The Short, Violent Life of Walter Kavanaugh: One of Preston’s First Wards

Walter Kavanaugh, San Quentin Prison, 1893

When the Preston School of Industry opened its doors in 1894, the institution promised to reform wayward boys through discipline, education, and structure. One of the earliest youths committed there was Walter Kavanaugh, a boy whose life would later be reduced to a few sensational headlines in the San Francisco papers. Still, behind those headlines was a young man shaped by the same forces that defined so many early Preston wards: poverty, instability, and a world that offered little mercy to boys who slipped through its cracks.

Walter Kavanaugh was born between 1875-1877, and it appears that his family hailed from Ireland. Census records at the time show two different families living in the area he was from with different spellings: Kavanah and Cavanaugh. I believe his family were Kavanah, as he had an older sister, Mary who comes into the story later on.

The newspaper claimed that Walter "caused the police of three counties considerable trouble during his brief career. His picture graces the rogues' gallery, he having been committed to the Reform School at Whittier when he was but 16 years of age. After serving his time there, Kavanaugh fell into the hands of the Alameda authorities and was sent to San Quentin to serve a term of ten years for picking a woman's pocket in Oakland. Kavanaugh donned his stripes on May 5, 1893, but on January 13*, 1894, he was transferred to the Preston School of Industry at the request of the Humanitarian Society." -- August 2, 1899, San Francisco Call.

*He was actually transferred to Preston on JUNE 13, 1894.

Walter is circled in red -- June 13, 1894 
Preston School of Industry - first 7 wards

After being released from Preston, Walter found employment in Nevada City at the Union Hotel working as the night clerk, but that didn't last. At around 3 a.m. one early morning, Walter decided to empty his revolver into the walls of the hotel office, which startled the hotel guests awake. Needless to say, after that event he was no longer an employee of the hotel. He eventually drifted back down to the Bay Area where his family had been living. The papers described him as “well known” in the Tenderloin district, a phrase that in 1899 was shorthand for a young man surviving on the margins.

According to the San Francisco Call and the San Diego Union and Daily Bee, the trouble began earlier that evening at the residence where Walter’s sister lived at Latham Place. "As nearly as can be ascertained, Cavanaugh had been living off the profits of his sister's degradation." It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read between the lines -- Walter was pimping his older sister out. So what was the quarrel between Jack Wilson and Walter about?

Mary, Walter's sister, was involved with Jack romantically and perhaps he was trying to convince her that she didn't have to continue to live that way. No one knows exactly what was said, but it was mentioned in the newspaper that the relationship between Mary and Jack was "interfering as it did with the money supply." The original fight ensued inside the residence and warning shots were fired. Who exactly fired the shots is still unknown. Jack took off out the backway to the saloon at the corner, while Mary kicked her brother out of her apartment through the front door.

Shortly after midnight, Walter walked into C.G. Borgfeldt's saloon at southwest the corner of Mason and Ellis Streets, just around the corner of Mary's apartment. Jack was already there. When Walter entered the saloon he shoved his fist through the door and asked Jack if he had a gun. Jack replied that he was "not looking for any trouble." Eye witness, Frank Connolly stated that he tried to push Walter away from the door which only made Walter more mad. He broke away and immediately fired upon Jack, missing him. Jack subsequently pulled out his gun and fired back in self-defense, shooting a total of three rounds killing Walter instantly in the entrance doorway of the saloon.

S.F. Call (August 2, 1899) 

Both eye witnesses, Frank Connolly and the bartender that night, S.J. Bailey corroborated the details of the events that transpired that evening. In my search for more information on what happened with Jack, my trail went cold. Besides Jack's arraignment I couldn't find any record of him having been convicted or sentenced to any time in prison, leading me to the belief that he was released and charges were more than likely dropped on account of self-defense. If I find any further newspapers going into Jack's charges I will certainly update this post.

In ending, Walter Kavanaugh’s story is not just a crime report. It is a window into the life of one of earliest wards at the Preston School of Industry. His death was the final act that showed that he had repeatedly refused to apply the self-discipline he was taught at Preston by making his own choice not to change his bad habits no matter what chances he had been given. Unfortunately, learning crime at an early age he decided to keep on that path regardless of the opportunities he had in front of him. Walter's death was no one's fault but his own. He made that choice to run with the wrong crowd early on, long before his time at Preston. That path led further and further into a dark place eventually leading him to his own demise.

(Copyright 2026- J'aime Rubio www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

Sources

• San Francisco Call, August 1, 1899

• San Francisco Call, August 2, 1899

• San Diego Union and Daily Bee, August 1, 1899

• 1880 Census, California, Alameda County

“The North Wind Watches: Guardian Vault of the Administration Building”

 

Taken in 2012, J'aime Rubio

One of the many things you may notice while visiting Preston Castle is the ornate vault door when you first enter the Administration Building, in the front room off to the right. Looking up at the door frame, you may notice an ornate face. This is often referred to as “The North Wind Face,” sometimes associated with Boreas, or the Spirit of the North Wind, a motif popular in the Victorian era.

Many years ago, I had inquired about the meaning of the ornate face on the vault door and a good friend of mine, Myke Ellis, who has been working with antiques from that era most of his career, identified it for me. That left me curious about the history of the vault itself.

The “North Wind Face” was a symbol of protection, mythic authority, strength, and endurance. It was frequently used on architectural hardware, knockers, and doors during this period.

There were few widely known companies that manufactured these types of ornate vault doors: Mosler Safe Company and Herring & Co., also Hall’s Safe & Lock. Subsequently, in 1892, five companies merged, forming Herring-Hall-Marvin.

