Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-08
Serious
Charges
Are Made
Cook Fired from the Reform
School Says Vice COndi :
tiOnS Are Similar to Those
in Portland

| DCSld llS JudJ SNllo SllllldT 10 LHOSo
involved in the Portland vice scandal
exist among the boys of the state
training school with the additional
charge that these evils are practiced
with animals, j. w. Saunders, cook
who has been employed at the insti-
tuition but who was last night dis
charged by Superintendent Hale made
statements to state official and
to reporters this morning. No officials
or employees of the school are impli-
Gated in the charges made by Saun-
ders.
Saunders is the man who wrote the
letter to certain member of the state
board calling attention to alleged lack
of discipline at the training school
which was one of the reasons for the
calling Of the preliminary investiga-
tinn of Superintendent Hale on Mon
day. Saunders will be called before
official investigation Friday and will
be asked to prove his assertions. He
says that he will be glad to appear.
He asserts that he wrote the letter to
the state board member because of the
general lack Of management in the
institution. Other than this he has
nothing against the character of Su-
perintendent Hale except what has
grown ou' of his discharge by that
official last night. Saunders said Hale
had discharged him last night when
he had admitted writing the trouble
some letter.
Hale came to me-" said Saunders.
"and said it was a mighty unprinci-
pied man who would write such let
ter and not sign his name to It, He got
so personal about 1t that said:
81 am the man who wrote that let
ter"
Saunders declares that when the at.
tention of the superintendent was call
ed to the vices existing among the
boys he refused to believe them or to
give them consideration. The matter |
of the moral conditions Of the school
were not booked to be investigated !
Friday. Superintendent Hale had been !
charged with purchasing cattle with
out proper authority and with MAIN
tanning lax discipline. Governor West
says that the blame, If blame there is,
for the purchase Of the cattle rests
upon his own shoulders. The execu-
tive also defends the policy Of dsci-
rline inaugurated by Superintendent
Hale.
Says He Wrote Letter.
That Saunders wrote the original
letter to the state board member was
not made known until this morning
This letter was shown to another
member of the board the substance Of
the letter reacher the press, and bas-
ed on the charges published the in
yestigation has been called.
1t seems probable that Saunders will
have extreme difficulty in making good
his assertions when he comes to the
grilling by Governor West on Friday
He has been an employe Of the insti-
tutlon for a period Of only about six
rlonths, having taken the job as cook
about the time Of the coming of SUI
perntendent Hale. From this It ap-
pears that he is in no position to COM
rare Superintendent Hale's regime
with that Of previous superintendents
The Boys Came Back.
Speaking Of the leniency Of Super
intendent Hale in allowing the boys to
go to their homes on Christmas, Saun-
ders admitted that while only about
half dozen were left at the school
through the holidays, all who had
gone TO their homes returned with no
difficulty on the part Of the superin-
tendent. Saunders claims, however,
that he can show where 1S boys have
escaped from the institution while su-
perlntendent Hale mentioned only 10
IN the preliminary hearing on Monday.
State Treasurer Kay this morning
said that he had not authorized the in
teryiew which appeared from him in
this mornings papers regarding the
investigation Of Superintendent Smith
Of the feeble minded school, In a gem
eral way, he said that the statements
were correct tha. he had overheard
the conversation in which Superin-
tpndent Smith OF the Rtnte school for