APParition Distorts Real Preston Castle History

With the latest film that came out, APParition (2019) there has been a flood of misinformation that has been spread about not only the history of the Preston School of Industry, but that of Anna Corbin, a victim of a heinous murder that took place there in 1950. This blog is to sift through what has been spoon-fed to you by way of Hollywood, and what the real facts are, so that you can make an informed opinion about the real history of Preston.

First and foremost, The Preston School of Industry had gained a bad reputation over the years that it was open. There is no doubt about that. In fact, my blogs that I initially published on my "Dreaming Casually" blog site exposed a lot of the true stories that took place there that no one had written about since the events had taken place, some in upwards of over 100 years or more.

Later on, I moved my blogs over to this blog and also published my books on Preston's history. Had I not published these stories in depth on my blogs or in my two books, most people today wouldn't even know about these stories in the first place. Even the people who took over running Preston as a tourist spot weren't aware of most of the real facts behind most of these stories. Besides myself, John Lafferty (former Preston Librarian and author) and Scott Thomas Anderson, a crime reporter/journalist, there really hasn't been many people out there willing to do the research into the history of the school or events that took place there.

After my first book, "Behind The Walls" came out in 2012, even some of the docents that worked there figured out much of the stories they had been sharing with the public were not factually correct and a few of them started using my book as a means of sharing the facts with their guests to make sure they had the stories right. I have since published a follow up book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History, which has even more information and forgotten stories from Preston's past.

You see, most people over the years had heard rumors about deaths or knew names, but that was about it. They had sensationalized ideas passed down to them from friends or family members, but no one had actually researched and shared these stories with cited sources.  Many of the stories I cover in my two books were not even mentioned in John Lafferty's original Centennial History book. When I was finding the stories, I went to the library in Jackson with a list of stories I had previously uncovered and went through his book to see if he had written about any of these stories so I could reference them. As it turned out, most of the ones I had found earlier on in my research were stories he had not written about, so I was excited to share newly found stories that had been lost to the annals of history. The incidents that Lafferty had covered in his book, that I had also found in my research and put on my list, were in chronological order in his book, mostly with brief mentions of the events in short paragraph form.

For the record, Lafferty's book is a great source for a timeline of events going on from the start of the school until it closed, and his research is invaluable to anyone who wants to get a run down on the school's history. He has been a great support over the years and I have gone to him many times for advice in my research on Preston. In fact, without Lafferty's help no one would have figured out the exact location Anna Corbin had been found. I always knew that she was found in a larger store room in the basement based on witness testimony, but which room it was I was uncertain of. I always knew it wasn't the closet "cubby hole" that everyone else has tried to insinuate, and I have published that time and time again on my blogs and in my books. But thanks to John Lafferty, for transcribing the testimony of Goula Wait, we now know that the store room was the room with the plunge bath.

Going back to my work, when I decided to publish my research, I wanted to do something different with my books than anyone else had done. I wanted to take the time to write in more detail about very specific events, and  I wanted to make sure I did a thorough job detailing every part of each person's story that I possibly could so that these stories would be told with respect but most importantly with accuracy.  I took such care into researching these stories because I knew that for the most part, no one had ever read about them before since they had made headlines at the time the events took place. I also wanted my work to be easy to read and concise, so that my readers could be engaged in the story and not feel like they were reading a boring history book from school, but one that made Preston's history come alive.

This blog post is to go step by step with you to explain that what you saw in the movie APParition is not based on facts. Yes, they took the name of a person who died there but they twisted and distorted the history in such a way that there is nothing left of the real story and all that is left is the fabricated one pushed in the film.

For one, Anna Corbin (whom the character of Anna Collins was inspired by) was never involved romantically with the Superintendent. He also was never called a "Warden" either. He also didn't kill her. Anna did not live at the Castle, and she did not have a baby there either. Anna was in her 50's when she died. She was not found in a closet under the stairs, she was found in the basement store room where the plunge bath is located. At that time period the plunge bath had not been in use for decades, and that room became a store room for supplies. The pool part had been boarded over long before Anna came to work there. Anna was not a cook, she was the head of housekeeping. Anna did not witness any boys being abused or mistreated. She allegedly walked in on two wards, Eugene Monroe and William Mercer in the middle of an "act of sexual perversion" (what it was considered back then), and that was alleged to be the reason Monroe later killed her, to keep her from talking about what she saw. Did she really witness this act? There is no way to know for sure, but according to ward William Mercer during the trial, he claimed this was true.