Based on the visible features of the door frame itself—such as the rectangular door with a heavy frame, decorative ornament at the top, and interior cabinetry within the vault—this design suggests it was intended specifically for an administrative or bank vault, rather than the industrial-style vaults manufactured later.

Given these features, and the time when this design was most popular, it appears to match the type of design known from a Herring and Hall’s Safe & Lock vault, as opposed to Mosler vaults. Another reason it resembles a Herring or Hall's vault is that vault placement during the 19^th century followed consistent patterns for visibility, ease of access, and security. The specific placement of the vault in the front and to the right inside the Administration Building is, as an expert would say, “textbook Herring/Hall’s placement.”**

The Superintendent could easily access payroll, petty cash, financial records, and important contracts or paperwork that required secure storage. Money could be quickly secured, vendors paid efficiently, and staff wages handled discreetly. This was not just something found at Preston, but also commonplace at State Hospitals, County offices, Industrial Schools, Correctional facilities, and Orphanages as well.

Symbolism in the Victorian era appeared in cemeteries, furniture, architecture, and even vaults. The ornament above the vault door represented moral guardianship, strength, authority, and protection, something that would have been imperative at a school such as Preston. Acting as a symbolic protective force, the “North Wind Face” fits the ethos of the reform school itself.

I hope that this little peek into the past—by way of documenting a piece of the school’s history (the vault)—gives you some insight into the symbolism of the piece itself, as well as an appreciation for Victorian-era design used at the time Preston was constructed. Although most people may look at the door as they pass through the building, and they may notice the ornament above it, they might not actually know its meaning, why it was specifically chosen, or why it was placed in that particular spot in the building—let alone the meaning of the symbol itself.

Next time you visit, or if you are planning your first visit to Preston soon, please stop and peek at this vault door—and remember where you learned its history!

**UPDATE: Thanks to one of my Facebook followers who was able to take a photo of the front of the vault door on one of her visits, I was able to confirm it is in fact a Hall's Safe & Lock Co. Vault. Thank you Nancy Sanchez for your additional information! **

(Copyright 2026, J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Sources:

Ellis, Myke. Victorian Era Interior Design Expert

American Numismatic Society. Herring‑Hall‑Marvin Safe Co., 1920–1933: Administrative Records. ANS Archives.

Adams County Museum. Herring‑Hall‑Marvin Safe Co. Safe: Company History and Overview.

Smithsonian Institution. Trade Catalogs from Herring‑Hall‑Marvin Safe Co. Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collection.

Joseph Howe - The Ward Who Slipped Through The Cracks

 

Nearing the eve of the anniversary of Joseph Howe's passing at the Preston School of Industry, I decided I wanted to know more about this young man in order to remember him this year.

You see, when I first wrote my initial book and blogs on Preston's history, there weren't a lot of records readily available for searching online. Joseph's Preston record was not accessible to me at the time either, as I couldn't find it at the State Archives when I went there to search, and his official death record literally just stated that he died at Preston of "Tuberculosis" on December 11, 1913.

Not much more was known about Joseph up until that point. So, when I included his name in my chapter of the boys who are buried at the cemetery at Preston, I only had his name, his date of birth and date of death. No photos, no information about his life. Nothing. I wanted to change that, so I decided to reinvestigate his story with fresh eyes.

Today, we will take a trip back in time to go over the life of Joseph Howe and I will show you how it appears the odds were stacked against him from the start. I want us to remember Joseph, not just as two dates and a dash on a weather beaten wooden headstone in a forgotten cemetery, but as a young man, flesh and blood who lived and breathed and walked those hallways at Preston Castle, if even for just a short time in his brief life.

Joseph Howe was actually born on October 20, 1895, not 1897, as his marker reads. According to the 1900 Census, which was taken in June, it states he was only 4 years old, which would be the right age, as he would turn 5 in October of that same year. At the time, Joseph is living with his mother, Ada Stella Wilkin Howe, his uncle, and his four sisters at his maternal grandmother's home in Red Bluff, Tehama County, California. 

I am not sure where his father, Washington Lincoln Howe was at the time but it appears the couple reunited shortly thereafter, as Ada would have four more children with her husband, making their brood a grand total of nine children. The 1910 census for Phoenix, Jackson County, Oregon, showed the entire family together with Washington as the head of household, working "odd jobs."

Unfortunately, the family appears to have been very poor, and I believe they moved back to California sometime after the 1910 census, or at least the kids and Alma did. Joseph appears to have been born with some sort of mental disability, as he was sent around July of 1911, to the "Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children."  This hospital or facility was meant to help children with mental disabilities. It was best known as the Sonoma State Hospital and later the Sonoma Developmental Center. Sadly, this place wasn't a very good hospital. This location was known for their "Eugenics" program in the early 1900's and between 1909 and 1952, a total of 5,530 males and females were involuntarily put through sterilization procedures, which according to records was more than any other state hospital in the nation.

It doesn't appear that Joseph stayed there too long, but what happened during the time he was at that facility is unknown. One can only imagine!

According to the Chico Record, the hospital in Sonoma didn't have a lot of room for their patients so they eventually released him back to his family in Chico. It was during this time period that his mother passed away, on January 16, 1912.

Ada Howe, Joseph's mother, had been ill for sometime, and according to the death notice in the local newspaper she was suffering from an incurable illness, which caused an abscess on the knee which "weakened her condition" and "made it impossible to long survive." I did a little research on this subject, and I have come to the conclusion that Ada more than likely had been suffering from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, and she developed a secondary infection, called a "cold abscess" which can develop when the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria travels through the bloodstream into the extremities. 

