When Someone Famous Steals Your Research: My Preston Castle Story

 

I want to start by telling you a story.......

I was driving in my car when I first heard it — a podcast episode about Preston Castle. Specifically about the deaths that occurred there. And then, somewhere in the middle of it, I heard my name, "Historian J'aime Rubio," she said. I remember smiling. It always means a lot when someone acknowledges your work, especially in the paranormal and history world where so many people take information without giving any credit at all.

I even sent her an email. Something simple — a thank you for the mention. I never got a response. I didn't think much of it at the time. People are busy. Inboxes get full. I let it go.

But a few weeks later, I sat down and listened to the entire episode from beginning to end. And as I listened, something started to feel off. There was a familiarity to it that I couldn't quite place at first — a strange déjà vu. And then it hit me.

I was hearing her speak, and I felt it was all too familiar — because it was my own words.

The Research Behind "Deaths at Preston Castle"

I want to give you some context before I show you the evidence, because it matters.

In December of 2019, I published a blog post titled "Deaths at Preston Castle" right here on this blog. That post was not something I threw together in an afternoon. It was the result of years of primary source research — death records, California State Archives, county newspapers, the Preston School of Industry's official Biennial Reports, and more. I tracked down documents that most people don't even know exist. I dug into cases where the records conflicted with each other and I found the truth buried in documents no one had ever bothered to look at.

I do this work because I believe these people deserve to be remembered accurately. Every ward, every employee, every soul who passed through those doors — they are real people. They are not props for ghost stories. And it is my mission to be a voice for the voiceless and to honor the forgotten ones so they will be forgotten no more.

That blog post — the original, the documented, the cited one — is still right here on this blog where I published it in 2019.

A Famous Name in the Paranormal World

I am not going to name this person in this post. That is an intentional choice, and I want to be clear about why: this post is about the evidence, not about creating a spectacle.

But I do want you to understand who we are talking about, because it matters to the story. This is not a small or unknown content creator. This is a well-known, nationally recognized paranormal celebrity with a very large and dedicated following. She has appeared on television and has had her own paranormal television series. Her name carries significant weight in the paranormal community. She has a platform that most independent historians and researchers could only dream of.

And she used that platform to present my research as her own.

The one time she did credit me — specifically when she mentioned that "historian J'aime Rubio dug further" and found a conflicting death record for Grant Walker — proved that she knew exactly where her information was coming from. She acknowledged me once, for one finding, and then went on to use the rest of my research without a single additional credit. That single mention is not a courtesy. In context, it is evidence.

The Evidence — My Words vs. Her Podcast

Below is a comparison of my original blog text (published December 30, 2019) alongside excerpts from her 2021 podcast transcript. I will let you read it and draw your own conclusions.

 

