User:Hannahc.smith/"The Boys of the Dark: A Story of Betrayal and Redemption in the Deep South

The Boys of the Dark: A Story of Betrayal and Redemption in the Deep South Author: Robin Gaby Fisher, Michael O'McCarthy, Robert W. Straley

Summary:
The Boys of the Dark, nonfiction, recalls memoirs of two men who were abused and terrorized during the 1950s at the Florida School for Boys, a correctional facility for young males, as well as a search to bring justice to the victims and perpetrators with assistance from political personnel and social activists. While these two men step forward, and recollections help to tell the story of their dark past, on their search other victims confess and the two men whose almost identical stories that may have before seemed to be questionable, regain a new sense of credibilty. Through their research and investigation, along with the help of others, they find that their stay at the correction facility was not the only case of torment and neglect, and the Florida School for boys is unveiled as a hell barricading abuse, rape, and possibly murder. Among all, Straley and McCarthy sought to bring their longtime nightmare to an end.

The Florida School For Boys
Located in Jackson County in the Florida Panhandle, a small rural town, Marianna, stood The Florida School for Boys, It was practically the basis of employment for most in Marianna's residency, as otherwise most would be a farmer or field worker. The facility housed young boys who had run into or caused some kind of trouble, usually minor acts such as misbehaving in school. The outward appearance of the school looked to be a groomed lawn, with outside ammenities for the boys, and surprisingly inviting. However, when the boys stepped inside the building, they would soon realize that the school was far from inviting, as the conditions were unsanitary and stories of abuse and rape became a reality for most. When visits to the Marianna school took place, the poeple involved in Straley and McCarthey's investigation found that the claims of the school's conditions and stories of its evil were still happening.

The White House:
Michael and Robert were among hundreds, possibly thousands of young males who experienced the evil within the Florida School for Boys. As they share their stories of the horror they witnessed, they found that their experience was much alike, especially when the mention of the White House was confessed. This is what made thier stories compatible. They both recollect being forced out of their bunks in the middle of the night, with guards or officials of the facility screaming at them. Sometimes questions such as "Why were you going to escape?" or "Who do you know that has cigarettes?" would ring through their ears, as they were bewildered as to why these irrelevant words were being asked of them. Whether they answered correctly in their minds with a truthful statement claiming that they honestly did not know who had cigarettes or that they truthfully were not planning an escape (which is what their cases claimed to be) or any answer at all, it didnt matter to the officials. They would drag them to the horror house, known as the White House. O'McCarthy and Straley claimed that the guards would even brew up false accusations against them or any of the boys, and escort them straight to the White House, without question. The two men described the structure as a small white dingy building with two rooms inside. Inside is where the two boys along with possibly thousands others' innocence was swept away as they were the victims and witnesses of severely brutal floggings. In the room where the torture took place, there was a blood-stained bed where the boys were told to grab the frame of it and lie on their stomachs as the keeper of the metal-ended weapon stood behind them and lashed them one time after the other. Sometimes a large fan would be turned on to try and block out the screams of the innocent victims. The boys were told that if they tried to struggle away or scream, their lashes would start over. On some accounts, some boys received over fifty lashes, and the normal minimum was around twenty. However, whatever number of lashes any boy received, they always left with their backsides bleeding and the backs of their pants shredded. Robert experienced this brutality on his very first night at the school, and Michael experienced it similarly several times during his stay.

The Guards, Officials, and Activists:
Although not the only ones, Robert W. Hatton, school superintendent and discipline official at the time, and Troy Tidwell were among the supposed-to-be responsible adult leaders. However, there responsible sense stopped short when they were the ones during Robert and Michael's stay that were in charge of snatching the boys out of their beds and escorting the biys to the aweful, White House. In the White House, they, along with the male inmates, were the witnesses of severe floggings, however Hatton and Tidwell were the men committing these acts on the boys.

These men also allegedly committed some acts of rape among the the boys in a room the boys referred to as the Rape Room. In one account, Robert was taken there after a flogging, however the intense beating and the overwhelming feeling of having a grown man hurtling towards him, caused him to pass out, but when he awoke he was back in his bed.

Little did the two men know, however through their investigation, they found that the rumors were not a secret to the town of Marianna or even to Florida. They learned that there had been official investigations and visits by law enforcement and politicians. Also, that there were acts to try and bring the torment to a halt in the school, however when one failed, the Florida School for Boys became a low priority for the state, and it was basically forgotten about until another story of evil released. On some occassions though, the word of the facility's happenings was not overlooked when it got into the hands of some rights activists. These were the people who helped launch Straley and McCarthy's small, personal investigation into one of great measure among other victims and through the media.