I believe that Joseph contracted Tuberculosis from contact in the household, as two of his other sisters ended up with the same disease and died from it as well. His older sister, Alma passed away from the illness in March of 1913, and another sister, Irma passed away in 1917 from the same disease. During this time period, Tuberculosis was a widespread health crisis, and one in seven deaths were the result of this infection, especially in poor households.  

The December 18, 1912 edition of the Chico Record stated that Joseph, who was then 16 years old, was caught with 14 year old, Ival Scalf, stealing a horse and buggy from J.L. Crawford at the corner of Salem and Second Street in Chico. This location was only one block over and four blocks northwest from where Joseph had been living at 220 W. 6th Street.

Judge John C. Gray, presiding over the juvenile court committed the boys to Preston on December 17th, just the day prior to the article's release.Constable McEldowney and probation officer J.A. Glenn brought the boys to Preston. The problem was, where was the record of his committment at Preston? 

I searched my ward index that I had compiled back in 2014, of all wards committed from the time the school opened in 1894 to 1914. I could find no trace of Joseph. I began to feel uneasy and perplexed. How could someone who we know was sent to Preston, especially since he passed away on the property and was buried in its own cemetery, just simply have no record of having been there on the juvenile record list?

I went back to the California Youth Authority records via the State Archives and again, no Joseph Howe was listed. How could this young man simply just slip through the cracks at Preston? 

Well, after diligent research and cross referencing I think I may have found the answer. I decided to double check his accomplice's committment records at Preston, Ivan Scalf, and sure enough, he was in my index under ward # 1986, sent to Preston in 1912. Just underneath his name is Joseph Herve, ward # 1987, sent to Preston the same time in 1912. It is my belief that the people who entered the records into the CYA database misspelled Joseph's last name to Herve instead of Howe. This has to be the answer for his missing record at the school.

Sadly, Joseph would only spend one year at the school before succumbing to the same Tuberculosis that took the life of his mother and sister before him. I cannot even imagine what he must have been feeling or thinking, laying there in a sick bed, suffering from such a horrific illness such as that, and knowing that he was not going to get better; That he would never be able to get up and walk out of that building and live life, a life he never had a chance to even know. Instead, he passed away from his illness there at Preston, surrounded by strangers. It is heartbreaking to imagine.

Due to the fact that his mother was gone, and I believe his father just wasn't around, Joseph's remains were buried at the Preston Cemetery out back on the property. You see, back then the cemetery wasn't originally meant to be a permanent place, but instead a spot for the unclaimed boys in the event their parents did not have the money to take them to be buried elsewhere, or to keep them safe until the families were able to disenter and reinter them some other place. In this case, Joseph Howe would remain there in that spot at the Preston cemetery with it's castle looming over the horizon into the near distance.

Although there are no photographs of Joseph in existence that I know of, I tried my best to use modern computer technology to provide a possible idea of what Joseph may have looked like, based on the likeness of his brother, whom I was able to obtain a photo of. 

First computer AI speculative sibling image based on a photograph of Joseph's brother. 

2nd AI speculative sibling image (created more as a painting rather than a photograph)
based on a photo of Joseph's brother, as a possible sibling likeness.

By using this AI program using "speculative sibling imagery" this enables us to try to imagine what he may have looked like, if he did in fact look like his brother (who shared the same mother and father). 

As you can see the two images I came up with look a little different, so we may never fully know what Joseph looked like unless someone, somewhere has a photograph of him. Until then, we must leave it up to our imaginations I suppose. I just wanted so badly to give a face to his name, so that we can remember him and so that we can honor his memory. 

This week will be 112 years since Joseph left this earth. I didn't want his story to remain untold any longer. English writer Amelia B. Edwards once wrote:

“We all die twice.... The first time is when we simply cease to be; the second, when we are forgotten.” -- Amelia B. Edwards (1863)

With that in mind, let us honor Joseph's memory by learning his story and retelling it for years to come, so that he is never forgotten again. After all, everyone deserves to have their life remembered, large or small, rich or poor. In the end, we all end up in the same place, but that doesn't mean that our story should end there.

(Copyright 2025- jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Working At Preston - Memories of Bruce Warner

In the past year and a half I became acquainted with someone who happened to have worked at Preston starting in the early 1950's, and who remained working there for over 40 years.  I started working on this blog shortly after he helped with with another blog about a friend of his, the agricultural teacher who was murdered at Preston, Jim Wieden. Bruce and I had been going back and forth communicating for over a year. I had mentioned to him just recently that I planned on writing a third book on Preston's history and wanted to focus more on the staff who once worked there, and their lives and their stories. 

I mentioned to him that I wanted to include him in my book, and I had so much planned to ask him in regards to other aspects at Preston. I had went down to bring him some of my books just before the holidays at the senior living facility where he was residing in Stockton, and then I hadn't heard back from him. I called him several times in December, but his phone didn't seem to be working properly. 

Eventually my curiosity got the best of me so I looked into it and learned that he passed away in December, which is why I hadn't gotten a return phone call from him in a while. Needless to say I am sad over this news, especially since I just learned that another Preston legend, Bill Thiry, had just passed away last week. Two Preston legends both gone within a few months of each other. 

Tonight, I have revised this original blog post about Bruce's memories at Preston and added his life story to it in greater detail in order to share with you what I know about my friend Bruce Warner, so that he will never be forgotten. I hope after learning about him, you will remember him, too.

Bruce Warner (Class of '48-San Juan High School)

Bruce D. Warner was born on November 26, 1929, exactly nine months to the day from his parents wedding night of February 26, 1929, in Los Angeles to Bruce S. Warner and Josephine Tremain. The 1930 Census shows them living in Compton, California, with Bruce Sr., working at Samson Tire and Rubber Company. If you are familiar with Southern California as much as I am, it is the old Citadel Building (now an outlet shopping center) that looks like an old Assyrian Palace. 