Case	My Blog — December 2019	Her Podcast — 2021
Grant Walker	"you will notice he is listed as one of the boys who died from illness...typhoid fever. However, the 1896 Biennial report lists two deaths that year and one of the deaths was from accidental burns, intestinal ulceration. It is as if he ingested something toxic which burned his insides."	"At first, it seems like he may have died from typhoid fever. However, historian Jamie Rubio dug further and found a conflicting death register that suggests Walker may have died from severe internal burns after ingesting something toxic."  Note: This is the one case where she credited me.
Herman Huber & John Kirrane — Escape & Shooting	"Herman and another friend, John Kirrane, attempted to escape the school...The night watchman J.D. French went after them. Although French claimed he only meant to shoot a warning shot...another ward claimed that he watched French shoot Herman in cold blood."	"Herman Hubert and fellow Ward and friend John Karaine made an escape just as the dinner bell rang...night guard J. D. French pursued the two escapees and fired his weapon...French claimed he tried to fire a warning shot, but Karaine maintained that French shot Herman in cold blood."
Tahema Vann — Drowning	"Tehama claimed that he could swim 'dog fashion'...Two boys, Robert Rains and Albert Rubidoux tried to dive in after him, to no avail. It wasn't until the next morning that they were able to retrieve his lifeless body that had sunk to the bottom of the pond. He is buried at the Preston Cemetery."	"Tahama Van, confident about his doggy paddle, dove in...Robert Raines and Albert Rubideaux tried to save Van...It wasn't until the next morning that they were able to retrieve his lifeless body that had sunk to the bottom of the pond. He is buried at the Preston Cemetery."  The final two sentences are nearly word-for-word identical.
Frank Cardarella — Epilepsy & Suicide	"Frank was found in his cell...He had ripped his sleeping shirt into pieces, fashioning for himself a makeshift noose...the day before, he had been suffering from seizures due to epilepsy. Instead of the staff sending him to the infirmary...they took him back to his cell and left him there." (my original post had his date of death listed as Valentine's Day, February 14th, however this was a typo.)	"Frank Cardarella had epilepsy and experienced seizures because of it. Instead of receiving treatment, Frank was kept in his cell...Frank died by suicide after making a noose from his shredded night shirt." She also repeated the typo I had made on my blog, as Frank did not actually die on Valentine's day as she stated. I later corrected my mistake to reflect the correct date, but since she didn't actually research the story, she repeated the error.
Sam Goins — Fatal Escape	"J.E. Kelly, who had gone after Sam, shot aiming at Sam's leg to stop him...he tripped. As he fell, the bullet hit him in the back and this wound proved to be fatal...He was twenty years old and only two months away from being released."	"John Kelly of Preston Guard accidentally shot Samuel in the back. Samuel died from the wound. He was twenty years old and only two months from being released from Preston."
Edgar Hough & Leland Price — Football Fight	"During the middle of a Saturday night football game at Preston, a fight between wards Edgar Hough and Leland Price broke out. As a punishment the two were locked in the basement alone...Price was knocked down...fracturing his skull on the concrete floor. He fell into a coma from which he never recovered. He died the following morning."	"Wards Edgar Howe and Leland Price got into a fight during a Saturday night football game...they were locked together in Preston's basement...Price's skull was fractured after hitting the ground and he fell into a coma. Leland Price died the next morning."
William Reppert & Henry Herstein — Buried Alive	"While digging a sewer ditch on the school property, six boys were buried alive when the trench...caved in. Four of the boys were saved, but both William and Henry perished in the ground."	"nine wards were digging a ditch on the property for sewage...the ditch caved in and trapped six boys. Four were extracted, but two remained buried. William Reppert and Henry Herstein both died after being buried alive."
Cemetery Closing Detail	"In total, there are 18 boys buried in the Preston Cemetery."	"There are eighteen boys buried in a small cemetery on the property."

 

Every single one of the cases above — the names, the dates, the specific details, the narrative structure — came from my original research that took years to compile. There is no way this podcaster miraculously came up with the same exact, nearly word-for-word chronological list of deaths.  

Why I'm Writing This

I have a responsibility — to myself, to my readers, and to the people whose stories I have spent years protecting. The wards of Preston Castle were voiceless in life. They deserve to have their stories told truthfully and with credit given where it is due. It isn't right when people go around taking the research of others to profit off of it and don't bother to cite their sources, nor is it right to blatantly read another person's work verbatim.

My research belongs to me. It is documented. It is dated. And if you are going to share it with the world — which I genuinely encourage — please do so with a link, a name, and an acknowledgment that someone spent years making it possible for you to tell that story. 

These are not ghost stories. These are real people. And their histories deserve to be handled with care, and respect given to the keeper of the histories, the ones who actually do the research to honor these forgotten souls.  --

Copyright © J'aime Rubio 2026  |  www.jaimerubiowriter.com

 

© J'aime Rubio  |  prestoncastlehistory.blogspot.com  |  www.jaimerubiowriter.com
 Original blog post: "Deaths at Preston Castle" — Published December 30, 2019
 All research is the intellectual property of J'aime Rubio.

