The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-05-26


The following letter was intended for the
grand jury, but they had passed upon The
case before the letter was finished The
boy referred to is about IS years old
A bill was found against him'by the grand
jury for larceny, but his case has not yet
been called up in court.
OTTAWA, May 18th, 1853.
70 he gentlemen Of lie gra"d jgiy, nor
sitting in Otiara :--Gcntlcmcn-Thc case
of the boy, which has been brought before
you is one Of great interest, and brings to
notice principle in the treatment Of cIimi-
mails Of much practical importance.
II appears that the boy has an almost ire
sistibc desire to appropriate to himself
whatever he can lay his hands upon, and
{ at although he las suffered severe bodily
clastsemcnt, still the desire to steal exists
in his mind lie does not at all deny his
guilt-hc admits it, The question occurs
Why has this boy such strong propensity to
steal: and what ought TO be the proper
treatment to be pursued towards him:
We all have received from our Creator the
organ of acquisitveness, which gives us tho
desire to acquire. Some have it large, 9th
crs have it small in this boys case, he has
got it rcry hrge, which gives him this
strong almost irresistible desire Of appro
priating that TO himself which belongs to an.
other lie is deficient in conscientioueness,
and very deficient III the organ OF seli-es-
teen. Here, then, is a propensity TO ac-
quire, rery large, and the moral organs, de
ticient and unable to govern it. lie is mo-
TO enr
him? by sending him to your county Jail
amongst ielons, TO receive an education
worse than ever he has got, and come out at
the termination Of his punishment ten times
moro the child of hell than when he was put
in! Surely you wont recommend such a
mode OF punishment rs this. As well send
a confirmed lunatc to your jail for his lack
of intelligence, when he has little or no
brain by which to reason. AS well punish a
man for lack Of an appreciation Of the har-
mony Of sweet sounds, when he has got no
faculty Of time, as be the means of having
this young boy sent to your penlten-
tiary or Jail for deficiency in the
organs Of conseicntiousness and selfcs-
TEEN. Exercise strengthens the muscles Of
the body, exercise will strengthen the or
gans deficient in the mind, and this is what
this child requires, to be placed under a
system Of kind moral trcatmcnt--to have
the faculties Of conscience aud self esteem
called out into life, that they may DC devel-
oped and grow, and have temptations TO
purloin taken entirely out of-his reach. let
him mix with no bad company, but only
with the moral aud yirtuous, then may you
expect that the moral powers will Assert
their asccndency over the mind, because the
propensities viii be kept inactive; but send
him to The pickpocket to learn honesty, and
to the murderer. to learn bencvolence, and
you will lower still further the tone Of his
morals, and in attempting to punish him
you will punish society infinitely more.
II have started train Of thought
which, If not Of immediate practical results
in this case, may be the means Of drawing
your attention to the false, unphilosophcal
and unchristian mode Of the present treat
mcnt of criminals, my object will have been
gained
am, gentlemen, yours very truly,
WV. b. FYiE.