Anna took her job seriously and proved to be a motherly influence on the boys at the school. So much so, that after news broke out about her death, many of the wards there said that if they found out who killed her they would take revenge themselves for her death. Had she witnessed staff abusing the wards there, there is no doubt in my mind that she would have said something or done something about it. She kept a daily journal of her life and there has never been any mention that she ever accused the school of abusing its wards during the time she was employed at Preston.

As far as the abuse and mistreatment of the boys goes in the film, there were times in Preston's past that there was documented proof that staff mistreated the wards. There were some deaths that can be blamed on the staff, but the place was not a "murder house." There were no boys beaten to death, no boys burned to death with acid, nothing like that.

Going back to the late 1890's with Superintendent O'Brien, he was a real tyrant and there are affidavits that prove that he abused wards. Did he kill any of them? We will never really know that, so we cannot definitively accuse him of murder.  We do know that he beat a ward, A. Ascensio very badly, and he hurt another ward Nicholas Hamilton (ward # 170), who did in fact die 6 months after the news got out about O'Brien's mistreatment to him, but documentation always insisted he died of tuberculosis. O'Brien even threatened a young boy who lived in Ione, who came up to visit the school (since back then it was an open-campus, meaning there were no fences). There were a few other Superintendents over the years who had been accused of using harsh corporal punishment on the wards as a form of disciplinary action, but there were never any accusations that the boys at Preston were being beaten to death.

As far as the deaths during an escape, Joseph Morgan was shot in Sheldon in 1899, after having escaped, although the guard in charge told the other guards not to shoot, they did it anyway.  Herman Huber was shot wantonly in 1911, and this is one of the few instances that I truly believe the guard who shot him, did it in cold blood. Why he did it, no one knows. Maybe he just didn't like Huber. But there was a witness to the murder who once paroled went straight to the Governor's office to tell him of what happened. He also admitted that at that time period the staff was abusing the wards, whipping them on the back and he showed the Governor the lash marks he had on his back from his multiple punishments. Sam Goins was shot in 1919 at the Thornton Ranch after he failed to surrender and continued running. He tripped over the fence (as witnesses stated in the inquest records) and as J. Kelly went to shoot his leg to stop him,  because he was in mid-fall, the bullet penetrated his back. He lived long enough to admit to everyone that he knew it was his own fault for being fatally injured.  Another example of negligence on the part of the staff.  Then in 1924, there was the death of Ray Baker, who in attempt to escape he fought with guard Tom Dooley, choking him nearly to death. During the tussle, Dooley was able to reach for his pistol and shot Baker, fatally wounding him. That was a classic case of self-defense, and Dooley was exonerated for any wrong doing.

Any other deaths of the wards that took place at Preston were either accidental, suicide or caused by illness (natural). The only two staff members that I could ever find who were murdered were Anna Corbin (1950) and James Wieden (1965). For the record, although he was attacked on the farm property of the school,  James did not die at Preston. He passed away at the hospital.

I hope that with this short but concise blog out there for people who are earnestly seeking the facts, you will be able to decipher between Hollywood's fakelore and the real facts surrounding Preston Castle.

Happy History Hunting!

(Copyright 2019 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

For more information on Preston Castle and it's complicated history, please check out this blog or either one of my books on the subject which can be found on AMAZON here!

PURCHASE YOUR COPIES OF "BEHIND THE WALLS" OR "IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK" HERE! 

The Lowe Files - What Did They Get Wrong?

First and foremost let me say that out of all the television shows that have been done about Preston, Rob Lowe seemed the most genuine about looking for answers. It is unfortunate though that (a) his team didn't do their research ahead of time properly and (b) the docent at Preston didn't give him the right history of the school (at least the parts that were shown on film).

