Evening star., 1939-06-07
Smith Hearing
Text 10 Be Sent
ToHouseUnit
Commissioners Get
Requests From Keller
And Thomson

AHU HOmOSOn
An official copy of the transcript
Of the protracted public hearings
on the dismissal of DR.. Carrie
Weaver Smith as superintendent
of the National Training School
for Girls-wheneve the hearing
finally is concluded-will be sent
to the House District Committee for
its information, Commissioners
Hazen and McCoach announced
today.
The decision was reached after
Representatives Keller of Illinois
and Thomason of Texas took an
interest in the case, requesting
that they be furnished with copies
OF the transcript. Only three copies
OF the transcript are being pre-
pared.
DR.. Smith was dismissed a year
and a half ago. The House District
Committee formally requested the
Commissioners to hold the belated
hearing after they had received a
communication from Mrs. Roosevelt
DR.. Smith has several more de-
tense witnesses and after they have
been heard, she has requested an
adjournment of a week or more
before she takes the stand to tell
her side of the case.
Interrupted because of RESPONSE
bllltleS the Commissioners have in
connection with the arrival of the
British rulers, and, incidentally, a
meeting today of the Zoning Com
mission, hearings on dismissal of DR..
Smith have been adjourned until
Friday at 1:3O pm.
Six witnesses were heard at the
session yesterday afternoon. One
OF these was Mrs. Ruth Lester Bu-
chanan. clubwoman, who said she
had been participating in the Capt.
tol Hill milk investigation.
Mrs. Buchanan told the commits
sioners she had been active in the
work of the Health and Child We'll
1are committees of the League of
Women Voters and the Council of
Social Agencies. She said she went
to the Budget Bureau to seek ap-
proval of the cottage type of new
buildings for the Training School as
against the larger dormitory plan
The league and the council. she
said, supported DR.. Smiths plan for
the smaller cottages. She said John
keddy, a Budget Bureau official
told her the cottage plan was ap-
proved due to the efforts of these
groups.
Another witness for DR.. Smith was
Mrs. Mildred Davis, formerly a nurse
at the school, who criticized one Of
flcial OF the institution for not Co
operating" with DR.. Smith. When
Commissioner David McCoach asked
what was done about her lack of CO.
operation DR.. Smith interjected: ::
commissioner, you have no idea
how difficult it is to get rid of anv
one in the service"
We haven't had any such diff
fculty," retorted Col. McCoach, with
LiplldSlS Oll t0e we.
Mrs. Loualda Latta, a teacher and
matron at the school. said she had
favored more freedom for the in
mates than had been permitted un-
der regimes preceding that of DR..
Smith, and said she treated the girls
like mother with a spirit of love
and understanding and had had
very little trouble, and got very little
"lmpudence" from them. She had a
small class Of white girls and for a
time was in charge of one group of
colored girls, she said.
DR.. Smith got a real surprise from
one OF her defense" witnesses, N. A.
Astashkin. heating plant engineer
and handy-man at the school. who
said that at first he was very "en-
thusiastic' about DR.. Smiths new
methods, but found that evidently
they didn't work out correctly" He
spoke OF lessening discipline and
described how one inmate had struck
at him with a broomstick and how
another had hit him with a milk
bottle. Another, he said, threatened
to "cut me down" with razor blade.
WAS this girl reported?" asked
Col. McCoach, referring to the razor
blade case. "Yes." he replied, adding
that the girl was not punished"
Mrs. Gertrude Woodard, teacher
at the Miner Teacher College, testi-
fled she held high opinion of DR..
Smiths plan for rehabilitation of
the inmates of the school and that
she had written a letter voicing re-
gret at the loss of DR.. Smith as one
who sponsored "code of humani-
tartan treatment" for the inmates
She said she did not have enough
personal knowledge of the institu-
ton to pass judgment on how the
Smith plan was administered.