Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, March 2, 1911, Page 1

THE BEMIDJI1 - MINNESOTA HISTORICAL VOLUME 9. NO. 309. BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 2, 1911. RED WING SCHOOL PLAGE OF SWEAR At First Public Hearing as Result of Stephens Charges, It Was Admit- ted Flogging Contrivance Was Used. MANY TELL OF VARIOUS ABUSES ‘Women Instructors, Former Employes Inmates and Member of Board of Control Give Startling Evidence. HUNG BY THUMBS, SAY SOME “I'd Rather Cut My Son's Throat Than to See Him Sent There,” Declares Mrs. Childs—Steph- ens Present. (By F. A. Wilson) Bemidji Pioneer Legislative Burean St. Paul, March 2.—Boys fastened with ropes to a flogging contrivance and beat uetil their flesh became a vivid mass of bruises; poys shackled in chains and hung by thumbs with bread and water for sustainance; boysicompelled to do “military” ex- ercises as punishment until exhaust- ed; boys knocked down by school at- tendants with pieces of timber and whipped with pieces of tug and all this inhumanity and torture under the knowledge of the superintendent were some of the allegations made by a convincing array of witnesses be-| fore the legislative committee Whichi has been instructed to investigate] charges of cruelty made against the | state training school at Red Wing. To Andrew D. Stephens, the Crook- ston banker and former state sena- tor, belongs the credit of having turned the spotlight on the Red Wing institution and a wretched condition of affairs has been illuminated if the startling testimony of young wo- men instructors, former employes, and inmates, and even a former mem- ber of the state board of control, can be given credence. All Witnesses Prove Sensational. Most profound was the impression made by these witnesses produced by | Senator Stephens at the first public hearing of the investigation, held in the senate chamber Tuesday evening and attended by a large number of persons, a majority of whom were women. Witness after witness told harrowing stories, every one border- ing on the sensational and all har- monizing in a dramatic excoriation of Superintendent Whittier, head of the boys’ school at Red Wing. Some of those who testified exhibited in- tense feeling. One woman, former- 1y head tailoress at the school, after astounding assertions of atrocities, capped her climax with: “I am the mother of a boy. er than have him sent to the Red ‘Wing training school I would cut his throat.” Again, a clean cut looking young man, a former inmate of the train- ing school, after reciting in detail his personal experience with the flog- ging machine, the shackles, from a tug and other cruelties, point- ed his finger at Superintendent Whit- tier, who, in self defense, conducted a cross examination of all witnesses, and exclaimed: “Why, Mr. Whittier, if I were the kind of a man you are and had done what you have done, I'd be ashamed to face this audience.” Flogging Contrivance Admitted That corporal punishment is used as 2 means of dicipline at the school blows Rath-r TORTURE WITNESSES {was admitted by the superintendent as was also the assertion that a flog- jging contrivance is or has been em- | ployed, only Superintendent Whittier ‘[preferred to call it a “contrivance.” | It was the assertion of Senator Steph- ens that such an apparatus existed that caused the present investiga- tion. | The effect of the hearing is the| | talk of the capitol and Senator Steph-| | ens is being lauded for his stand. | “I was afraid I might be doing| | wrong,” said Mr. Stephens after the | | hearing, “but that volume of evidence indicates that I should have been’re- mis in my duties as a citizen had I |mot presented the facts as I found { them.” | ! Another meeting of the investiga- }Ling committee is to be held in the ' senate chamber tonight. Yesterday | subpoenas for 100 additional wit- ‘nesses were being served. Upon the suggestion of Mr. Steph- ‘ens the committee will listen to the | testimony of a physician as to what | the effect of 100 or so lashes on the "spine would have to a boy’s nervous | system. 