Deaths at Preston Castle

When you watch a paranormal television program, or maybe even one of the films that have come out that exploit Preston Castle’s history, you will find a common theme: Ghosts. This is because of the fact that it is documented that there were some people who died on the property over the many years that the school was in operation.

So many times, when people re-tell history, the stories are told incorrectly, over embellished or just made up all together. Once these over-the-top ghost stories get started, well, it’s hard to stop it. I am not just talking about Preston Castle stuff either, this happens in all sorts of historic locations all over the world.

This bothers me because I stick to the facts, and although I do believe that there is a spirit realm and that it does in fact exist, I choose not to go there with my work unless I have to.  My primary purpose for sharing history with the world is to share an accurate telling of the past. And in turn by telling the truth, and shining a light on that truth by way of debunking the false stories and sharing the documented facts, I am honoring the very souls that have been lost to us in death. That is my gift to those who have passed on, to remember them – with respect and with accuracy. To be a voice for the voiceless, and honor the forgotten ones so they will be forgotten no more.

Here is a list and summary of some of the deaths that have occurred at Preston Castle. This list is so that those who are truly seeking the facts about the souls who have lost their lives here can have accurate information in their quest for Preston Castle’s history.

Natural Deaths At Preston

To give you a list of all the deaths at Preston would be nearly impossible. Reason being is that so many of the records of the school have been purged over the years, and what is left at the State Archives do not reflect all of the wards who have walked through those castle doors. It is a known fact that there were deaths from the time the school opened until it closed (even the newer facility).  The first death at the school that was due to illness or health related issues, was Adolf Antron who died on February 20, 1895, from Pulmonary Edema.  The next boy who died that year was Grant Walker, which I will get into a little further in this blog.  Both Adolf and Grant are buried out back behind the castle in the cemetery. (The Preston Cemetery is not accessible; it is on Cal-Fire property. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO VISIT).

According to the Preston School of Industry’s Biennial Report, dated August 1, 1896, the school’s physician, A.L. Adams report states that given the conditions the boys were in when committed to the school, they were not surprised by the high rate of “hospital inmates” as he put it. In fact, he speaks of the entire facility having been exposed to some of the worst illnesses including incipient phthisis (known today as Tuberculosis), typhoid fever, scarlet fever, epidemic influenza, tonsillitis, malarial fever and pneumonia, as well as chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, chorea, and the regular fractures, bruises, abscesses and contusions.

Another thing I would like to add is that even though there was an outbreak of the Spanish Influenza between 1918-1920, and despite the fact that half of the officers working there and a third of the wards committed there were affected by the virus, none of the infected died from the illness.

In total, there are 18 boys buried in the Preston Cemetery. Of these 18 boys, 15 are ones that are listed as dying from illnesses.

Adolf Antron (1/22/1877-2/20/1895) COD: Pulmonary Edema

Grant Walker (7/15/1886-6/17/1895) COD: Typhoid Fever (?)

William C. Williams (8/26/1879-6/6/1897) COD: Acute Meningitis

Nicholas Hamilton (1/13/1878-5/17/1898) COD: Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Frank Ward (unknown- 7/17/1898) COD: Paralytic Dementia

Woolrich Leonard Wooldridge (5/23/1880-10/17/1899) COD: Acute Cerebral Meningitis

Hugh Simms (6/4/1893-1912) COD: Tuberculosis

Roy Scoville (9/14/1895-4/29/1913) COD: Meningitis

Eddie Heath (7/19/1894-5/13/1913) COD: Myocarditis

John Miller (8/13/1898-6/13/1913) COD: Meningitis

Joseph Howe (10/20/1897-12/11/1913) COD: Tuberculosis

Peter Miller (6/28/1897-1/20/1914) COD: Stroke of Apoplexy

Benjamin Kealohi (5/13/1897-6/17/1915) COD: Acute Nephritis, Peritonitis, Appendicitis rupture.