This blog isn't to bash Lowe or anyone else, but it is to bring up the obvious misinformation that the show promoted. This has been an ongoing issue ever since Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures started his B.S. (blatant sensationalism) about the school's history. 

Let's start out with some of the facts that were grossly misrepresented:

1. Anna Corbin's Story

For one, Anna Corbin was NOT found in that cubby hole near the kitchen, and I really wish the shows and the docents there would stop telling people the wrong information!

Both myself and historian John Lafferty have spoken about this before, and all records and witness statements show that she was found in the larger room across the hall. The room that has the plunge bath/disinfecting pool in it was the room in which she was found. In 1950, that room was used as a storage area and that is where her body was found, in a corner covered by carpet. Her office was literally adjacent to the room she was found in. 

Another thing I would like to ask is why does every show primarily focus on Anna? The administration building was open from 1894-1960, that is a long time. A lot of history took place there, good and bad. Why focus on one story over and over, when there are literally dozens upon dozens more they could have talked about? Her murderer was known, although he was acquitted. Technically, from a "legal" standpoint it is considered "unsolved," even if the evidence and common sense tells us he was guilty of the crime. Despite the fact that justice was never served for her death, the facts speak for themselves in her case as well as the other two murders he was responsible for. I just wish people would take the time to research the facts. And furthermore, why not let Anna rest in peace for once?

2. No Deaths of Spanish Influenza

During my research on Preston, I found one newspaper account reporting the first case of Spanish Flu at the school. This took place in January of 1919. It was a staff member, not a ward. Prior to that, there had been no instance of the epidemic because they had been under strict quarantine at the school to keep everyone healthy.  Historian John Lafferty was kind enough to send me more information from that particular time period (1918-1920) which was a cited source from Kenyon J. Scudder, who was the Psychological Examiner and Vocational Director at Preston during that time. His account states not one single person died from the Spanish Flu at Preston. Although many became ill, "half of the officers, and a third of the wards"; However, absolutely no one died from Spanish Flu at Preston.  In fact, this illness brought all the staff and wards together, because many of the wards who didn't get sick, helped take care of the school and were given even more responsibilities to keep things running smoothly until the epidemic passed. 

Another note, during 1918, 1919 and 1920, the time period that Spanish Flu was at its worst, the population of the town of Ione didn't even seem to change much. I went through all the records from the local cemeteries in Ione, and records show that only 12 burials took place in 1918, 15 in 1919 and 12 in 1920. Even then, we are uncertain if the flu played any factor in those deaths. The population in 1920 was 900 for both North and South Ione combined, so as you can see, the Spanish Flu didn't affect Ione quite as much as some may assume.


3. "Preston Republic" Facts

The "self governance" idea was to allow the boys who had a better attitude and intelligence level to be given more freedoms. There was a strict guideline the school followed, even with their "Republic". Not all boys were allowed to be in the groups of self-government. Many had to be monitored by officers of the school and if you were getting into trouble you would be in the "Disciplinary" group and if you didn't obey in that group you would end up in solitary confinement. They had a strict regimented system and various levels you had to move up to. If you did not, you would be demoted. 

Did some boys like to take over the groups? Yes, that is why they would segregate boys based on their personalities. If you had a follower mentality, or a leader mentality it would determine which groups you might be assigned to. The honor cottages were for the best behaved boys that were ready for parole, and working towards finishing their trade school training so they could find employment outside of Preston upon each one's release. 

The way that the docent made that part seem was like how the saying goes : "the inmates were running the asylum," and that just wasn't the case.  Preston may have had its times where they were strict, and then their times when they were more relaxed on things, but the school never allowed the wards to "take over." Yes, there was bullying, and incidents happened because of it, but the school was not taken over by self-governing wards.

For the record, there were three deaths of wards that I could find who died from gunshot wounds while "escaping", and two of the three were NOT on the Preston School grounds. Herman Huber was the ONLY boy shot and killed while trying to run away (escape) on the property, and that was in 1911. There is other stories of wards escaping, or attempting to escape, one of which a boy attacked a guard and was shot and killed, too, but he did not run away. He was trying to kill a guard and the guard shot him in self-defense. There were multiple escapes where the wards were not harmed.

