Las Vegas City Commission Minutes, November 20, 1957 to December 2, 1959, lvc000011-518

lengthy, and I do not have in my hands a copy of them — I believe I could find the passage I referred to. I want to mention that there are other complaints and complaining witnesses whose affidavits are in the hands of the City Attorney. I do not know if any are present here tonight. You have heard from our members the basis on which our conclusions are made in regard to the operation of the nursery. m. GALANE: Are any of the persons here tonight whose affidavits you have? KAY MCKNIGHT: I worked for Connie Mormon just this past May and I will tell you what I saw with my own eyes — standing children in the coiner for hours and seemingly forgetting about them. Another thing, making a child take hot pepper in its mouth for doing something wrong; also feeding children peanut butter sandwiches and allowed no drink until they finished the sandwich. NELLIE MCCOLLUM: I worked for Connie Mormon for two weeks and had very distressing and disturbing experiences. One time she took a little child and in punishment for some misdemeanor; made her keep hot pepper in her mouth until the saliva dripped out of her mouth causing red marks down the front of the child. Mrs. Mormon also placed children in the corner and left them. On one occasion; quite a young child; not yet three years old; was crying bitterly. I asked what was the matter and was told she wanted to go out and play in the yard. At that point a housekeeper took the child and put her in a dark corner. I asked her to let me talk to her. I told her we were all going out and play in a little while. I had charge of as high as 21 children in my care at a time — one a Mongoloid child, and others very young. I saw quite a bit of abuse. MR. GALANE: I would like to ask Mrs. McCollum if she was a paid employee. MRS. MCCOLLUM: I was paid for one week's work — Mrs. Mormon still owes me for some time. Yes, I was a paid employee. MR. GALANE: Were you discharged for not picking up a child? MRS. MCCOLLUM: Mrs. Mormon did not direct me to pick up these children — I had been in the habit of picking them up but nothing was said. I took my husband home and was about 15 or 20 minutes late returning; Mrs. Mormon acted like a tiger in a cage. She talked abusively and I left her employ. I called her for the money she owed me but I didn't want to get into a battle over it. COMM. SHARP: Did you ever hear Connie Mormon swear in the presence of the children? MRS. MCCOLLUM: No, she spoke violently; but no swearing. COMM. SHARP: Did you see her slap or spank the children? MRS. MCCOLLUM: Yes. COMM. WHIPPLE: Did this occur frequently? MRS. MCCOLLUM: On numerous occasions. COMM. SHARP: Do you know whether or not the parents had given Mrs. Mormon this right to discipline the children in such a manner? MRS. MCCOLLUM: Just in one instance is the only one I know of. MR. GALANE: In your affidavit you stated you called the Police Department and the Juvenile Department. Who in the Police Department; and who in the Juvenile Department did you talk to? And why haven't they been heard from? MRS. MCCOLLUM: As far as what I have reported in my statement, it is all true. I was told by the dispatcher if more children were punished in this manner these days we wouldn't have juvenile delinquents -- but it still wasn't right. The dispatcher I talked to sounded like a very illiterate person. DON DANIELS: I went to the Doctor's office behind this particular nursery school and while I waited for the doctor; I watched all of these kids playing there by themselves -- just little toddlers —on some kind of toy. I watched for about 25 or 30 minutes and there was nobody else with them. The kids got into a little argument and a blonde lady came out cursing them and slapping them. I would not have approved of this if she had been doing this to my kids. (When Don Daniels was asked who the "blonde lady" was he pointed to Connie Mormon.) BARBARA DANIELS: I work at Prime Meats and Provisions. I go by the nursery on my way to work. One incident I saw was a dark-skinned girl pick up a child and drag him by one arm to the back door. It was a wonder she didn't injure his arm. It aggravated me; there is no excuse to treat children like that. MR. GALANE: I would like to request Dr. Carr, Clark County Officer of the Health Department; be heard as one of our witnesses as he would like to leave early. DR. CARR: Your Honor and City Commissioners: Late last year we were asked as part of our duties to check facilities at this location as a possible nursery; which we did. A permit was issued as it met the code according to our part. That was the last I heard of this whole situation until sometime about the last of March when I started off on a scheduled trip to Overton to immunize five or six hundred migrants for typhoid. A call was received from Mrs. Schnaer about a case of chicken pox at the Las Vegas Childrens Nursery and was told she could isolate the child in a private room with a private bath. The next day I called the nursery and was told 7-22-59