Bisbee daily review., 1922-08-29
AN OPEN LETTER
Bisbee Review,
 Bisbee, Arizona.

Bisbee Review,
 Bisbee, Arizona.
 Many of my friends have come to certain persons and political enemies fare circulating grossly perverted ac- count of a hearing of the juvenile court held in the Whitewater District in 1919, and that it is intended to send out letters throughout the. county at the last moment, when it will be too late for me to reply.
 I have been well aware that more or less distorted accounts and crit cisms regarding this affair have been circulated during the past two years, but since my endeavOr in juvenile work has always been to protect the young people against the possible con- sequences of their own indiscretions, I have refrained heretofore from any statements, but my friends tell me that in justice to myself and them, should make public the real facts in the case, and I have therefore most reluctantly determined to do so. In December, 1919, M. G. H. Kelly, the deputy sheriff in the Whitewater | District, and one of the school trus- tees there, telephoned to me that two of the boys attending school there were infected with veneral disease, presumably contracted from two of the girls in the school, and asking that l make an investigation to see if any | more of the children were similarly infected. 1 told him that would send Mrs. G. H. Hirst, the Probation Of ficer for the Douglas District out i'm mediately, and that if she thought the situation serious enough I would come down and investigate further. Mrs. Hirst immediately went out, talked with MT. Kelly, got the two girls of whom complaint had been made and brought them to Douglas, and after questioning them, telephoned to me that l should come down and investi- gate further. 1 went to Douglas the next morning, and questioned the two girls in the presence of Mrs. Hirst and Doctor Causey, after which I ordered that physical examination be made of these two girls under the provisions of Chapter 105 of the Session Laws of 1919. This examination was made by Doctor Csusey in the presence of Mrs. Hirst, I of course being absent during the time. These two girls made charges against four other girls and eight boys of the Whitewater Dis trict which if even partially true, showed that most terrible moral and possibly physical condition existed in the District I therefore had the pro- per papers prepared and placed in the hands of Deputy Sheriff A. E. Farmer for service, returnable in the White water Schoolhouse instead of in Doug las or Tombstone, to avoid all pub licity to the children as far as possi- bleS The next morning I drove out with Mrs. Lockwood and my two daughters and found awaiting me Mrs. Hirst, Doctor Causey, the representa- tive of the State Board of Health for Venereal diseases, and two of the trus- tees, MT. Kelly, the third trustee, com ing up few moments later. The two girls who had made the charges were also there. School was dismissed, the children accused by these girls being asked to remain. The three trustees, Doctor CauSey, Mrs. Hirst and myself went in the school house. These two girls were asked to repeat their char ges before the trustees, which they did and then each pupil accused was brought in separately, the charges again repeated by the girls in their presence, and their statements re- quested. After this I told them that for their own protection against di- sease, in view of these charges, and the certainty that some veneral di- sease at least existed in the school. that 1 would have to order a physical examination to determine , whether they also were infected. This was done by Doctor Causey under the pro- visions of the law above mentioned. Each child was examined separately. Mrs Hirst and Doctor Causey being present with each one of the girls and Doctor Causey alone with the boys, no | other person present at any of the PAJS OAdHilHdIiOu, the trustees and myself retiring from the school house while they were conducted. After the | examination, the children were again questioned and sufficient was then com municated so that it was unquestion- able that very serious condition did indeed exist in the district to such an extent indeed, that the County Super lntendent at one time contemplated closing the school, and in fact would have done so had I not requested that no such action be taken. ,iI '" have always endeavored to pro- tect the young people, and this action was taken solely for the purpose of as- certaining whether or not the disease which existed had spread. Even with all the criticism directed against me, I would have refrained from any state ment for their sake were it not for the fact that others have already done more harm by the publicity they have given to the children that could by II