Evening star., 1939-05-26
DR.. Smith Accused
0fLeaving School
After Riot Started
Form Overseer Tells
Of Trip to Attend
Routine Meeting

A charge that DR.. Carrie Weaver
Smith, deposed head of the National
Training School for Girls. left the
institution on one occasion after a
riot had started, to go to routine"
meeting at the District Building, has
been placed before the District Com
missioners in their hearings on
reasons for her dismissal
DR.. Smith, cross examining the
witness, Lawrence H. Burling, an
overseer of the schools farm, at
tempted to show the riot had not
really started until an hour after
she left the place, but finally ceased
her questioning with the declara-
ton: I'm through; there's no use
cross examining that witness"
This was one of the highlights of
the session before the Commits
sioners yesterday afternoon, during
which Oliver Gasch, an assistant
corporation counsel, brought addi-
tfonal testimony from several wit
nesses as to the alleged lack of dis
ciplne or effective control of i'm
moral practices among inmates of
the school during Dr. Smiths regime
Hearings Resume Today.
Hearings were to be resumed at
1:30 pm. today, with a continual
ton of the parade of prosecution
witnesses. DR.. Smiths side of the
case is to be given later.
Mr.. Burling testified yesterday
that DR.. Smith had him drive her
to the District Building on Septem-
Der %, 1897 to attend a meeting of
the superintendents of various Dis
trict welfare institutions, after she
had been told that the girls were
getting out of hand"
DR.. Smith, who denied the riot
had started at the time she left. de-
manded that Mr.. Burling say
whether this is a lie" as she read
from her personal diary of that
date; and she read the following:
Before I left, Mr.. Burling re-
ported that somebody had kicked
out a panel of the WASHINGTON
(Building) door but that everything
was quiet. I asked Mrs. (Jean)
Bromley-whom had left in charge
OF the situation many times, and
who was very good-to see what was
the trouble, but I went away feel
ing very uneasy. At IL O'clock I
was impelled land the alter ex-
planned she was not called to 60 to
the telephone, and the school was
on the line. Mrs. Bromley reported
girls were on a rampage and were
smashing things and asked if she
should call the police. I authorized
her to call No. 7 and rushed out in a
taxi"
Mr.. Burling denied fatty he had
said that things were quiet" En-
gineer Commissioner David Nc
Coach asked him if the meeting at
the District Building to which DR..
Smith was going was a routine
meeting, and the witness said it
was. 1t was then that DR.. Smith
refused to question him further.
Reports Other Disturbances.
Earlier Mr.. Gasch had brought
from the witness a declaration that
since DR.. Smith was discharged gen.:
eral conditions were better, al
though he agreed there had been
some disturbances among the girls.
Mrs. Binette Washington, a ma
tron, tested that the department
of the inmates became worse after
DR.. Smith had ordered that the
girls rooms be left unlocked at
night. She declared the inmates
had no respect for the teachers and
used vulgar language but that the
situation has since improved.
On cross-eXamination, Mrs. Wash
ington agreed that the record COM
piled by the matrons had something
to do with disciplinary measures,
but that sometimes DR.. Smith asked
that the "red" marks be disre-
garded. Describing one case of
punishment, she said DR.. Smith
had required one of the girls to
cut holes in a pasteboard box, to
put seashells in the box, and to
cover the open spaces with cello
phane. She added that DR.. Smith
said There's no. use saying any
thing about the disciplinary system,
for I know it will work"
DR.. Smith declared she had con-
Quoted a series of sex hygiene lee
lures as part of her disciplinary
system.
Conditions Now Better"
Another witness, Mrs. Mary Lewis,
a matron, said she through DR..
Smith was "A little too lenient"
but that she had tried to cooperate
with the superintendent's policies.
She said conditions now were very
much better"
Nowadays, he said, the ice boxes
are kept locked and that Il the