3 Mr. Stephens was present and he presented the committee a list of wit- The committee is composed of Senators A. J. Rockne of Zumbrota, which is in Goohue county where the training school is located; J. D. Sul- livan of St. Cloud; Frank Clague of | Redwood Falls; and Representatives '!). A. Lydiard of Minnei':polis; Geo. H. Voxland of Kenyon. No attorney appeared to assist Mr. Stephens in his charges and Mr. Stephens ad- nesses. dressed the committee but briefly. I saw an attendant strike one of the boys with a whip.” Miss Emily Griswold, wearing a | black picture hat, a diamond engage- ment ring and a determined look, was the next witness. It was she accompanied Miss Longorch | when sounds of beating were heard. Miss Griswold has been an instructor at the school since Sept. 11, 1910. She corroborated Miss Longorch’s as- sertion that the lashings were taking place and sai@ the strokes i “very hard and very regular and the who were screams and moans were horrible but stifled.” She Simply Couldn’t Endure. It. “l simply could not endure' it,” the young woman said, with feeling, and I ran to my room and threw my- self on the bed. You ask me if I re- | ported the incident and I must an- swer that I did not except in this way. Miss Griswold also told of having circle on a run. Mrs. Anderson, the next witness,| a former employe at the school, said that Officer Scott of the school had told her of whipping boys. Mrs. Anderson was a bit hazy as to details and upon being questioned by Super- intendent Whittier, admitted that it is necessary to punish the boys at times but denied that her husband had been discharged for cruelty to the inmates. Seneational statements and des- | eriptions of specific instances of tor- ture came from the next witness, F. E. Childs, a steam fitter of Minne- apolis, who, at one time, was em- ployed at the -training school. He told of having seen the “spamking machine” and described it as a sort of a box with one end two or three feet from the floor, two feet wide and four fget long sloping down to the floor with the end high enough so that the boys’ toes could be pinioned unde} it to the floor, and that there was a ring in front so Stephens' Suggestion Ignored. “I merely want to sugest,” he said, ! “that Superintendent Whittier go on | the stand for what we are after is | merely the actual conditions existing at the school and I know of no one more competent to give such infor- mation than the superintendent. He | | useless the calling of other wit- nesses.” | The committee ignored this sug- | gestion and Chairman Rockne, who dosen’t impress one as being enthus- iastic over a very searching investi- gation of the conduct of his home in- stitution, curtly informed Mr. Steph- ens that the burden was upon those | making charges to prove their as- | sertions, and requested Mr. Stephens to proceed. & “No, it is not for me to proceed,” committee to conduct this investi- gation.” | Chairman Rockne then called the first witness, Miss Emma Longorch, girls’ training school at Red Wing since August 2, 1910. Senator Sul- {livan, who asked most of the ques- | tions on behalf of the committee, re- | quested the witness to tell what she ‘(persoually knew relative to corporal | punishment at the Red Wing school lana Miss Longorch replied substan- ‘tially as follows: | Young Woman Gives Her Experience. “One night in September last, T went with a fellow instructor from |our building to the main building to | get the mail. As we were going by | the first cottage I distinetly heard the application of lashes. ped and counted 25 strokes. The flogging was taking place in the basement and the moans of the boy { were terrible and seemed to be muf- fled as though something had ‘been thrown over his mouth to deaden the lsoundA We went on, got our mail, | returned and still the beating con- | tinued. We counted 20 more strokes 45 in all. I reported the occurance to Mrs. Morse, superintendent of the girls’ training school. I have never had any trouble with Superintendent ‘Whittier and am still emp.loyed at the school. One other time, in August, replied Mr. Stephens, “it is up to the orders in my presence. {who has been an instructor in the We stop-| | that the lad could be tied down with a rope. How a Boy is Whipped. | “The boy would have his clothes 1: removed,” said Mr. Childs, “then laid |out on this contraption, head down, a wet towel would be placed over his body to prevent the cutting of flesh, might be able to save time*and make|yet I have seen boys come from the beating with their flesh as raw as beef steak. The beating is done a handle. I have seen from 20 to 120 blows given. I saw floggings five or six different times. I saw a bunch of five or six boys flogged at one time. The chief offense for flog- 1 saw a boy, who stole some tobacco, flogged unmercifully. Superintend- ent Whittier knew of the floggings and 1 have heard him give such In fact all cases of corporal punishment are i presumed to be referred to him for his 0. K. The boys flogged ranged ‘in age from 16 to 20 years.” Superintendent Whittier cross ex- amined the witness and sought to discredit Childs by mal_&ing him