The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-02-02
REFORMATORY FOR COLORED
BOYS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Legislature Asked to Place Lexington
ReformatOry Under Management of
Florence RefOrmatOry Board.


On the 18th day of last February
DR.. j. H. Goodwin of Columbia went
with me to DR.. G. w. Dick, who was
then chairman of the ways and means
committee and got a note to Col. Crit
nth, superintendent of the 'penitentiary
and the boys refOrmatory in Lexing-
ton county. Col. Griffith gave short
history of the institution and gave us
note to the man in charge He said
the institution was not as he would
like to have it. but it was the best he
could do under the circumstances. Af-
ter getting to the institution we were
shown through all the buildings and
was told in detail how the institution
was run. had never seen a. re-
formatory before, but 1 thought they
ought to be taught trades, farming.
common school curriculum and the
Bible. As a rule child needs re-
forming because he has not been
taught the Bible.
To ascertain just how a reformatory
should be managed, I sent for DR.. j.
X. Levy Of Florence to meet me at the
railway station. We talked over the
matter and he told me how the insti-
tuition was run there. He spoke of it
at the Medical Association in Green
vile and spoke of it in Darlington,
at the Women's State Federation. of
which am an honorary member. DR..
j. r. Levy and w. r. Andrews were
also present and spoke. Previous to
our meeting in Darlington DR.. Levy
asked me through letter to appoint
committee to meet the federation
l appointed w. T. Andrews, DR.. c. w.
Birniei and DR.. G. w. Maxwell. Mrs.
Birnie Wilkerson, president of the
Federation called upon me to make
a statement regarding the reformatory
for colored boys in Lexington county
On Tuesday evening, January 25th.
1915, at s o'clock DR.. j. R. Levy Of
Florence. chairman; w. T. Andrews,
r. w. Westberry and DIR. c. w. Birnie
of Sumter, Rev. Richard Carroll, of
Columbia and T A. Williams of New
berry appeared before the ways and
means committee of the house of rep
resentatives and asked that the State
reformatory at Lexington be placed
under the management of the same
board as the reformatory for white
boys at Florence.
The committee asked for an appro-
priation OF $4,000. At present the insti-
tuition is cperated exactly like the PEN
dtentiary. The committee represented
the colcred State Medical Association
and the aelored Federation of .Wo-
mems ., a-s
Hon. A h. Sanders, who has a bet
ter knos edge Of the management of
the institution than any of the CON-
mittee,s made very clear statement
to the ways and means committee in
favor Of improving conditions. Rev.
Richard Carroll made an earnest plea
for good Christian teachers. All the
representatives from Sumter county
favored q reformatory in fact. We
were verya afavorably received by the
committee. thank all of my friends,
white and colored, for assisting mo
in bring this matter before the I..w
makers.
An intelligent and well trained per-
son is worth far more to the State
than the ignorant and shiftless One.
We hope hereafter when a boy leaves
the reformatory he will be reformed
and q useful citizen and will earn an
honest living for himself.
,~ r. w. Westberry.
Sumter, s. G.