Evening star., 1923-02-12
CHARGES HER.!G|RL
TAUGHT TO DRINK
Mother Tells House Commit
tee Daughter, Ward of Juve-
nile Court, Was Given Liquor.
BOARDING HOMES FLAYED
Says She Was Forced to Pay Before
Being Allowed to Visit
Children.

That young girls committed to the
board of children's guardians by the
Juvenile Court were put into board
ing homes where they were taught
to drink and became intoxicated was
one of many charges against the
board of children's guardians made
at a hearing today before the House
District committee on the Free bill
to establish a parental court In the
District.
Judge Kathryn Sellers and Mrs
Ella West. director of the board or
chldren's guardians. were present at
the hearing. accompanied by room
full of witnesses. and are ready 10
present their side of the case as soon
as the opportunity is offered.
Mai Walter w. Burns. an attorney,
appeared representing those opposed
to the way in which children are
taken by the Juvenile Court ana put
under the care Of the board OF chill
dren's guardians.
Walter Presides.
Representative Walter OF Pennsyl-
vania was acting chairman OF the
committee conducting the hearing IN
The absence of Representative Ben
X. Focht. chairman of the House DIS
trtct committee. The other members
of tie special subcommittee in charge
OF this investigation are Represehta-
tives Sproul of Illinois. Lamperl OF
Wisconsin and Blanton OF Texas.
Mrs. Augustus I. Cole' iuSa is
street, testified that her huspana Is
paralyzed; that she has nve chlioren.
three girls and two boys. and works as
a charwoman at $2s a month. Ss
complained particularly that atter tIie
Board of Chi'drens Guaralans ,a ,hau hau
wouldn't allow her to see them. until
she alleged, she had paid them consiu-
erable sums of money. These chiloreI
were "farmed out" and she understood
that the Board of Children's Guardians
was paving SEQ a month each TO the
families taking care of them. MRS.
Cole said that if this $40 month each
for her children had been given 70 her
instead of farming them out. sne
could have taken care or them nicely
and brought them UP as a FAMILY.
Girl Taught to Drink.
Mrs. Cole complained bitterly that
her daughter Dorothy. now fifteen,
had been taught to drink in the fam
lily where she had been placed 10
board; she said that on New year
night Dorothy had come home accom-
panied by another girl of about the
same age living with the same fam
ily and that both were under the
influence Of liquor, and said they had
been given liquor every night by the
people with whom they boarded
Mrs Cole said that she finflly paid
the board of children's guardians sIS
before being permitted to see any or
her children and then she was allowed
to see two of them. Subsequently she
paid as high as $40 at different times
to see her children.
Mai. Burns brought out that the
board of childrens guardians mad
ro authority to collect this money
from mothers from whom their chill
dren had been taken. He also
brought out through questioning
Judge. Sellers that there is no pro
vision in the law for trial by jury in
these family cases.
Adopted Daughter Taken.
Mrs. c. A. Rudd, 434 6th street
northeast. testified that she and her
husband had adopted a child by law,
Mildred. thirteen years old. MRS.
Rudd said she owned her home and
considerable other property in wash
ington. Against her will. she said,
and by what she called "a frame-up,"
this child has been taken from her
and put into the home of a woman
in Silver Spring. She charged that
this girl had been badly treated and
whom this child was put to board
had six other children.
Mrs. Rudd said that Mildred had
been taken from her on the charge
that her character was not good. She
claimed to have had thirty-fiv wit
nesses in Juvenile Court to testify as
to her character. but neither she nor
any Of these witnesses were heard
She said she had never been able to
see the child since.
Harry c. Brook. former caretaker
for the board of children's guardians
for fourteen years. testified that con-
ditions at that institution were de-
plorable and that he frequently took
money from his own pocket to pay
doctors for medical aid to the chill
dren.
Mrs. J. G. Bauck testified that she
had four children taken from her.