James Lopez (4/7/1903-12/23/1919) COD: Bronchial Pneumonia

Raydell Holliday (1/31/1909-3/23/1922) COD: Influenza, Rheumatic Fever, Heart disease.

The only reason we have such detailed information for the above boys listed is because of the fact they were buried on the property. Why were they buried there? Well, the school gave a certain allotment of time for next of kin to claim the body of the deceased so they could have funeral arrangements made elsewhere, but unfortunately many times the boys either had no family to notify or their family were destitute, meaning they had no financial means to recover their child to bury him properly. In that case, the school had the cemetery available to bury their unclaimed dead there, so they could rest in peace, properly.

We know there were other illness related deaths at the school over the years, but since their families came to retrieve their remains, we do not have a complete list of all of them.

Unnatural Deaths at or around Preston Castle

When I say unnatural death, I mean that the death was either a homicide, accidental, suicide or questionable. Four of these listed are buried at the cemetery on the property. These are the deaths that I have found in my many years of researching this school. 

Wards:

Grant Walker  (died on June 17, 1895)

Going back to Grant Walker, you will notice he is listed as one of the boys who died from illness on my first list above (typhoid fever).  However, the 1896 Biennial report lists two deaths that year and one of the deaths was from accidental burns, intestinal ulceration. It is as if he ingested something toxic which burned his insides. Now, the only two deaths listed that year were Grant Walker and Adolf Antron, and Adolf's death is listed in the Biennial Report matching the description of the one with pulmonary edema. So how did Grant die? Did he have typhoid fever, or did he accidentally ingest something toxic? And if so, what did he ingest? That is a mystery to which we will never have the answers to. We can only speculate, and so, this is why I have listed him on both lists (Natural and Unnatural Deaths).

Joseph Morgan (died July 1899)
Shot after escaping the school, his wounds proved to be fatal. He was not killed on Preston property, but instead he died at Sheldon which is located near Elk Grove, California. 

Herman Huber (died October 17, 1911)
At the time that staff was ringing the dinner bell, Herman and another friend, John Kirrane, attempted to escape the school in the dark. The night watchman J.D. French went after them. Although French claimed he only meant to shoot a warning shot to to sound the alarm so that the Superintendent would know something was happening, another ward, Ernest Reed, claimed that he watched French shoot Herman in cold blood. 

Tahema Vann (died on June 6, 1914)
According to official reports, the boys from Company (I) went down to the pond to swim about twenty minutes after finishing their supper. Captain Enright told the boys that if they were not good swimmers, to stay at the shallow end of the pond. Tehama claimed that he could swim "dog fashion" just before he dove in head-first. The boys who witnesses the incident said that he came up once for air and raised his hand and arms in a panic, just before he went under and never surfaced again. Two boys, Robert Rains and Albert Rubidoux tried to dive in after him, to no avail. It wasn't until the next morning that they were able to retrieve his lifeless body that had sunk to the bottom of the pond. He is buried at the Preston Cemetery.


Frank Cardarella (died February 12, 1917)
Frank was found in his cell, dangling from a water pipe above him. He had ripped his sleeping shirt into pieces, fashioning for himself a makeshift noose in which he used to commit suicide. the day before, he had been suffering from seizures due to epilepsy. Instead of the staff sending him to the infirmary to be treated, they took him back to his cell and left him there. Such a sad ending for a young man who just needed someone to care for him. 


Sam Goins (died April 19, 1919)
After escaping the school, Sam made it all the way to the Thornton ranch, Northeast of Lodi.  He threatened to kill anyone who attempted to apprehend him. J.E. Kelly, who had gone after Sam, shot aiming at Sam's leg to stop him. But at the same moment Sam was attempting to jump over the wire fence, he tripped. As he fell, the bullet hit him in the back and this wound proved to be fatal. The staff brought him back to Preston, where he lived a short time on the way up there. He admitted to the men who apprehended him that he knew he was at fault for the incident and therefore he exonerated Kelly from being responsible for his death. 