ad- mit that he had been discharged but the witness said he quit because the board of control notified him that “your services are no longer need- ed” which drew a smile from the committee and the spectators. Mr.,| Childs said he is now and for some | time has been employed by the Min- | neapolis Gas Light Company. | | Rockne, “you may go”. “No, not yet”, said Childs. " Whittier has inquisitive ithat I want to tell some more.” ;s been so | Lad’s Nose Broken, Says Childs. Childs then related that he had attendants seen boys beaten by armed with parts of tugs until their He told how one boy was sent to work with him and was unable to pick up a pair of tongs because his fingers were swollen from a beating just received. Childs said he got a bottle of arnica and put it on the boy's hands and that he told the lad he would not have to work so long as he had anything to say about it. “Then there was the case of the 1 was so utterly overcome by‘ the horror of it all that I could not| |leave my room again that evenix;g and when Mrs. Morse came up I told| her why I was so completely undone.” | seen the boys forced around in al with a piece of belting nailed onto " ging was running away but one time|. “Well, that’s all”, said Chairman | hands and arms were badly swollen. | son of an_instructor in the Wi- nona,” continued Childs, “whose nose - was broken by a - blow from Assistant Superintendent Shaw. The lad’s offense was putting a lock on his bench without permission.” Mrs. George Wilde,” now residing in Winona, but who was an instruct- or in the boys’ school from Septem- ber, 1902 to June, 1903, gave more damaging testimony against the in- stitution. She admitted that she never had seen the flogging machine and wl’ten asked by Senator Sullivan it sheshad ever #een any indication on 552/ part of.the boys that they had been flogged, she created a ripple of laughter by ré,plying: “Well, I've seen boys gome into the room a little disinclined to sit down.” \ Whipping Machine Common Know- Mrs. Wilde said that boys of all ages were flogged and that the whip- pings took place two 'to three times a week. She declared it was com- mon knowledge that the whipping machine was in existance and that this was an inmovation to be credit- ed to Superintendent Whittier as it was not there during the reign of his predecessor, Superllhfam‘lent Brown. She told of havidg ‘witnessed the| “military drill” puhishments and that she had seen boys shackled, but had never seen & boy hung up by the! thumbs. { Miss Killeen, whose home is in Minneapolis, but who was employed as an instructor at Red Wing in 1962 to 1903 told of having seen the “whipping machine” but admitted that she had mever seen it in opera- tion. Daniel J. Keefe, a bright eyed youth cladiin a suit of brown, was the next witness called. He is a former inmate of the Red Wing insti- tution. i = “Can you|tell us anything about corporal. “Yes siree, T can tell you lots about it,” replied Keefe. Dan then explained that he had| been committed to the school from Buffalo, Minn., when he was sixteen years old and that he was there for three and one-half years. He frank- 1y admitted thn'._ he had twice broken his parole by not writing and had each time been ‘returned to Red Wing. In telling of some of the things which happened to him at Red Wing, he said: | Kicked Insensible; \Gets An Apology. “I was kicked into insensibility by Assistant Superintendent George, who was so frightened at my condi- tion that he ran for. water with which he ‘revived me. He later apologized to me for his conduct. “As to that whipping devise, it was no myth. - We all knew that it was in the paint shop. Most any ex- cuse was sufficient for its use if the attendants didn’t happen to be feel- ing just right. Why, one day I got down on my knees and humbly beg- ged Assistant Superintendent Scott to send me to the St. Cloud reforma- tory rather than to the ‘paint shop.” ” “You say,” said Senator ‘Rockne, “that you left the school Oct. 3, 1903. Have you ever been back?” %No, and I never want to,” was the young man’s come back. He told of boys being punished by being compelled to race in their bare feet around the cement floor of the basement, keeping this up for two or three hours at a time. He also said that boys were shackled by the arms and hung up. “What boy ever hung up like that?” broke in Superintendent Whittier. “Patrick Larkin was one,” replied Keefe. Keefe's St;vry Shaken. . Under cross examination = Keefe| became considerably mixed and said that he knew boys were “hung up by their thumbs” because he had seen it by elimbing up and looking over the