Herman Huber was shot during his escape, and ward, Ernest Reed, who was paroled shortly after came before the Governor and told him that the guard, Jefferson French shot Huber wantonly. Nothing was done about it in the end, and the guard was exonerated. There were rumors that because of the "credit system" implemented there, that older wards who were just about to parole would "fake escape" and have the younger wards snitch on them in order to get enough credits to be released early. 

In order to leave Preston before the age of 21 you had to earn about 6,000-7,000 credits. From the moment you were there you had to earn a certain amount of credits a day to stay on track; However, those who snitched on escapees would automatically earn enough credits for an early release as a sort of reward for helping the school.  If you told on an escapee you would earn all  your credits in one shot, which would guarantee an early release. Also, the Preston School of Industry's Biennial Reports mention this "system" still going on well into 1918. 

To learn more about this please read "Behind The Walls." 


4. No Indian Burial Ground

According to research, Preston was built on top of of the remains of an ancient Miwok Village, but there has been no evidence that the castle was built on any type of "burial ground." Another thing to remember, the stories of ghosts and spirits haunting locations happen all over the world, so the idea that places are haunted because of an "indian burial ground" is about as far fetched as a Stephen King plot. (No offense Mr. King, I like your work!)

But really, come on...what about all the haunted "castles" in Europe? What about all the haunted places around the entire globe? Where are the "native burial grounds" there? There have been so many people living all over the world, that if we were to know where every single person had died or was buried we would be scared to build anywhere. Let's be realistic here. 

In ending, the information pushed as fact on the recent premiere of the Lowe Files was just about as fabricated as a Hollywood movie plot. The true accounts of events that took place at the Preston School of Industry are much more interesting than any made up story that Hollywood could conjure up, yet unfortunately it seems that no one in the film industry is interested in facts, just sensationalism. Such a shame.


(Copyright 2017 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Information from Historian John Lafferty: 
(Kenyon J. Scudder, Between the Dark and the Daylight; Berkeley: Univ. of Calif., 1972, )

Herman Huber's History Revealed

I recently received an email from one of my blog followers, Amanda Boling, in regards to Herman Huber's backstory. She had done some digging which revealed another tidbit into the life of young Mr. Huber, before he was sent to Preston on December 6, 1910.   Although she sent me some information I already had, she did point to a census record I hadn't seen, that shows Herman Huber was living with his mother Jennie, and her husband Amos Brothers (Herman's step-father) by 1910, in Alameda County. At that time Herman was 17 year old.

The other record she mentioned was another accounting for a person named Herman Huber, stationed at Yerba Buena Island in the same 1910 census, as an apprentice seaman. I had found that record before when I was researching Huber's life, but was never sure whether or not that was the right Herman Huber. After seeing the other census that Amanda pointed out, showing his mother and step-father were in fact living nearby, I think that it is safe to assume this could have been the right Herman Huber, too.

So why did I have information that Herman lived with his grandpa, William Ladd Willis in Sacramento? The story goes back to Herman's parents.  A strapping young man by the same name, Herman Huber, (born January 30,1873) at some point Herman met a young Jennie Willis (born August 4, 1873) and the two became sweethearts. By the time Herman had met Jennie, he was living with his mother, who was then a widow. A terrible accident killed his father on February 4, 1889.

Herman's father, who was also named Herman Huber, was thrown off his horse in Freeport, immediately causing death from a broken neck. He was a native of Switzerland and had been a very successful farmer in the area, leaving quite a large fortune behind. Jennie's father was William Ladd Willis, a native of New York. Willis had worked in the editorial department of the Record-Union in Sacramento for thirteen years and compiled the 'State Speller' publications for the State Board of Education. He also authored the book, The History of Sacramento. 

