Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1915-10-21
Washington, d. c.
Trace 261 Degenerates and Criminals
in One Family.

Trace 261 Degenerates and Criminals
in One Family.
Fifty eight blood relatives confined in
penitentiaries, Jail, infirmafies, institutions
for feeble-minded or industrial schools.
This is the record of an extensive
family of degenerates, traced out last year
by the Ohio juvenile research bureau. In
announcing the results, DR.. Thomas II.
Haines, director of the bureau, declared
the family history already discovered was
the basis for a record comparable to that
OF the notorious Jukes family, which has
been familiar 10 socioIogists for the last
forty years.
The "Mengold" family-this is the ticti-
tious name which has been chosen for the
newly traced clan-lives mainly in SOUTH
eastern Ohio and lower Ohio river coun-
ties OF West Virginia.
Five generations of the family have
been charted, including 474 individuals.
Data on 26l of these show:
Sixty members OF the family have court
records. Fifteen have been in jail, IA IN
the penitentiary, 9 in the infirmary, 9 in
children'S homes, E in tile workhouse,
in the girls industrial home, in the in
stitution for feeble minded and in the
boys industrial home.
Seventy-seven are immoral, "a criminal
in varying degrees, 55 feeble-minded, =
alcoholic, II public women, 7 tubercular,
6 children adopted into other homes,
subject TO epileptic fits, 3 insane and 3
trampS.
Crimes of which they have been con-
victed include burglary, larceny, forgery,
destruction OF property, bootlegglng,
operating or being inmates OF immoral
houses, intoxication, riot, perjury, various
degenerate forms of assault, homicide,
shooting % kill and attempting TO poison
husband.
The mentality ofmost degenerate mem-
bers OF the family as determined by the
Binet test is that OF children between 8
and II years.
Most members are living at large and
producing large families. One man,
whom the juvenile research investigators
call Jasper, is in the Ohio penitentiary for
a crime against his daughters, one OF
whom is in the girls industrial school at
Delaware.
II was an accidental noting OF the fact
that several persons bearing the same
name and later found TO be relatives were
charges of the State that led TO the inves-
tigation.
Mrs. Mary Storer Kostir, OF Columbus,
a young psychological investigator, was
assigned TO the task, and she has spent
most of her time for the last year on it.
Her individual record OF each member
of the so-called MengoId family recounts
bestial crimes and vices undreamed ot by
most normal citizens. The survey will
be continued until traits OF additional
Mengolds are accurately recorded, and an
estimate can be made OF the cost 10 the
States OF maintaining such an abnormal
family.
John and Polly Mengold, progenitors
of one OF the worst lines of the family,
came originally from western Pennsyl-
vania. The Others were ignorant noun
taineers.
The notorious Jukes family, TO which
Doctor Haines compares his newly map
ped family, contains a total OF 1900 mem-
bers, OF whom $40 are related by blood.
Since 1874, when ifs tracing was started,
record has been made OF 2S0 paupers,
140 criminals. with nearly all OF both
classes feeble minded or insane. The
cost OF prosecuting or caring FOR them IS
declared to amount TO. maay millions OF
dollars m.irl, O. New York State where
rr- ..t mated