Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-21
BREAD, SOUP AND
ROD CITY HOME
DIET, BOY SAYS
Would Not Go Back
for World, Lad
Declares.

A ptiful tale of his life at the New
ark Parental School, at. Verona, is
told by 14-year- old Edward Volk, of
" Norfolk street, who was an inmate
OF the home for upwards of two years
Edward is working in factory on
central avenue now, and, despite his
long hours and hard work, he says he
would not go back to the home 'for
the world" =
Why didn't you like it at the
home?' a Star reporter asked the boy
today
They beat me too much,' he re-
piled, as cloud passed over his clear
young face, land gave me too much
soup and bread. l like soup and l
ike bread, but when you get it noon
and night every day, it's too much for
me-"
But what about the beatings?" he
was asked.
Moneys Worth of Beatings."
You get your moneys worth of
beatings, all right They used to get
us over machine with our hands
stretched out and then they'd whale
US with a strap till we were black and
blue"
But if you were a bad boy you
must expect to get whipped" the re-
porter told him.
Didn't make much difference
whether you were bad or not, 1 guess.
Some of us used to get horsewhipped
for coughing in bed or standing up in
the playground when we were sup
posed to sit down."
willie Rossimani, a PLAYMATE of
mine, got whipped twice In one day
because he wouldn't eat his SOUP. He
was feeling sick and told the man in
charge that he couldn't eat the SOUP.
The man took the boy downstairs and
rubbed his face in it and whipped
him. He set it before him again at
night. When the boy refused to eat
1t he was whipped again and sent to
bed with nothing to eat since break
fast"
What did you have for breakfast?"
he was asked
Oatmeal, and Bread for Breakfast
Oatmeal and bread" he said. cat
dinner we got soup and bread and at
night bread. butter and tea. Friday
night we had cake. Twice week,
about we had potatoes, and on holi-
days we had real ice cream We got
tired of the soup, but never got sick
eating ice cream"
Edward said that when one Of the
boys ran away" and was caught he
had to stand with his face against
something" for a month.
He said the boys were made to dig
dirt with pick-axes and wheel it away
In a big wheelbarrow. Then they had
to carry stones sometimes, too"
He was asked If they did not give
him meat to eat.
We only got soup meat, and it was
stuffed with green stuff that we didn't
like. Nobody ate it, don't think"
Edward was discharged from the
home for good behavior Both his
father and mother are dead. His
mother died first and his father mar
ried again. Then his father died and
his stepmother married William Bow
ers, an employee of the BENJAMIN
Meyer Company, of 470 Broad street.
After he returned from the home. Ed
ward secured working papers and now
goes to night school,
Corporal Punishment Abolished
Following hearing yesterday by
the trustees of the home on the al
legged brutal punishment inflicted on
one of the inmates a resolution was
adopted abolishing corporal punish
ment and establishing discipline
squad"
James Foster, one of the BOYS
who claimed he was "brutally pun
ished," admitted at the hearing yes
terday that the reports had been
somewhat exaggerated
Mr.. Heller superintendent of the
home, said that the only punishment
inflicted upon the boys was to beat
them across the hands with a strap
made of sewing machine belt He de-
MES that he or any one eles there
beat any of the inmates black and
blue.
He says only such punishment was
administered as was necessary to
keep the boys under control. He ex-
planned that naturally boys around IL
or 10 would exaggerate stories con-
siderably.
Hereafter boys that need punish
ment will be put through an extra |
drill by Instructor Morris Sachs, who |
will receive small extra remunera-
ton for the extra work 1t will make |
for him.