New-York tribune., 1922-11-24
Rescue Il BOYS
In Coal Mime as
Feeble-Minded
Pennsylvania Pit IL Raided
by State Troops, Aided by
Ohio Authorities; Fugi-
iives From Asylum Found
Owners Deny All Charges
Operators Say Youths Are
Competent. Long Eln-
ployed and Well Paid

PITTSBURGH, Nov. % (By The AS
sociated Press Fourier young men,
said to rightfully belong on the State
Farm for Feeble Minded at Orient,
Ohio, were removed from the strip
mine Of Bentz Brothers at Turtle
Creek, near here. to-day by pennsyl-
vsnia state policemen and agents Of
the Ohio Welfare Department, hurried
20 Pittsburgh and taken on the first
train to Columbus.
This action was taken over the pro-
Esst Of Frank J. Bentg, general mana
ger of the company. and without the
gheny County. Bentz. in q statement
tonight, declared that the "boys," as
thsy were termed, had been adjudged
mentally and physically competent by
physicians, and that the company had
employed counsel TO fight the case in
the Ohio courts.
Sergeant Crops, who commanded the
detail of police sent from the Green's
burg barracks. with H. H. Hauk and
J. Donovan, the Ohio agents, said, in d
statement to The Associated Press to-
hight, that the raid was conse quence
Of official declarations of the Ohio
wards Of Ohio and were working fer
low wages under terrible conditions"
Sergeant Crops said he made per-
aoDal inspection two days before the
raid, and confirmed the charges.
Several days ago said Sergeant
Crops, Il went TO the camp to ascertain
just what the conditions were. Donovan
and Hauk, of the Ohio Welfare De-
partment. gave me full descriptions Of
the missing boys When / arrived
there, | found the fourteen jammed
into small car used as bunkhouse
they were so dirt. l could not identify
ene from the other. l returned to the
barracks and reported Donovan ana
Hauk showed me their warrants and
we decided to raid the camp early this
morning.
Travelling by automobile. we reached
the camp at two o'clock We found the
fourteen boys, all dirty, some dressed
and one undressed, lying two abreast
IN double bunks. Sanitary conditions
we're terrible. The Bentz brothers
came out Of 3 house near by and vigor-
ously protested.
"The boys seemed glad to get away
Some said they were paid SO week
Others declared they received So. A
few told US that on Saturday nights
Turtle Creek, the neighboring village,
FOR big time
"We drove from the camp to Pitts
burgh whore we put the boys on the
a:45 a. m. train for Columbus
Frank j. Bentz, general manager of
bentz Brothers, contracting firm of
Columbus, vigorously denied the
charges. He author zed statement
which said, in part:
'The men who were taken away by
the state police this morning have been
IN our employ for various periods.
They have come to US from time to
time. voluntarily. One of them, Ray
mond baltimore, Of Dayton, Ohio, has
worked for us for about seven years
and most of the others worked for US
for four or five years. None has been
months. They range in age from
twenty to tn rty-five years.
"A month or so ago, a Mr.. Donovan
and Mr.. Hauk, who said they were
from Ohio, came here with a constable
from Turtle Creek and told me we had
six men here who were inmates of the
Institution for the Feeble Minded at
Orient and that they wanted them. |
called the men over and they ali denied
il. refused to let them go.'
After describing the coming of the
police to-day, Mr. Bentz said:
"All our men here live in good
quarters. One Of the men who was
taken away was steam shovel enei-
neer to whom we paid $225 a month.
-Four Of the men were steam shoyej
Yiremen getting s144 a month. One
Vas tractor operator at so cents an
hour and two were driving trucks at
!. the same rate. The others were labor.
IA ere at 90 cents an hour"
sd Mr.; Bentz said that his brothers.
y Charles, William and George were as
sociated with him in the mine. The
Iamily home is in Columbus and before
entering the coal business the brothers
were engaged in excavation contracts
IN Cleveland and Akron. Ohio and De-
sroit and Monroe, Mich.