STARTLING REVELATIONS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3207, 14 December 1894, Page 7

STARTLING REVELATIONS

THE WALTHAMSTCTW CRUELTY CHARGES. There seems to be quite an epidemic of cruelty to children. The shockingcase of the woman-fiend Gillespie has scarcely passed from notice when another case of what seems to have been gross cruelty is brought forward. The alleged ill-usage took place m the Roman Catholic industrial school at Waithamstow, about seven miles from London. "The Rev. Father Lord Archibald Douglas, to his honour be it recorded, was the means of throwing light on this scandal. He is the resident chaplain of the school, and was often shocked by witnessing the infliction of what he deemed cruelpunishments. His remonstrances were of no avail, and Cardinal Vaughan would give no guarantee that the cruelties would cease, so he wisely and humanely went to the Home Secretary and got a public investigation. Lord Archibald Douglas's evidence, and that of many other witnesses, was to the effect that boys were punished by * crucifixion '—that is, they had to stand against a wall with their arms outstretched for periods varying from half-an-hour to four or five hours. Boys who fought had to carry one another on their backs for hours at a time, and some serious accidents had resulted ; one sraa) 1 boy, who was over-weighted, falling and fracturing his legs. Brutal floggings, birchings, pinching and other inflictions, were also alleged to have been commonly practiced.

Mr Webb, the master, denied some of the charges and asserted that others were exaggerated, but he admitted enough to show that the unfortunate boys at that school had the reverse of a pleasant time. The Rev. Father Mahoney, who had visited the schools, endeavoured to soften down the case, but admitted that boys were punished with ' crucifixion ' for half an hour to an hour at a time, and generally during their ' recreation ' period. ft.n Inspector of Schools had neither seen any punishment nor heard of it, but had to confess that his opinion of the school discipline had been considerably opened by the Commission which sat on the school in 1893, and that all the punishments complained of were ' unauthorised.' Mr Webb himself had to confess in cross-examination that he had tamper ad with the punishment record-book by smuggling in an entry since the pre« Bent proceedings had been begun.