Anyhow, the family lived at 2051 Burlington Avenue in Compton, California, during the 1930's according to the Directory of that time period. It appears that he also had a younger sister, Marilyn who was born around 1932, but somewhere between the 1930 and 1940's Censuses, Josephine and Bruce's marriage fell apart. I found them married to other people by 1940. Josephine was remarried with the last name Baskins, and Marilyn was with her, while Bruce was with his father and his father's new wife, Hilda. They were all listed as still living in Los Angeles.

It appears that at some point during the early 1940's, Bruce's father, Bruce Sr., decided to move up to Northern California, settling down in the Sacramento area, and eventually ending up in Clarksburg along the Delta. During Bruce's school years though, it appears they were in the Fair Oaks area first.

A young Bruce attended San Juan Union High School in Fair Oaks, graduating in 1948. By 1950, he is listed as residing on the U.S.S. Curtis stationed in San Diego.  

According to his obituary he served for four years in the Navy, on the U.S.S. Philipine Sea. This aircraft carrier "operated primarily out of San Diego and San Francisco, seeing several deployments to the Far East and being redesignated as an anti-submarine warfare carrier." It appears that Bruce must have joined the military just after graduating and served on both ships during his four year service in the Navy. While on both ships he was a baker, serving in upwards of 3,000 officers on the ship.

By 1952, he was hired to be a cook at The Preston School of Industry.  Bruce first lived on the 2nd floor of the main Administration building, aka The Castle in an apartment. At the time, he paid $10 rent for the apartment, plus he got free meals. Later he moved to housing quarters on the property, until he got married, which was when he eventually moved off site to a house.  

He married Ann Armstrong for the first time in June of 1954. When I say for the first time, it is because the two divorced in Amador County in 1966, only to remarry again on January 15, 1968, in Carson City. The two had two daughters, Dawn and Debbie.

Going back to his job at Preston, Bruce would arrive at 3 a.m. every day to the kitchen start the day's food preparations, and at least four boys would be assigned to his kitchen to help daily. He would cook for up to 1,000 wards a day. He also mentioned the butcher shop was also a sectioned off part of the main kitchen used to prepare meals for the wards. Later on, he would become a security guard there, and even late,r he was the bus driver for the Preston Band. According to his obituary he had also been a Group Supervisor there, although he never did mention any of that to me, just the other jobs. Perhaps he enjoyed those jobs more, and that was why he talked about it so much to me. 

Going back to his memories at Preston, he told me that the Administration building, from what he remembered was basically the same -- Basement, 1st floor level remained offices, Superintendent's office, Asst. Superintendent's office, etc. The 2nd level was apartments for the employees and also their very own post office (Waterman, California), and the 3rd level he remembered being open and the boys playing sports such as basketball in a larger area on that level.  He told me that he did not recall any infirmary or hospital areas in use in that building when he was there, so by that point in the 1950's, those areas had been moved to other buildings on campus. 

He mentioned the Honor Cottages and how they had day rooms downstairs for the wards, and upstairs were the sleeping quarters. He mentioned that a building behind the castle also had a dining area for the wards, and living quarters upstairs for a company of boys. He also mentioned another apartment towards the end, one of which he later moved into which had a small bedroom and kitchen area (prior to getting married). He was still only required to pay $10 per month for rent.

He recalled the giant metal fire escape slide, and admitted he slid down it once or twice, just for fun! I just had to throw that story in there, because, after all, who doesn't want to slide down that fire escape slide for fun?! I know I do! 

Bruce told me that there was a blacksmith shop, a cobbler shop, a print shop, a bakery, a slaughterhouse, a garden, a huge area where they kept over 3,000 laying hens which were fairly close to the cemetery. He also remembered fruit trees, which the staff had to keep a close eye on, because wards would take fruit and hide it in their clothes and bring back to their dormitories and make wine or "pruno" with it, by using a piece of bread to extract the yeast to make the fruit juice turn. He said that was a common problem.

The ranch and dairy had a herd of cattle, cows for milking, sheep, horses, and hogs. 

"When I came to Preston, a lot of the older folks who had worked there for many years were now reaching retirement age, we're talking 60 to 70 years old, but these folks still had to work, so they were put on the night shift. They were put in the dormitories with the boys with no protection from them at all. This was a dangerous thing. They only had two steps and a platform between them and the boys, some who were very violent. Eventually the guards had to have cages, not for the boys, but for the guards to sit inside the cages at night for their own protection." 

Bruce also mentioned another incident where a guard opened one of the cell doors for an inmate in lock up (something they were not supposed to do). He couldn't recall the exact reason for the guard opening the door but the ward tricked the guard and attacked him, knocking the guard very hard in the head and attempting to escape. The only reason the ward got caught was because another ward in the cell next to him started yelling for help, which alerted staff and more security guards came.

He mentioned that wards often tried to attack staff there, a perfect example of that was when his friend, Preston's agricultural teacher James Wieden died from his injuries after two wards attacked him in an attempt to escape. (You can read about that story here.) 

When asked about the allegations of ongoing abuse at Preston, Bruce stated, "I don't know of any, there wasn't any type of abuse or punishments like that when I worked there."

Punishment in solitary confinement consisted of two days of a bread and water diet (all three meals). He said the boys would get two slices of bread and all the water they wanted for each meal, and on the third day they would get a full three meals. The fourth and fifth days were back to bread and water again.  He said he had heard of the corporal punishment methods such as paddling and whipping that had taken place there in the past, and even spoke to the brother of the "Disciplinarian" who had been the person who did the "disciplining" when deemed necessary. Still, Bruce stated that he never witnessed any abuse to the wards while he worked there. 

