New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-15
SAYS SOME GIRLS
CAN'T Be REDEEMED
Miss Moore Declares That
Many Bedford Inmates
Are Beyond Hope.
NEARLY 40 PER CENT
MENTALLY DEFICIENT
DR.. Hallock Also BlameS Judges
and Is Heckled at Probe of
ReformatOry.

Under examination, Miss Mary Re-
becca Moore, superintendent of .he
State Reformatory for Women, ad-
mitted yesterday that 80 or 40 per cent
of the girls at Bedford were mentally
deficient and therefore probably unre-
deemable.
This means that these girls could be
cared for in custodial institutions at
much less than the cost at Bedford.
Miss Moore holds the judges response
Bile for the kind of girls that are sent
to Bedford.
To Robert ". Hebberd, secretary Of
the Board of Charities. who was acting
as examiner for the special committee
investigating Bedford, incident 10 the
charges made by DR.. Rudolf Diedling,
state examiner for the Prisons Depart
ment. Miss Moore blamed the courts.
Later in the day Mr.. Hebberd asked
DR.. Margaret Hallock, for thirteen
years physician at Bedford, If she mad
ever recommended 20 the superintend-
ent that certain girls should be placed
in other institutions.
eyes; / told her Of FIVE that we're in
capable of being benefited at Bedford,
said DR.. Hallock, who also held 1t was
the province Of the judges to look
after the kind Of girls sent to the re-
formatory.
"But surely you are familiar with the
law that makes the board of managers
responsible for the kind Of girls that
shall remain in the institution IN
sisted Mr.. Hebberd. DR.. Hallock said
she did not know of such provision:
Mr.. Hebberd, taking up volume, read
the law to her.
DR.. Diedling was present, as usual.
yesterday, and after James Wood, mead
of the board of managers of Bedford,
had been permitted to ask DR.. Hallock
several questions, DR. Diedling wished
TO examine her. After little discus.
sion. during which DR.. Diedling said II
he could not take part in the hearing
he would conduct one of his own, ne
began with considerable acerbity 70
question DR.. Hallock. He wanted the
Bedford physician to answer yes or
mo"
"Have you stopped beating your
wife? Yes or no." sarcastlcally com
mented DR.. Hallock. Don't you see
you can't answer every question with
yes or MOI"
AFTER htlle "hlle III D'eu''"e
asked:
"You are familiar with the Golden
Rule, DR.. Hallock, no doubt. How
would Your. Diedling bore down
hard on the personal pronoun-"like TO
be shut up in cell with only hard
mattress, poor ventilation, bad light
DR.. Diedling was going right along
with his description when DR.. j. Rich
ard Kelvin, the chairman, mildly inter
rupted him.
but just wanted to show that the
Golden Rule does not make any distinc-
TONS" said Dr. Diedling.
well, this is a reformatory we're
talking about" said DR.. Kelvin.
During her testimony Miss Moore
explained that what the girls called be
inc choked was when disciplinary Off
Ger put a band on the mouth TO sup
press their screams or yells. She also
said she thought handouts superior 70
straitjackets for restraint. Mr. Heb
berd asked her:
"What do you do to make these girls
happy and contented?" and Miss Moore
began her reply with recital Of the
religious services at the institution