The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-11-25
Parcntal Tlesponslulilty.

Z
the domestic surroundings are well calculat-
ed to awaken the sensibility Of every parent
especially Of every father as to how fOr bis
teachings, examples and discipline are to be
held Accountable fof the veal Or woe of his
son. From, what we can gsther from the
history Of Mr. Gouldy and his unfortunate
son, FrahE-the parricide and suicide-we
conclude that the father was kind-hearted,
loving parent. used whatever Of discipline
he deemed best for the good q bis. son, in
whom he but too often saw Developments
Of dsprayity that made him shudder.; On the
other hand we find Frank an uneven sort Of
a boy. Sometimes pepitent and pfomiding
permunent reform--then anon falling back
into bis old habits Of idleness and debauch.
cry. The father always watching, with
only the sensations of hope and desponden.
cy that father Gun realize, and in all, and
through all, employing all the efforts he
could 10 save his wayward son. The fear
ful result is now before US. This boy, be-
loved by his parents, .doated upon by his
brothers and sisters, respected by his late
employees, esteemed by his comrades, all Of
sudden; like the avalanche In the night
stiffness; lifts the weapon and strikes the
fatal blow at father, mother, sister, brother,
servant ahd friend, with fendishness un-
paralleled. How can stch conduct, more
demoniacal than The csnnibal and more
sunguinart ihdh The blood. drinking animal,
be accounted for! Was there Il defect 10
the parental discipline sufficient to produce
the catastrophe Was It the resdlt of as
sociating with those whose uhhol5 e&athpIe
led him into scenes Of wickedness which 80
soon ripened into murderous and shicidal
acts never before recorded! Or wds II his
own deliberate choice of Keeping late hours
having plenty of money with idle habits
1t is said that his habits were those Of idle.
ness-hs father gave him spending money
in abundance, and that he was often out late
at night. 1t is we'll Known fact that cause
and effect follow each other in rapid success.
sion, and to reason phlosophicaIly, we may
here have the secret TO Frank Gouldy's ca
reer and un,imey and most sad efia. 1t is
clear frot1 The testimony at the coroner's in
quest that Frank (the suicide and parricide)
was in the habit Of staying out at night.
His father wdd III the habit 6f Supplying
him GbefGI1y with money. ... .-....a
His GoYpanions considered him "jolly
good fellow" and rather ''fast.'' g., ....-
He Mad fesengeful and malicious dispo.
:. 6itioH. OHe Of our New York exchanges
in reference to this, says:
"The money SO sdPp1Iet:s Il tie Price @Ricl
the aegil gets for making your sons Rnkes
Murderers, ParriGides, Suicides, and subjects
for the hsngnan! The parricide, in thil
case. is In his grave; Snd Has answered fol
his msdeeds, by this tire; to his Maker
| 1t is not our province to Judge or condemn
him--but it lie our duty as journalists, 10 say
to many other 'indulgent fathers,' who, lik'
the i'll fated Mr.. Gouldy, are Supplying thei
8 sons literally with money all the while thos
9 sons are keeping late hours, in cothpan
}, with the vicious, the dissolute, and the de
J, PRAYED, with which this great city-nay, es
ery-city swarma, that you, too, are sowin
u rich harvest for the devil to reap in du
d time. There is nothing like late hour
plenty of money, and idleness, for finishing
: up, with lightning speed, the career Of tn
j. fast young men, of which Mr.. Frank Gould
n was, after all, no worse, probably, than
d fair to middling specimen" gsa-a a-
d The same paper from which we quote il
: inclined to put all or most Of the blame upo
the father, who was too lax in discipline wit
1t SO bad boy. We think Mr.. Gouldy di
all he thought to be best TO reform his Sol
and although others may differ from us
this matter, yet no one isl SO competent
Judge OF a fathers course in cases like th
as the parent himself. From all we ca
- gather, Frank had never manifested ar
thing like the diabolical act on Tuesd'
y night. He had often been out later befo
20 indeed that night he was in at mode
" utely early hour. The keeperof the resta
rant where he took oysters just before b
" return home, testified that he got nothil
- to drink at his saloon. There is no eV
" dence that he was under the influence
!" liquor-there had been no unkind wor
10 passing between him and any of the fani
70 on the day previous-the manner In viii
'E he addressed his mother on his return Ga
"a signs Of being in a good humor. How c
n srch blood thirty acts so suddenly enact
re be accounted for! We con fess our inabi
10 ty to tell. Il is said that there were indie
e., tions iu his physiognomy Of mental defc
~ mites. s t. '17" -'@f.E .StH
:, II this is so, and there are good reaso
:. for believing 1t, we may conclude that 1t v
-. not SO much defective parental discipline,
-. mental imbecility instigated by detnonia
y. influence which caused Frank Gouldy
~ commit an act which devils could only
:. prove gf. The subject is one worthy
~. deep study, and with these hasty remai
= we leave Il with those who may be M
- competent 10 Judge Of its real merits Il
we are. We will not close, however, wi
out caution to fathers aud sons, and
.v cannot do Il better than In quoting from
: 49, r "a IL