The Sacramento Daily Union, dated May 25, 1890, gives us a peek of the social circles the two lovebirds ran with:

"On Friday evening, at the residence of his mother, six miles south of the city, on the Freeport road, a very pleasant surprise party was tendered to Herman L. Huber, who had just returned from Hopkins' Academy at Oakland for a short vacation. The evening was spent in games, music and singing. About midnight a splendid repast was served. The guests departed at a late hour, wishing Herman a pleasant vacation. Among those present were: Misses Emma E. Foster, Mae Blodgett, Jennie Willis, Lulu Rich, Lentie and Clara Brooke, Mrs. A. J. Huber, Mrs. H.W. Watkins and Carol Watkins of Oakland."--

By March 9, 1892, Jennie Willis and Herman Huber were married, as the Sacramento Daily Union also mentions:

"Herman L. Huber and Jennie L. Willis were yesterday united in marriage by Rev. Mr. Ottmann at the residence of E.B. Willis, 616 M Street. The bride was attended by her sister, Theodora Willis and Charles Huber, brother of the groom, was groomsman. There were present at the ceremony the relatives of the bride and groom and a few intimate friends only. The presents were very handsome and tasteful. The happy couple have gone to Monterey on their wedding trip.....The groom is a well-known and prosperous young farmer of Freeport Township, and the bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Willis of this city."---

By August 8, 1893, Herman Huber, Jr., was born to Jennie and Herman Huber, Sr. The marriage didn't last very long, and on July 9, 1896, the papers revealed that Jennie Huber was granted a divorce from Herman, with no mention of the grounds.

It appears that was more than likely around the time that Herman went to live with his grandfather, William Ladd Willis in Sacramento. I believe his mother also temporarily moved in with her parents, until she remarried, this time to Amos Brothers on February 24, 1900.  Jennie is accounted for on the 1900 census as living with Amos Brothers and his family in Berkeley, Alameda County. It is unclear how long Herman lived with his grandparents in Sacramento, although we know for sure by 1910, he was living with his mother and step-father in Alameda County.

I have found many accounts of a "Herman Huber," who was a well known marksman in California. A sharp shooter at the top of his game, this person was winning championships and making quite the name for himself. I cannot be certain but I believe that may have been Herman Sr., being that many of the competitions took place when little Herman would have been between 10 and 14, although I guess anything is possible. Maybe he took after his father and enjoyed the sport?

One event that I noticed occurred in 1909, could have very well been Herman Jr., given he was 16 years old by that time.

"Oakland, March 14.-- Herman Huber's name was first in the list of winning marksmen at the Shell Mound ranges today, the well known competitor winning several first prizes. With a score of 605 Huber won the first prize for the best three bullseye centers during the year in the competition of the Noddeutscher schuetzen club, and also garnered the awards for the largest number of bullseyes and the best 10 shot score. Huber's score in the 10 shot match was 2, 157 shooting in the first champion class."-- San Francisco Call, March 15, 1909

SF Call 10/24/1911

Could this have been our Herman, or even perhaps his father? It is hard to tell. But the one thing that stood out when I was reading the article was another name that appeared on the long list of his competitors that I recognized right away, J. French.

That is the same first initial and last name of the man who shot Herman Huber at Preston on October 17, 1911, killing him. Is this a coincidence? Or could this be the same person?

As of right now, I have no way to tell, but that won't stop me from continuing to research it further. Ernest Reed, the eyewitness who saw J. French shoot Huber stated that he did not shoot up in the air as French had claimed, but intentionally shot Huber.  Could he have wanted to shoot Huber for some reason that was never brought up? Could there have been more to the story than just an attempted escape gone wrong? Did these two people know one another beyond the boundaries of Preston?

We still do not know why Herman Huber was sent to Preston. The newspapers claimed that because of his "waywardness" and hanging around a crowd of people his family didn't approve of is what sent him there, even the Preston ledgers at the State Archives in Sacramento only labeled his entry as "Delinquent."

Herman's father went on to move to Southern California, where he eventually passed away in 1954. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Jennie Brothers, Herman's mother died in 1950, and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery. Just yesterday I finally found their memorials on Findagrave and linked them to their son's memorial. Although they are all buried many hundreds of miles from one another, they now can be joined together via "Find-a-Grave."