If they were assigned to the work squad for punishment, they would move piles of dirt with a shovel and wheelbarrow in the morning and the afternoon. No talking was allowed. He said he remembered one ward who worked so hard, and got so filthy in the dirt that when the end of the day came, the boy asked Bruce if he could skip the shower that evening. When asked why, the boy showed him his hands which the joints and knuckles were full of newly popped open blisters. Bruce told him just that one time he could skip the shower. He looked up and told him, "Thank you, you will never have another problem with me again." 

Bruce mentioned to me that although he had heard of Preston's reputation of being hard on the boys, and the stories of  abuse before he came to work there, that as the years went on and once the social workers and psychologists got involved with the school, then the administration was forced to go "too easy" on the wards, resulting in more rebellious behavior because the wards no longer feared consequences for their actions. 

All in all, Bruce enjoyed his time at Preston. He stated that there were so many people who worked there who honestly were good people, just wanting to help the boys and make a living to survive. He enjoyed working with the boys in the kitchen and watching them parole and leave, hoping they made a better life for themselves elsewhere. 

Bruce told me that he believed that the Preston School was a good thing, despite what other people may believe. He highly respected E.M. Preston for having the idea and the drive to fight to have this school built in order to help the younger boys get away from the bad element that they were doomed to experience, as they would have been sent to Folsom or San Quentin otherwise. Bruce also explained that the young boys would have been sexually assaulted had they been sent to the prison system, and no one would be able to protect them from the hardened criminals there. 

Although the Preston School of Industry wasn't a perfect place -- and yes, there were tales of abuse and even some stories of alleged sexual abuse, but for the most part Preston was a safer place to be than San Quentin or Folsom, and we need to remember that, just like Bruce mentioned. 

After over 40 years of working at Preston (his obituary says 32) he finally truly retired. City directories show that he lived in Ione for a number of years, and I found two addresses for him at 416 Foothill Blvd in Ione, and then later on, at the property next door at 520 Foothill Blvd in Ione.  

When I first communicated with him he was living in Lodi, and later on he had moved to Stockton. His father, mother, sister and his wife, Ann, all predeceased him. He is survived by his two daughters and a grandson. 

I hope that this little peek into the life of Bruce Warner, a man who lived to be 96 years old, has given you insight not only to the goings on and inner workings of Preston during the years he worked there, but I hope it also gave you a peek into the life and heart of this dear man. 

May he rest in peace and never be forgotten. 

(J'aime Rubio, Copyright 2025/2026* - www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

*originally posted August 31, 2025 with Bruce's memories at Preston; but republished with updated personal information on February 27, 2026) 

Preston: A Mixed Bag- Good? Bad? How about somewhere in between?!

I wanted to clarify a few things that were stated recently in an article in the Ledger Dispatch that just didn't hold up when examined by the facts. The interview that was published was with the curators of the most recent photograph and media exhibit being held at Preston this summer. I am unsure where the ladies who were interviewed got their research from, but I wanted to clarify a few things here so that the public would know the actual facts in order to clear up any misinformation.

First and foremost, the majority of the boys that were sent to Preston over the years while the school was open, were there because of crimes they had committed, but yes, not all the boys were criminals, especially in its inception.  Many of the boys in the early years were homeless, or their parents were unable to financially support them. Some were considered “incorrigible” but not necessarily worthy of going to jail.

Depending on the time period when the boys were sent to “the Castle,” that depended on the type of experiences one would have there. In the school’s infancy, there were a lot of hiccups you could say, and mistakes made by some of those who were in charge. The school had earned the reputation of the “Preston School of Scandal,” for a reason. There were accusations made that certain Superintendents had abused the boys. One of the more infamous stories was of Superintendent O’Brien who was accused of literally torturing some of the wards, which was published in the newspapers, and he did eventually step down from his position.  

Still, there were plenty of Superintendents that were focused on truly wanting to help the boys learn to become upstanding members of society, so that upon their release they could go out and find work and make a better life for themselves. Please believe that not all the people running Preston were ruling with an iron fist.   

In my books and here on my ongoing blog "Preston Castle History," I like to refer to Preston as a mixed bag of sorts, because along with the bad stories, there were also many good ones. There were a lot of people who worked there, some of them their entire lives, intent on helping the youth do better. There are a lot of stories of the boys who left the school to become successful members of society, too.  

To clarify a few things, the boys at Preston were not all treated as though they had committed crimes, as the staff knew very well which boys were sent there and for what reasons such as the child being an orphan, his parents couldn’t financially afford to support him, or even worse possibly vagrancy. Then there were other boys sent to Preston for continual truancy, incorrigibleness and yes, committing crimes, petty or even some serious ones. To adamantly state that the school operated under that opinion, that they believed they were all guilty, is a disservice and a disrespect to all who worked so tirelessly at that school hoping to help these boys make better lives for themselves. 

Going back to the way the wards were treated. Yes, at times there were boys who were paddled or flogged for disobedience or getting out of line, but you must remember that during that time in history those forms of corporal punishment were considered the norm. I agree at times it got out of hand, especially with Superintendent O'Brien; However, even in some of the later Preston Biennial reports they stated that they only resorted to those methods if all other methods to get through to the wards were exhausted, not that I think that was okay. One of the Superintendents who wrote in one of the the Biennial reports mentioned that he felt corporal punishment was no good and did nothing positive for the wards. So as you can see, not everyone agreed with those methods. Again, it depended on the time period. Eventually corporal punishment* as a whole was stopped.