Frank Aljers (died May 13, 1922)
Frank arrived at Preston on May 6, 1922. He had been in a motorcycle accident just prior to him being sentenced to Preston. His injuries were worse than they expected and when he arrived at Preston he went straight to the hospital at the school. He died a week later.


Ray Baker (died July 26, 1924)
While in an attempt to escape, Ray Baker attacked and tried to murder guard Thomas Dooley, by choking him. During the struggle, Dooley managed to get his pistol out and he shot Baker. The ward died 10 minutes after arriving at the hospital.

Leland Price (died December 1924)
During the middle of a Saturday night football game at Preston, a fight between wards Edgar Hough and Leland Price broke out. As a punishment the two were locked in the basement alone. The fight resumed, and at some point Price was knocked down or slipped, fracturing his skull on the concrete floor. He fell into a coma from which he never recovered. He died the following morning.

Manuel Vargas (died January 29, 1922)

On January 29, 1922, a tragic accident took place at the stables of the Preston School of Industry. Apparently, Manuel Vargas  was cleaning the stables and somehow touched the leg of one of the newer horses while in his pen, thus spooking it enough to kick back, which inflicted a fatal blow to Vargas' head. His body was originally brought to the Ione Cemetery to be prepared for transport to Los Angeles where he was sent to family to be buried.

The California Death records have his death under Gilberto Vargas, and erroneously dated his death as February 29, 1922, when in fact, he actually died on January 29, 1922. The only reason we know the exact dates are (a) the Ione Public Cemetery has a recording of that date in their ledger, and (b) the newspapers in Amador County chronicled the story in both the Ledger and the Ione Valley Echo in the early part of February.

William Reppert &  Henry Herstein (died December 4, 1928)
While digging a sewer ditch on the school property, six boys were buried alive when the trench the boys were digging in, caved in. Four of the boys were saved, but both William and Henry perished in the ground. Their bodies were recovered and Henry's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school.

Staff:

Anna Corbin (died February 23, 1950) 
The most widely talked about murder that took place at Preston, is that of Anna Corbin's death. There is no way I can summarize her murder in one short paragraph as there is so much complexity to the case. The facts of the case was that she was found in the basement store room in a half-sitting position in the corner. Rugs had been placed in an attempt to hide the body. She had been choked and bludgeoned. Her cause of death was from skull fractures due to her head hitting the concrete floor of the basement. 

To read in depth about her life and death please visit my blog here: The Life and Death of Anna Corbin. 

James Wieden (died December 5, 1965)
On December 2, 1965, Preston's agricultural teacher James "Jim" Wieden was brutally attacked by two wards on the Preston property. After assaulting Wieden, they stole his vehicle and his wallet and escaped. They were eventually caught and tried as adults. Although the "Ghost Adventures" show tried to claim that the "agricultural teacher" was murdered at Preston, history proves that he was transferred to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and passed away on December 5, 1965. 

Non-Staff/Non-Ward Death:

Fred Downs (died August 4, 1902)
During my years of researching the Preston School of Industry's various history, I've come across many interesting stories. This particular story was about a man who met his fate at the Preston Reservoir, but he wasn't a staff member, nor was he a ward. In fact, Fred Downs was just a regular guy who happened to have been on a hunting trip with his two buddies George Gorman and Ed Tibbitts when he met his fatal ending.

The group of men were coming from Sutter Creek, but decided to hunt for doves near Mount Echo, just northeast of the reservoir. Nightfall was coming, so Fred made his last kill for the night, but the dove fell into the reservoir. Seeing that it was beyond his reach, he decided to go in after it and wanted to take a little swim as well. His friends claimed that he had only got chest deep in the water, wading normally when all of a sudden he went under.

