Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-03-11
GIRLS FLOGGEO
IN STATE HOME,
IT IS CHARGED
Minnie Hobert Swears to Bar.
baric Treatment While In
mate of Institution.
100 BLOWS ON THE BODY
Placed in Straight Chair as Further
PuniShment-May Be Legs
Iative Investigation.

1t is probable a legislative inves-
tigation Of conditions at the State
Training School for Girls at Geneva
will be demanded as a result of rev.
Citations made by Minnie Hobert,
aged 19, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
John r Hobert, 14O7 Eighth avenue,
this city. The Hobert girl, who was
adjudged a delinquent in. the Rock
Island county court, was an inmate
Of the school from Sept "a, 1908.
until Aug 16, 1910. The parents
have retained Attorney p. H. Wells
to proceed with an investigation of
the charges made by their daughter.
The girl has sworn to the following
statement:
ION or about the path day of Sep
TENDER, 1908, was taken from Rock
Island, Ill, to the State Training
School for Girls at Geneva, Ill l
was taken from Rock Island to
Geneva by Edward Kittilsen, then
the sheriff of Rock Island county.
III. Upon arriving at the school l
was taken before Mrs. Ophelia L.
Amigh. the superintendent Of the
school, and from that time until
Aug. 16. 1910, when was taken TO
the home OF Mrs. J. II. Nance, 595
Galena street, Aurora. Ill, I was an
inmate of the school at Geneva.
After ! had been at Geneva about
seven months I broke one Of the
rules of the institution by talking
to girls from another fiat than the
one in which ! was situated. I had
broken that rule before several
times, but upon this occasion it was
found out by the authorities at the
school and the matron of my fiat,
Miss Gray. came to me and asked me
if I had communicated with a girl
named Stella Steam. / tried TO tell
her that ] had not, but other girls
had seen me talking to her, and
was ordered to my room by Miss
Gray That same evening Miss
Baldwin and Miss Compton, Miss
Elliott and some other attendants
whose names 1 do not remember.
came to my room. At first l was
afraid of being punished and told
her that had not been communicat-
ing. Then Miss Baldwin ordered me
to take off all my clothes and lie
face downward on my bed. After l
had removed all my clothes, Miss
Baldwin wrapped a wet sheet around
me and I then lay face downward
on my bed. Then Miss Baldwin
took a piece of rubber hose, and
while several of the other matrons
and attendants held me down, Miss
Baldwin whipped me over my hips
and buttocks with this hose until she
was tired, and then she gave this
hose to one of the other matrons. whose
name ! do not know, but who con-
tinued the whipping. l do not know
how many blows were given, but
girl named Georgiana Lafferty, who
occupied an adjoining room, said
that she had counted the blows and
that ] was given 1870. 1 believe this
TO be true. for ! myself have heard
other girls being whipped in their
rooms, and have myself counted the
blows as they were given. In one
instance a girl named May but
whose last name ! DO not know, was
whipped in a room directly Oppo-
site mine. and 7 counted $50 blows
given. / have heard Stella Steam,
Grace Brown, Georgiana Lafferty
whipped, but ! did not count the
blows.
PLANS TO ESCAPE.
Three months after l had been
at the school I tried to escape in
company with a girl named Rather
inc Morgan, who told me her home
was in Chicago. l was on punish
ment ar the time. as was also Kath-
crime Morgan. and we were confined
TO our rooms, which adjoined each
other. ! was head dining room girl
at the time. and when Mrs. Gray
came 70 my room TO give me my
breakfast. 7 asked her If I could go
down and clean the laundry. She
gave me permission and when I got
down stairs I asked a girl named
Belle Winters for a knife to scratch
the starch off the irons. She gave
II TO me- I cleaned the irons. and
then put the knife in my stocking
and took II upstairs. hid the knife
in my shoes which were in my clos
ct They missed the knife from
downstairs and Mrs. Gray came up
to my room 10 ask me about il.
told her that / had left II downstairs.
and she made me go down and look
for II. Then my room was searched
but as the knife was hidden in my
extra shoes in the closet. with some
rags stuffed IN over Il 70 proven.
its falling out they did not find It. .
E9oaK an nna Do44Ia