And yes, it was Corporal Punishment, not Capital Punishment as the article states. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE! (*There were no executions at Preston!) 

There were two choices at the time, send the boys to Preston or Whittier, another reformatory at the time, or be sent to the Penitentiary such as Folsom or San Quentin, where the hardened criminals were housed. The odds were they would have left institutionalized had they been sent to the latter. So, Preston was the lesser of two evils, no doubt. 

One of the quotes in the article stated: "The injustice is, these boys were put in the middle of nowwhere, locked down in solitary confinement and unable to have freedom of movement, and they were children."

That statement couldn't be further from the truth. For one, there were no fences at Preston when they opened. It was an open campus. People from Ione wandered up there from time to time, and even later, Ione residents were able to come and take trades classes there alongside the wards. Anna Corbin's son, Harold was one of those residents who took classes there. 

Second, they were not all put in solitary confinement. There were some events in the early years noted in record where the boys said to have been kept in the basement -- these were the written experiences of the wards themselves. But as a whole the boys were free to roam the property, work on the farm, in the blacksmith shop, in the print shop, in the bakery, and all the other departments where they were able to work and learn trades. They were able to go swimming on certain days of the week, and they were able to take care of the animals on the farm. They lived in honor cottages and buildings, not the solitary lock up buildings - those were for the boys who were being punished for bad behavior. Also, the fact the boys were doing work at Preston was not for the benefit of Preston itself, although everyone benefited, even the town, but it was to teach the boys life skills so that when they were released they would be able to support themselves out in the world. 

In the article it mentioned “The general population chose to harbor rampant discrimination and extreme exclusion via racism, homophobia, classism and povertyism – operating under the opinion that if these people were innocent, they would not have been arrested.”

I am going to have to disagree on that statement – which by the way is not supported by facts. For one, the Biennial Report for the Preston School of Industry published in 1918, showed that “the occurrence of serious crimes is most frequent among the white American boys and least frequent among the colored Americans.”    

In my research for the many years that I have been doing so, I have found no records to imply that anyone was discriminated against by race at Preston-- at least not during the time periods in which I researched (during the Administration buildings years of being open).  I saw white, black and Hispanic boys alike being treated the same in the stories and records I have recovered. 

The school often based their opinions on the boys by using the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale which measured mental abilities such as judgement, reasoning and comprehension. By 1916, that test was replaced by the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, to determine their cognitive abilities based on fluid reasoning, quantitative reasoning, knowledge, visual-spatial processing and working memory. This was to determine their intellectual weaknesses and strengths. It was not about racism or homophobia, and it certainly wasn’t based on classism. 

In fact, one of the wealthier of the wards, Herman Huber, was sent to Preston not having committed any crime at all, but more than likely because he was disobeying his grandfather or family members. The Preston admission ledger only had the word "Delinquent" next to Herman's name. His experience there was not a good one, and he never left Preston -- alive anyway. Herman was shot and killed by a guard during a botched escape attempt, and an eye-witness reported the incident to the Governor after his release from the school.  

Yes, Preston had records where they kept track of demographics such as where the boys came from, their backgrounds, their crimes and yes, their race. However, the records show that the boys who were made to do the most “disagreeable work,” such as hard labor, were doing so for acting out and not going along with the program, not because of the color of their skin. Remember this was a reform school to teach discipline, education and a trade. The school had rules to abide by, similar to the military. From the moment you stepped foot on the grounds you were expected to follow the rules. The boys were assigned to a company, not unlike in the military. You were expected to respect and follow the rules – and if you fell short, the entire company would be punished (not physically – but privileges taken away), just like in the military. 

During the time period where they had implemented a form of self-government, the boys had a choice – act right, do what was expected of you and you would move up, if you chose to disobey and cause problems you would be demoted.  Segregation, if any, wasn’t classified by race or ethnicity, but based on their age groups and what they were sent to Preston for, as the administration learned a hard lesson when during the earlier years of the school’s operations the new boys  were “indiscriminately mixed with the older institution types, feeble-minded with normal boys, moral degenerates with innocent first offenders or dependents.”  That was a recipe for disaster.

As the years went on the more problematic boys were often sent to solitary confinement for a period of time, until they were willing to cooperate. The wards who were attending classes and keeping up on the program at Preston found themselves earning more and more credits and being given more privileges. 

“He has just as many opportunities for wrong decisions as for right ones, just as many chances to go wrong as to go right. If he goes wrong, he is not combating the social order of his mental and social superiors in civilization, which he cannot respect, but he is combating his social and mental peers whom he understands and must respect. His comfort, happiness and progress depend upon his social relations; his social relations upon his free choice of conduct in the field of self-government. This, then, is the starting point for the boy: to make him conscious that he is a free moral agent and that his every decision affects his own life and status, and at Preston he makes that start the first day he arrives.” – Preston 12^th Biennial Report, page 6. 

The ward index mentioned in the article of the first 2,500 boys at the school was actually a list that I had compiled and donated to the Preston Foundation back in 2013. I made two identical copies. One of which I still have with me. It was actually the first 2,696 wards accepted at the school from its opening in 1894 to 1914.  

According to Bruce Warner, who worked at Preston for over 40 years, starting in the early 1950s,  and was both a cook and later on security detail there, stated that at its highest population during his time at Preston in the 1950s, he was feeding 1,000 wards breakfast every morning. There were a lot of boys who came and left that school. Some had bad experiences, some had good. I have interviewed some who were there going back to the 50s, 60s and even 70s, and they all said that if you kept your head down and didn't cause problems you would be okay, but if you caused problems you would go to solitary and make things harder for yourself. 

