The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-10-15
ONE FAMILY RECORD.

Fifty eight blood relatives confined
in penitentiaries, jails. infirmaries. in
stitutions for feeble minded or indus
trial schools This is the record oil
an extensive family OF degenerates
traced out during the past year By the
Ohio juvenile research bureau. In an
nouncing the results. DIR. Thomas III.
Haines. director of the bureau. de-
clared the family history already dis
covered was the basis for a record
comparable 10 that of the notorious
Jukes family which has been familiar
10 scciologists for the last forty
wears. The "Mengold" family-this
Is the fictitious name which has been
chosen for the newly traced clan OF
degenerate men. women and children
lives mainly in Southeastern Ohio
and lower Ohio river counties Of West
Virginia.
Five generations OF the family
been charted. including 474 individu-
ais Definite data which has bcen
secured on POI OF these shows the fol-
lowing condition Of degeneracy: sixN
Is members OF the family have court
records. Fifteen have been in jail.
fourteen I'm the penitentiary, nine n
the mfrmary. nine in Children's
lcmrs. six in tho wOrkhousc. two i'm
the sirls' industrial home. two IN the
institution for feeble minded. and one
IN the boys industrial home. Seventy
seven are immoral. seyenty-four
criminal Ia varying degrees, iifty-nye
feeble minded. twenty three alcohol
ic. twelve public women. seven tu-
bercular six children adopted into
other homes, four subject to cpilep-
tic fts. three insane and three tramps.
Crimes OF which they have been
convicted include burglary. larceny.
forgery. destruction of property. boot
lcggiug. operating or being inmates
of immoral houses. intoxication. riot
perjury. various degenerate forms of
assault. homicide. shooting TO kill ard
attempting TO poison husband. The
mentality of most degenerate mem
bers OF the family "a determined by
the Binet test is that of children be-
tween eight and eleven years. Most
members are living at large, marry
ing and producing large families. One
man. whom the juvenile research in
vestigators call Jasper. is in the Ohio
penitentiary for crime against his
daughters. one of whom is in the Cir'.
industrial school nj Delaware.
Il was an accidental noting of the
fact that several persons bearing the
same name and later found to be rel
atives. were charges of the state that
led TO the investigation which start
ed less than a Gear ago. Starr Cad
recently resigned as g mem
Der of the board OF administration
which has charge OF all state penal
and corrective institutions. made the
discovery and urged the family sur
vey. Mrs. Mary Storer Kostir OF
Columbus, n young psychological in
vestigator. was, assigned 10 the task
and she mas spent most of her time
for the past year on II. Her indi
vidral record for each member of the
So called Mengold family recounts
bestial crimes and vices undreamed
of by most normal citizens. The sur
vey will be continued until traits of
additional Mengolds are accurately
recorded. and an estimate can be
made of the cost TO the states of
maintaining such an abnormal fam
lily.
John and Polly Mengold. progenit-
ors of one of the worst lines of the
family. came originally from Western
Pennsylvania. The others were ig-
norant mountaineers. The notorious
Jukes family. TO which DR.. Haines
compares his newly mapped family,
contains a total OF 1900 members. of
whom 540 are selated by blood Since
1874. when its tracing was started
record has been made of $50 paupers.
40 criminals, with nearly all of both
classes feeble minded or insane. The
cost OF prosecuting or caring for them
Is declared to amount to many mil
lions of dollars. mainly chargeable to
New York state where the family or
iginated