Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-06-09
EMPLOY WATCHMAN
TO CURB PR0WLERS
THE STATE BOARD OF CONTROL,
TELLS SITUATION AT GRAND
MOUND SCHOOL

AHAAxo SAAOA11ON Al GRAND
MOUND SCHOOL.
Declaring emphatically that mo gir]
has ever been struck or received cor.
poral punishment in any form since
the opening Of this school," the state
board OF control gate out statement
this week concerning the manage
ment Of the state school for girls at
Grand Mound. refuting the charge
that a petition signed by so Grand
Mound residents had recently been
presented and ignored, and announc.
ing that 1t had been compelled to en-
ploy a night watchman and had
given orders to shoot, II necessary.
any night providers about the school. /"
The statement follows the recent
trial OF H. H. Balch on a charge of
having aided girl to escape from
the institution and of Offering to as
sist others to escape, to which he
proved an alibi and was acquitted.
and the publication of a story in the
Seattle and Tacoma papers Sunday,
sent out Of Centralia to the effect that
30 residents of Grand Mound had re-
Gently forwarded a petition to the
state board of control asking that
charges Of cruelty to the inmates of
the training school be investigated,
and that, according to e. c. Demo,
resident Of the community. the petit
ton had been ignored by the board.
The statement issued by the board
says:
Presented Months Ago.
1T is true that such petition was
presented to the board. but It was a
year and half ago. or one month
after the school had opened and not
recently. ~ stated in the article. III
u charged that an employe at the
school had made . statement that
three girls had been whipped for hav-
ing run away. and Mr.. Demo imme-
diately circulated . petition asking
for an investigation. At the time Mr..
Demo also visited the school and was
told by one Of the girls that the state
ment was not true and that NO girl
had ever been whipped at the school.
He did not see the other two girls for
the reason that they were confined to
their rooms, but he was told that any
Of the ladies who signed the petition
could come and examine them.
mo girl has ever been struck or
received corporal punishment in any
form since the opening of this school.
and there 10 not anyone who has any
knowledge At all of the school but
who knows this to be . fact. Corpo-
raj punishment is prohibited at this
institution and 1t 10 . libel upon the
superintendent and the lady employees
for anyone to make such . statement.
Employ Night watchman.
"The board Of control has never
claimed that the citisens of Grand
Mound are antagonistic towards the
school. and We do not believe that
they are. but there are certain men
IN the neighborhood who have been
bothering the school after nightfall
BY peeping in the windows. and In J,
the day time by lettering near the
school and endeavoring to entice the |
girls, knowing that NO man was en-
ployed at tho institution. and we have
been compelled recently to employ = !
nan nightwatchman and have given |
orders to shoot, II necessary, any
night providers about the school. and |
the board will prosecute to the fullest
extent Of the law these men who hang |
about the institution for purposes that
can easily be imagined"