transom. ! guards while you were climbing up looking over transoms,” asked a member of the committee. “Where were the “Well, they were minding their own business. There was a bunch of us boys and the guard kmew if he !a new hold that seems to spell pro- | gress. Even the white men are not (Continued ‘on last - page.) PARSHALL SAYS: “GIVE - RED MAN GHANGE Tells of His Duties In Northern Min- nesota—Has Charge of Twelve Indian Missions. IN FOUR BIG RESERVATIONS Archdeacon Believes That Land Deal Investigations Are Proper And’ Should Be Completed. Interviewed concerning the work in which he is engaged, and for which he has recently declined a call to a St. Paul parish, Reverend H. F. Parshall of Cass Lake, archdeacon of the diocese of Duluth, said: “My work consists of not only the superintendency of the twelve Indian missions scattered over the White Earth, Red Lake, Cass Lake and Leech Lake reservations, but also our work among the white people in the' towns bordering on the reservations. This requires almost constant travel- ing by train, team or boat; services nearly every day in the week, and a large correspondence. “The work among the Indians have been attended by peculiar difficulties during the years that I have been in charge. . The allotment of lands and the right given to mixed bloods to sell has put money in large quanti- ties into the hands of many who had no idea of its proper use. In busi- | we may expect in the future. Again | ARCHDEACON PARSHALL ‘Who Has Declined Wealthy St. Paul Church Call. tion. We must defend him as we protect other immaturity, and expect of him what he is able to render un- der proper guidance and supervision. The advances he has made in the last half century is an indication of v:vhat] T say, give him a chance.” TWO DRAYMEN ARRESTED Warrants Sworn Out For Seado and McTaggart By City Attorney. Warrants were sworn out this morning by City Attorney Torrance for the arrest of Henry Seado and Joe McTaggart on charges of running drays without a license. | The case against these two men was set for 2 o’clock this afternoon but was postpondd. ness judgment the average Indian is not more mature than the average 10-year-old white child. The love | of Hyyorls;the Indian's curse, and when under its influence he has fal- len an easy victim to the unscrupu- lous pale face.” “I suppose you are inentire ac- cord with the Indian department in the effort to suppress the sale of li- quor to Indians?” was asked Rever- end’ Parshall. “Most decidedly, yes,” said Rever- end Parshall. “But having said this, I must add that I have not been able to give my unqualified commend- ation to the methods pursued. There can be but one opinion among those who are interested in the welfare of the Indian. There are honest diff- erences of opinion as to how this prohibition may be made most ef- fective. I think Judge Stanton has done more for the cause than anyone else. It is my opinion that other judges will follow the same course. A few more ‘boot-leggers’ sent to Stillwater will take away the attrac-; tion of the business.” Asked his opinion of the land deal investigations, Reverend Parshall said: “I think that they are very proper, and hope that they will continue un-. til completed. No doubt the amount of fraud practiced has been grossly exaggerated. Many of the cases should be passed upon and 0. K’d. without delay. But where fraud is apparent, a period of necessary delay may not be unwholesome disipline. In the case of a second transfer, the case becomes more complicated be- cause the third party has rights that must not be violated. “I have been able to retain my op- timism in spite of the evil I have seen and the difficulties we have had to face. The Christian Indians have been as a rule loyal to the church, and since the suppression of the sale of liguor among them wé are getting such bad fellows when you get un- der the business crust. They have taken advantage of the Indian be- canse they thought somebody else would if they didn’t. It was really a competition between white men in most dases to see which would be first to get the Indian. Having reached that point, the rest was like taking a bottle away from a baby. “Given a fair chance and a square deal, the Indian will make good. The case of the City of Bemidji against John Marin for running.a dray without a license, in-which the defense admitted it had operated ;I dray without a license, on the day named but whose argument was that the city ordinance did not hold in the case, was decided in favor of the city and the defendnat fined $50 and costs by Judge Pendergast of the muni- cipal court. Doi.np@f