 

The article mentioned a visit to the cemetery, which is normally off limits because it is on CalFire property and is no longer part of the Preston property. So for the public, please do not attempt to visit the cemetery!

Regarding some of the deaths mentioned, 10 year old Grant Walker, was a young white American child, who came from a very large and very poor family. His father was a stagecoach driver and married someone who had many children from a previous marriage. It is my belief that the family fell on very hard times and that Grant ended up in the system because of their inability to care for him. This was not uncommon and I have found that to be the case many times. Sadly, Grant became ill with typhoid fever, a very common disease during that time period and sadly he passed away. 

In my book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History," I questioned the first two deaths reported in the Biennial Report for 1895. I have mentioned this  on my blog as well. The first two deaths that I could find in records was Adolf Antron and Grant Walker. Adolf died from pulmonary adema and Grant was said to have died from typhoid fever as mentioned above. 

The Biennial Report however mentioned the second death as "an accidental burn resulting in an intestinal ulceration." This is why I questioned Grant's death in my book, but let me be clear, the report never gave a name. This left a big question mark in my mind. Was that death by way of a chemical burn Grant, or another ward whose name was simply forgotten? One whose body had been removed by family and buried elsewhere? We will never know for certain. However, Grant's official cause of death was said to be typhoid fever, and without an autopsy report that states otherwise, we cannot say adamantly that it was anything other than that. 

The newspaper article also adamantly stated that "13 year olds don’t die of a stroke."  

To answer that, a “stroke of apoplexy,” which is what 17 year old Peter Miller died of, was something that did afflict people, young and old alike. It can be caused by a blood clot blocking the flow to the brain which is an ischemic stroke. You can also die from a stroke, caused from bleeding to the brain, types of blood clotting disorders, infections and even heart conditions. In teenagers, it can even be caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland. 

Another death, Frank Ward, who died at age 17, from “Dementia” actually died from “Dementia Paralytica” which was primarily caused from a late-stage neurosyphilis, which the person could have contracted at birth from their mother who had the disease.  

Yes, in my research I have found a few deaths that I found suspicious, not the ones mentioned in the article as those were natural causes; However, even with the research I have done, I cannot say 100% that the deaths I have suspected of possible foul play were actually homicides, nor can I make a statement that the deaths do not match the forensics. There was no forensics. The cause of death would have been determined by the coroner at the time, an upstanding man in the community whom I have researched and written about countless times. The ward's families were either unable to be located to notify them of the death, or the family was not financially in a position to retrieve the body to be buried elsewhere, and so the young deceased ward was buried on the property.  There really is nothing suspicious about that. 

Lastly, the article quoted one of the ladies stating “These are ongoing themes, people living in poverty, immigrants who didn’t have access to schooling or the ability to thrive.” -- If you were to look at the records, at least for the first 75 years of Preston's history, the majority of wards there were not all immigrants -- but primarily American Caucasian boys. Yes, over time the population of Hispanic and African-American wards increased tremendously, but to really put things in perspective, the boys and/or young men who were sent to Preston over the majority of the time it was in operation, those were boys of all races, all religions, all ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life -- You could say that Preston was actually the great equalizer.

I hope that after reading this blog you will see a more level headed perspective of the school's history. Yes, there were stories of abuse and mistreatement at different times during the school's history - I am not denying that; However, we cannot deny that the school did do a lot of good for a lot of boys who would have never stood a chance in the world without their help. Some boys that went to Preston went on to lead successful lives, and yes, some remained forever in the system, institutionalized. In reality, every boy who stepped foot on that campus had a chance to do better while there at Preston, and in the end it was up to their state of mind, their choice whether or not they would learn from their experience and do better, or use these experiences as a crutch for the rest of their life that determined where their journey would lead them as adults. 

(J'aime Rubio - Copyright 8/30/2025 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

 

 

 

Remembering James Wieden - Preston's Slain Agricultural Teacher

Another story that has been whispered around Amador County for many years is that of the death of 45 year old Vocational Agriculture Teacher at the Preston School of Industry, James Wieden, after a brutal attack that took place on December 2, 1965.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to interview a former staff member of Preston by the name of Bruce Warner. Originally hired in 1952 as a cook, Warner later worked his way around the school and at the time of Mr. Weiden's passing, he was working in the security unit.

"I was one of the last people to see him alive," stated Bruce Warner, former staff member. 

According to Warner, he was responsible for delivering the wards to and from the farm. That day there was a group of wards working with Mr. Wieden. When the time came to collect the boys for the evening, Mr. Wieden told him that he was going to keep William Dunlap and Robert Stalcup to work a little later, as they were going to help him on a personal project working on his small trailer. 

"The rest of the boys were returned and the staff were told about the two boys staying to work later with Jim, but the staff forgot until they did count at 9 p.m. and realized they were short two boys." 

Mr. Wieden was welding at the time of his assault, and didn't see the boys coming so-to-speak because he had his welding hood over his eyes and was working on the trailer. Dunlap had picked up a heavy steam pipe (which was thicker and heavier than regular pipe) and began to bludgeon Mr. Wieden with it, then they stole his car keys and his wallet and made their escape. 

Mr. Wieden struggled to get on his feet and actually managed to walk from the Blacksmith shop to the front of the farm headquarters (approximately 200 feet) where he then collapsed. Mr. Wieden was found that evening and immediately rushed to the hospital in Stockton. Bruce Warner mentioned that he remembered later seeing a lot of blood all over the ground.  