Let's keep remembering Herman Huber, and hopefully one day, we may find more evidence that can explain the real motive behind his death in 1911.

To learn the story of Herman Huber's death at the Preston School of Industry, please click on the link below:

"THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING HERMAN HUBER'S DEATH"


-- (Copyright 2016, J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com )

Thank you Amanda Boling for the 1910 Census information!

The Mystery Surrounding Herman Huber's Death

Copyright: J. Rubio

Tucked away and forgotten in the old Masonic Cemetery adjacent to Sacramento's Historic City Cemetery, sits the small and humble grave of a young man known as Herman Huber. Not too many people know about Herman Huber or the story of his death, while at the Preston School of Industry. 

Contrary to many people's ideas, he was the only ward who was actually shot and killed in an escape attempt while still on the school's property. You see, most people assume that Sam Goins was shot at Preston, but he wasn't. They also think a lot of people were killed at Preston, not counting deaths by natural causes. There really wasn't that many, only a handful that I have uncovered.  Unlike the stories of Anna Corbin or Samuel Goins, Herman Huber's death has been pretty much ignored over the years. To my own knowledge, I was the first person to even mention his story, since the days the story made newspaper headlines.


Herman Huber was received at Preston on December 6, 1910. There is no sort of notation as to what sort of crime or conviction he may or may not have had. The enormous antique register book at the State Archives only reflects the word "delinquent" next to Herman's name on the list. Other wards entries usually depicted the crime and conviction for the reason they were sent to Preston. In Herman's case, it just says "delinquent." This has been a mystery I still have yet to uncover, as to why he was sent there at all. I could never find any archives stating that he had committed any crimes. It seems apparent that whoever sent him to Preston, wanted him to stay for four years being that his release date was written for August of 1914.

Herman's grandfather was of high society in Sacramento. William Ladd Willis worked for 13 years in the editorial department of the Record-Union and authored "The History of Sacramento."- There is no mention of him in any records besides the Census records where it shows him as being Willis' grandson and residing with his grandfather.   

SF Call 

On the night of October 17, 1911, around the time when staff was ringing the dinner bell, Herman Huber and another friend, John Kirrane made their escape under the cover of darkness. According to school officials, the night watchman French*, noticed they were gone and went after them.

J.D. French claimed that he shot his gun to warn the Superintendent that an incident was occurring and accidentally shot and killed Huber. Another ward, Ernest Reed, who was paroled that very week, claimed that he witnessed French shoot Huber deliberately. He also came before Governor Hiram Johnson and claimed this and told of the harsh treatment wards were subjected to on a daily basis.

"The boys who would incur displeasure of the officials at the school, are confined to insanity quarters, flayed on their bare back with a heavy strap and given a bread and water diet, with more water than bread."--

In my book, Behind The Walls, I offer a look at the possibility that Herman Huber's attempt to escape was actually a farce. As I have previously documented in both my Dreaming Casually blog and my book, there was a point system at Preston and if you received all your points, or credits you could parole early. One of the ways to earn all your points at one time and parole was to snitch on someone escaping.  Of course technically the reports state that this "system" was not used until the beginning of 1912, given the fact this was late in the year of 1911 and the fact I have found so many inconsistencies in the Biennial Reports, it wouldn't surprise me if this "system" wasn't already being used there.

Copyright: J. Rubio

Either way, the guard was exonerated on all charges and it was noted that he was just "performing his duty" on the job. We will truly never know what happened that night that Herman Huber was shot and killed on the grounds of the Preston School of Industry.  His family is not buried next to him, leaving Herman forever alone and forgotten.  

To read more about Herman Huber and the rest of the Preston School of Industry's history, please keep reading my blog and check out a copy of my book, "Behind The Walls" today! 

(*some papers noted his name as J.D. French or R.W. French)

(© Copyright 2012-2015, J’aime Rubio, Originally published either on blog “Dreaming Casually” by J’aime Rubio, on my Facebook Page or in the book “Behind The Walls- A Historical Exposé of The Preston School of Industry” by author, J’aime Rubio.)

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission by the author/publisher, J’aime Rubio.