Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-24
IEGAL Fight FOR
STOLEN MINE BOYS
ex Owners Claim Some Of
"Rsscusd" Were Not In.
stitution inmates
CONDITIONS DECLARED BAD
gv Associated Press

co,umbus, o., Nov. 24.--Possitil.
~, ,hot n legal battle in Ohio courts
ny My,ht % %nroyide a sequel to the spec.
n"isr "rescue" Of fourteen former
inr,atcs OF the Ohio institution for
i,h III fcchle minded from the bunkh0usc
w ". strin mine near Turtle Creek, Pa.
" "..rIv Yesterday, was being considered
neIe eITe,ccInrny that the fourteen 'boys"
Al been inycigled away from the In.
s.;tution and nut to work nt the mine
a. little nay and under unsatisfactory
condifions, representatives OF the Ohio
Welfare Department with Pennsylvania
atste police swooped down on the WORK.
tnss. mrs bundled the boys into automobiles
and whisked them over the state line
Into Ohio before court action to detatn
them might be- started.
While no active resistance to the coup
vas offered at the. mine, the return OF
;Ss "boys" was followed by a state.
msnt at Pittsburgh from Frmk ].
psmtz. snt manager Of Bents Bros, the
colnmbus firm which operates the work.
jncs, to the effect that he would seek
r.course in Ohio courts: Bentz an.
,,onnced TINT the boys "had been ad.
i,,dred mentally al physically compe.
tsnt by reputable rAysicians.
One Of tie - taken away from
tho mine, nj. DenA declared, had been
employed the8 for teeven years. sew.
crai others tor foue \r FIVE years and
The remainder for seven or eight months.
They all came voluntarily, he assert.
ed, and were paid regular wages for the
work they Did: -.
He denied that living conditions 1T
the operations were, bad. A., ,
proposed action was available here to-.
aay. Director, Niacayeal, iof the Stnte
Dcpartment Of Welfare. in an ali.
nonncement last night, declared that in.
cdcnt closed 80 far as he was con.
cerned.
lie would not prosecute the Bentz
Company, Macayeal said. because II
was probable that it could not be proved
that force was used to take the "bOys'
from Columbus.
Statements Of the "boys," whit, ac.
cording to Welfare Department officials
range in age from eighteen to forty,
were to the effect that they had been
induced to go to Turtle Creek by prom:
ises of high wages "and good time. y
The return Of the fourteen State wards
to Columbus marks the conclusion OF
months Of effort, It was said ut the
Welfare Department. The situation first
was brought to light here last August
various branches of the Pennsylvania
State government have been carried on.
After conferences with various agen.
cies. corporation Of the Pennsylvania
State police was assured, it was said,
and the raid planned in order that long
delays through court action might be
avoided.
To-day the "boys" were back at the
Institutions here and working on the
Jobs they had before they departed.
The Ohio agents said last night that
the raid was a consequence of official
declarations that the young miners were
wards Of Ohio and were working for
low wages under terrible conditions
Sergeant Crcps. one of the agents, saio
be- made a personal inspection two days
before the raid and confirmed the
charges.
Several days ago." said Sergeant
Creps. II went to the camp to ascer.
Donovan and II. Fl. Hauk. Of the Ohio
Welfare Department. gave me full de.
scriptions of the missing boys.
when ! arrived there l found ths
fourteen jammed into a small chr. use,l
as a bunkhO,ise. They were 20 dirty
could not identify one from the other
! returned to the barracks and reported
Donovan and Hauk showed me thei1
warrants and we decided to raid thu
camp early yesterday.
1--WE found the fourteen BOYS. alI
dirty, some dressed and some undrcsscd,
lying two abreast In double hunks. SAM
tary condi itiOns were terrible. The
B'ntz brothers came out Of a houce