the Municipal Court. In municipal court this morning Ole Halvorson and Walter Garriety ‘Wwere araigned before Judge Pender- gast on charges of drunkenness. Halvorson was fined $5 and costs which he paid, while Garriety was allowed his freedom on the agreement that he would leave the city today. Marriage Licenses Issued. Clerk of the district court Fred Rhoda today issued the following marriage license: Andrew Peterson and Martha El- stad, of Spooner and Baudette, re- spectively. Supper Tomorrow Evening. Remember the supper tomorrow evening at the L. O. O. F. hall, given by the Old Norwegian Lutheran Ladies Aid. The date is Friday, March 3. Come one! come all. IS DRAWN ON NEW LINES Insurance Fund for Employes Pro posed by Minnesota Legislator. St. Paul, March 2.—Appropriation by the state of $300,000 as the nucleus for a gigantic indemnity fund and sub- sequent contributions from wages of employes and employers engaged in hazardous industries is proposed in a bill introduced in the senate by Bwan- son of Anoka county. The measure is intended as a substitut for the vari- ous workmen’s compensation codes pending in the senate and house. The Swanson bill incorporates many of the features of the original liability code drafted by the.commission ap- pointed at the last session of the leg- islature. Instead of designating every industry in which an accident occurs as “hazardous” it defines specific oc- cupations and tells who shall be termed an “employer.” EXPRESS PACKAGES TAKEN Robbers Hold Up Iron Mountain Train « at St. Louis. 8t Louis, March 2.—Two masked and heavily armed robbers held up an expreas car on an Iron Mountain train DISTRIGT GOURT IN_ROUTINE ‘WORK Five Persons Charged With Crime Enter Pleas of Not Guilty When Many Civil Cases Settled and Con- tinued—Number 26 on Calendar Now on Trial. Arraignments upon indictments so far returned by the grand jury have been made as follows: Gust Rachuy, carnal knowledge; Fred Miller, forgery; Joe Jenkins, assault in the first de- gree; John McCarthy, giving liquor to an Indian; b Frank Sands, grand larceny. The grand jury is still in session but will probably conclude its work this afternoon. o The civil cases of 0. B. Olson versus M. B. Russell, of Madellia, involving 2 small store account, is on trial this afternoon, with attorney Graham M. Torrance for the plaintift and P. J. Russell for the defendant. The trial of criminal cases will not be taken up until next week. Many civil cases have been settled and others continued so that it is not probable that more than twenty civil jury cases will be for trial. PARDEE IN BENIDJI T00 Traveling Passenger Agent of North Western Line Here. E. L. Pardee, traveling passenger agent of the Chicago, St. Paul, Min- neapolis and Omaha railroad, one of the railroads which comprises the North Western Line, is in Bemidji .today. Mr. Pardee is very much pleased with Bemidji as a city, and although he has “never had the pleasure,” as he says, of visiting the city in the summer, he thinks Bemidji has a great future. Mr. Pardee said this morning: “In my business relations with Be- midji, T find that many people of Missouri and Nebraska and other states in this portion of the country spend several of the summer months here and at the other summer resorts in this part of Minnesota. With its superb summers and mild winters together with its splendid railroad advantages and other interests I have much faith in the future of your little city.” Mr. Pardee says that his railroad is at the present time arranging rates for the several big conventions, such as the National Educators’ Associa- tion and International Sunday school conventions, which are to be held in San Francisco in June. Announcement. At the last meeting of the Ladies Aid Society of the First Scandinavian Lutheran Church, also popularly known as the Norwegian Lutheran church, it was decided to give a sup- per at the I O. O. F. hall, Friday, March 10. We wish hereby to announce that said supper given by the ladies of said church will be given as decided viz: on Friday, March 10. Any advertisement concerning any supper to be given previous to this date by the ladies of our Lutheran Church is erroneous. The Pioneer will kindly add this annouricement so as to avoid confus- 'sion as to date. within the city Hmits, escaping with several packages and the money box, We an stop exhibiting him as a freak at the state fair, and encourage him in his advances toward civiliza- ) ‘which they removed from the safe; ger, M. M. McRoberts. Be sure to note the date—March 10 Respectfully, T Mrs. T. S. Kolste, Pres. Mrs. N.L.Hakkerup, Sc.