
and during Il time when he was out OF
his head he cut the bed guilt into
little strips and for so doing he was
punished with a strap at the direction
told OF the miserable food furnished
the inmates AMI the poor sanitation.
( In speaking of the cases of graft at
the school Scott stated that at one
time he worked for three weeks at
the Thomas residence in the city do
ing carpenter work, and for which the
state paid him his wages.
Mrs. d. T. Tracy, a former matrou of
the girls cottage told OF the cruelties
heaped upon them by Thomas, Said
that on one occasion while two boys
were being rawhided the band was
playing in the. front yard so the
screams of agony and pain of the
ones being punished could not be heard
by other inmates and neighbors. Mrs.
Tracy told OF the numerous attempts
at suicide made by the girls who stat.
ed that they would rather die than to.
stay there. A recent attempt at suicide.
she said3{occurred last Sunday after
noon when a girl tried to kill herself
by cutting her throat With scissors.
Tho girl committed this act because
She did not receive the merits that
had been promised her.
The other speakers told of the cruel
" of the inmates by Thomas and his
assistants also of the bread and water
diet that boys and girls both received
for the slightest infraction OF the
rules.
At the conclusion of the meeting
resolutions We're, adopted asking the
governor to remove Superintendent
Thomas because of his manifest unfit
ness. The committee stated that it
stood ready to produce evidence and
attached three letters to the resolu-
tons giving further evidence. When
/ the governor was in the city last even
Ing the resolutions together with other
papers were submitted to him.. He
stated that he would attend to the
matter Immediately upon his return TO
Salt Lake City and take whatever
action he deemed proper.
In an Interview had with Superin-
tepdent Themes since the mass meet
Ing preferred the charges against him,
he classes the charges as rank false
hoods, and demands that an inyestiga-
ton be had. Il wish to state he
said, that deny absolutely and un-
qualifiedly all of the charges and
statements made by eN-eT1ployes of
the state Industrial school. When Gov
ernor SDry calls an Investigation. i
Will be ready to answer all of the
charges and to explain my position
clearly