Evening star., 1951-12-12
,,enate Probers
study Charges
Against Beck
Documents Scanned on
Trumon's Choice for
D. c. Recorders Post
By Don S. Worren
Sfur Sfoff Corraspondent


KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Dec. 12.-
Agents of the Senate District
Committee today were studying an
official transcript of the original
charges brought against Earl
Wayne Beck in 1889. accusing him
Of beating and starving inmates Of
an orphan home here.
Mr.. Beck, President Truman's
choice as the new District of CO.
lumbia Recorder of Deeds. was
head of the Jackson County Home
for Negro Boys and Girls for is
years.
The committee agents have be-
gun unearthing old official docu-
ments in their investigation of Mr..
Beck's career here. They have
some in hand-as yet not evalu-
ated-and are going after some
more.
The transcript Of the original
charges was received by the in
vestigators last night. The charges
were made against Mr.. Beck by a
citizens reform organization
which activated the move for his
custer.
Accused Of Beatings.
This document was the roughest
thing vet placed in the District
Committee files. It accused Mr..
Beck of having beaten and mis-
treated his inmates at the Jack
son County home and of failing to
give them proper food.
One of the signers of this accu-
sation, officials said, was Mrs.
William E. Kemp. wife of the pres
ent Mayor Of Kansas City's re-
form government. An immediate
effort was made to get her to tes-
tify but she was out of town.
These charges led to hearings by
the Kansas City School Board in
1899.
Senate Committee agents Ger
hard P. Van Arkel and Robert AL
brook said they also had Obtained
evidence that a bipartisan Board
of Education here in the begin
ming of 1910 had voted unanl-
mously to cut off Mr.. Beck's SAL
airy as head of that Jackson
County correctional institution.
Decision Unanimous.
It previously had been rumored
that that 1910 school board &C
ton was somewhat divided. But
Mr.. Van Arkel and Mr.. Albrook
say the records show the decision
to cut off Mr.. Beck was .unani-
nous.
The citizens group charges
against Mr.. Beck, made in those
upheaval days of 1939-1940-now
in the files of the Senate investi-
gators-include complaints such
as the following:
"The present superintendent
(Mr. Beck has violent temper.
Up to the time of the recent grand
Jury investigation the boys we're
often struck with his fist.
"For punishment boys were
beaten with barrel slaves, sea-
soned in vinegar. The superin-
tendent has beaten boys until they
were violently sick, sent them to
clean up and then beat them
again.
For minor infractions boys
have been made to go without
food, some boys missing as many
as three meals in one day."
Commend Candidate.
Against this sort Of indictment
the Senate agents yesterday
heard thousands of words of testi-
mony commencing Mr.. Beck, who
has been trying to get the $9,360
recorders job for about seven
years.
The verbal testimony. they say.
has been enlightening, but hardly
conclusive. After hearing from
another parade of witnesses yes
terday, their comments indicated
that Mr.. Beck'S friends here made
a much better case for him than
he had done for himself in his
October examination by the Sen
ate District Committee.
One witness after another said
Mr.. Beck was good Christian
family man, was well educated
and would not have beaten his
inmates.
An opposite view, however, was
registered by Butler Disman, a
Republican and former member
of the Board of Education, who
declared Mr.. Beck had been guilty
of both brutality and mismange-
ment."