There was no sign of distress, no sound, nothing. In a panic his friend ran to the man attending the reservoir, Mr. Henderson, who arrived "within seconds". Fred's friends claimed they couldn't swim and that is why they didn't go in after him immediately, however given the amount of time between him going under and Mr. Henderson arriving it was said that it was nearly impossible for him to have drowned so fast. They pulled him out of the water, but he died on the banks of reservoir, before the doctor could reach him.

They didn't know whether he drowned, collapsed in the water from heart failure or had some sort of heat stroke, but Fred Downs died suddenly and unexpectedly on Monday, August 4th, 1902. He was well liked within the community of Sutter Creek, where he was raised. He was 34 years old, unmarried and it was said that "He was a great favorite with all who knew him, and his sudden and untimely death would be deplored by all."

Liberto Mendes  (died February 13, 1932)

This death took place in the Preston hospital after Liberto was badly injured in an explosion at the Kennedy Mine in Jackson, California. Two of his other co-workers were killed instantly, while the fourth was badly injured but survived to tell the tale. To learn more about this story please click here. 

George Robertson  (died May 15, 1901)

This death may or may not have taken place at the Preston hospital. According to records found during my research for my latest book, "Down Below: A History of Deaths at the Kennedy Mine," I discovered that although George was fatally injured on the Kennedy property, he was taken "to Ione, where he was placed in charge of local physicians. They concluded that an operation was useless, and after intense suffering he died  Wednesday morning.”--- Amador Ledger Dispatch May 17, 1901.

 

Conclusion

In ending, these are the forgotten ones of Preston's past that I strive so hard to protect and respect. I hope that those of you who are honestly seeking to learn the truth about Preston and its very complicated history, enjoy reading my research. 

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

If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History -- Book Release

(Copyright: J'aime Rubio)

              My latest book, "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History" is now available on Amazon for purchase.  This is a follow up to my original book on the history of the Preston School of Industry, "Behind The Walls." This title includes additional narratives discovered during my continued research of this school's history over several years. Learn about even more dangerous and sometimes deadly events that took place there, as well as some of the sad backstories of young wards sent to Preston because of poor circumstances, not having committed any crime at all. 

(Copyright: J'aime Rubio)

This concise but engaging read covers wild and crazy escapes to tragic accidents and everything in between. Also included are biographical sketches of infamous and famous former wards such as Merle Haggard, Rory Calhoun and Allen Smiley, to a list of former wards who ended up on death row, including the "Red Light Bandit, Caryl Chessman, as well as positive stories that also took place there. This is a must read for any Preston Castle enthusiast! 

I really enjoyed compiling all the stories within this book, as well as interviewing various people who were related to several of the former wards, including Allen Smiley's daughter, Luellen Smiley. She was a fantastic help in retelling her father's backstory, as well as providing me with the genuine copy of her father's court records that showed exactly when he was sent to Preston. 

Sample of my Introduction Page: 

"After publishing my first historical non-fiction book about the Preston School of Industry,  “Behind The Walls,” I had mentioned in the introduction that my work would never be finished. Back then, I had barely scratched the surface of what was hidden deep in Preston Castle’s past. For the last several years I have been continuing my research, publishing and sharing my latest blog “Preston Castle History,” with the world.

I felt that it would be a good idea to combine my latest research into an additional follow-up book to go along with “Behind The Walls.”  In this title, there’s a great collection of short stories of former wards of the school, along with details of what became of them upon leaving Preston.  This book also covers other various incidents that took place on the property involving employees and other Amador County residents that many people are often unaware of.

As I always state, Preston’s history will never be complete, not as long as there are still stories out there waiting to be found and to be told. I hope that with this additional book, you will enjoy learning even more about some of the people who once walked through the doors of one of Amador County’s most beautiful architectural treasures, Preston Castle!" -- from "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History" by J'aime Rubio.

TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF

 "If These Walls Could Talk: More Preston Castle History" 

(Click Here to be directed to Amazon) 

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

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.