Newspaper Photo

The boys had stolen Mr. Wieden's car and were gone with the wind. Sadly, Mr. Wieden just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time it seems. It turns out that the two inmates, William Dunlap and Robert Stalcup, planned on making an escape by volunteering to stay after their regular vocational class and help the teacher weld the trailer hitch. They planned on taking advantage of being the only ones out there at the time besides Mr. Wieden.

James Wieden didn't actually die on the grounds of Preston. Although he was badly hurt, he was taken to the hospital where he later died of his injuries on December 5th.

After they were apprehended, Dunlap admitted to bludgeoning Wieden over the head with the metal pipe the size of a baseball bat, near the blacksmith shop. Apparently, before attempting to flee, they had decided that Wieden was in their way, so they chose to kill him. Both inmates were eventually caught in Southern California and later pled guilty to charges of second degree murder.

The newspaper headlines said "5 Years To Life" when the two were sentenced, but as you get to the end of the article the authorities stated for the paper that due to the pair being under 18 at the time of the murder, they would probably be walking free within a decade.

What is interesting is the fact there are etchings on a cell door at the old Amador County Courthouse Jail that says that "Bob Stalcup killed Wieden," and then just below it says "PSI." It makes you wonder who etched that? Was it William? They were both held in the jail awaiting their trials. I am pretty sure we will never have an answer for that one, but it makes you wonder.

 Courtesy of Jaime Macklin (Restore Amador)

Going back to the story, when reflecting on his memories of James Wieden, Bruce Warner stated: 

"He was the kindest person that worked there, he was the nicest one of all of us! He even took one or two boys home for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner each year, and his wife would make a big dinner for them and bake the boys cookies, too."  

As we discussed his memories of James Wieden, it was apparent that Bruce Warner thought very highly of him and he was still very sad and disgusted that such a heinous crime was committed against such a kind hearted and good person who only wanted to help the boys at Preston.

James Wieden, Agricultural Teacher at the Preston School of Industry in Ione, California passed away from his injuries on December 5, 1965 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California.

He was survived by his wife Edmee Wieden. Funeral Services were held at the Lodi Funeral Home, Elders S.S. Rutan and Ivan Kurtz presided over the services and burial took place at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi. 

The high school at the Preston School of Industry was named after James Wieden in honor of the memory of their fallen instructor.

May we never forget this loving, kind teacher. Rest In Peace, Mr. Wieden, you will never be forgotten.

(Copyright 2024 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Special thanks to Bruce Warner (former Preston School of Industry employee of over 40 years)

The Sad Tale of Walter Engell

I haven't posted anything on this blog in quite some time, but that is going to change soon. Today, I am going to share with you the story of Walter Engell. Now, this story isn't going to be a very long story but it is still a story worth sharing with you. First and foremost, I want to give a big thanks to Megan at the Ione Public Cemetery in Ione for her help with this one. 

According to Megan, they had a record at the cemetery of Walter Engell's death, but that he wasn't actually buried there. He was listed as a ward at the Preston School of Industry who sadly passed away at the school due to pneumonia. Megan reached out to me regarding this story and I went searching for that name in my records. Sure enough, I had a record of an Engell in my ward's list, but it was the wrong Engall.

So I started researching and uncovered Walter's story, a story that hasn't been told in one hundred years!

Walter was born in 1903 to Raymond G. Engell and Gussie Adams.  Walter's father was a German immigrant while his mother was born in New York to German immigrants. In 1910, the family was living at 324 W. Sepulveda Street in San Pedro, California. Walter's father was bar tender, which doesn't surprise me given the incident that led up to Walter ending up in Preston, but we will get to that shortly.

The family lived at the home with 7 year old Walter, his parents and his two siblings, Raymond Jr., and Gladys.  By 1920, the census shows the family residing at 1159 W 52nd Street, and by this time Raymond is going by his middle name Gerhard and is listed as a proprietor of a restaurant. The family has grown since then, as they now have a younger daughter, Alice, who is 8 years old at this point. Walter is listed as 16. 

By April 14, 1921, in the middle of prohibition the Los Angeles Herald publishes an account of a "Purity Brigade" arresting 10 people in a "kicky cider search." Among those arrested were Walter, only 17 by now, and his father, Gerhard Engell. 

Sadly, this is the event that would send underage Walter up to the Preston School of Industry, where he would eventually get sick and develop pneumonia which would end his life. The fact that his father had a role in what led to not only his son being arrested and going into the "system," but also his own death is something inconceivable to a normal parent. 

His body was removed from Preston, to C.W. Swain  coroner and undertaker in Ione, who made arrangements to send Walter's remains to San Pedro, where they would end up at the receiving vault at the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. His body sat in the receiving vault until he was cremated on July 7, 1924. It appears he remained in permanent storage in their "vault" until January 31, 1952 when his funeral card states "IWR" which I can only think meant "interred with relatives." 

Sadly, because he was cremated and he was later removed from the cemetery, there are no further records showing where he is located, and I haven't been able to locate where his parents are buried as of yet either. So for now, Walter Engell's final whereabouts remain a mystery.

I can only wonder what happened to Walter at Preston to cause his untimely death? Did he just catch a cold that developed into pneumonia, or was he exposed to such bad conditions at Preston that caused his illness to get worse to the point he died? I only think about this based on the fact that during the 1920s, the school was developing the reputation "The Preston School of Scandal," and Leon Adams wrote an expose' on the school and how the boys were living in pretty bad conditions at the time. Could Walter's life have been saved had he been allowed proper medical care, and better living conditions? Or was it simply just natural causes that couldn't have been changed either way? We will never know for sure.

To read more about Leon Adams' investigation into the school, please pick up a copy of "Behind The Walls" today!

J'aime Rubio - Copyright 2024 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com