The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-10-13
Tho Case Of Pomeroy.

The latest tit-bit of horror which the
New York press has found to serve up in
daily rations to their readers, is the account
of certain boy named Pomeroy, q youth
full Nero of thirteen, with white eye,
whose exploits in cruelty during the last
South Boston and Chelsea. This lad, him
self but child. and one, too, Of notably
quiet and apparently correct habits, has
been accustomed to decoy other children
into lonely and retired places, and there
torture them for hours until the little vic
of them recovered, others were hoplessly
crippled for life. Pomeroy, when discover
ed, was sent to reformatory. He is stated
by curious reporters, to be a studious we'll
taught boy, Of an apparently gentle and
kindly temperament. The New York
papers devote columns to the discussion Of
this case which can be explained in word.
The boy is insane, and should have been
confined and treated for . diseased brain
rather than punished. He obtained the
idea of torturing his victims, it appears,
| from the stories of which he has been an
insatiate reader, fancying himself an Apa-
che chief, and they his prisoners. The case
tendency to cruelty arose, no doubt, from
a diseased imagination, inherited as un-
sound lungs or blood might have been. In
healty, pure atmosphere tie disease OF
body will remain undeveloped daring a
lifetime, and precisely the same rule ap-
Young Pomeroy's brain was fed on the
stories of Oliver Optic and Msyne Reid ;
wholesome food enough, probably, for a
healthy mind, but sheer poison to his.
Unable to find adventures with Apaches
or wild beasts in the streets of Chelsea, he
supplied their place with his school-fellows,
took q cowhide for lasso and butcher
knife for a sword. The curious point OF
the whole matter wae, too, that the boys
conscience was strongly at work; he took
no pleasure in his bloody work, and "was
SO wretched after it was over that he could
not sleep or eat for days."
We ore SO used to congratulate ourselves
on our advanced systems of education over
the days OF our fathers that We take no note
of symptoms such as these of their vicious
tendency. Fifty years ago boy in young
, Pomeroy's class would have been compelled
to satisfy his mental hunger with Liudley
Murray, GreenIeaf's arithmetic and, per
haps, an occasional treat of Moral Tales o.
Sanford and Merton dry and scant diet
perhaps, but wholesome. Now an untolt
, host of good and bai writer's are at work
from month to month to satisfy bis diseased
!. and prurient curiosity respecting all places
, people and subjects. HIS brain becomes
receptable of q very hodge podge of fact
and fancies, from which it accepts or re
iects it's nutriment according to its owl
: vent and will. We have no charge to MAKE
! against the mum berless magazines, paper
and books poured forth from the press TO
s the use of our children-many of them wei
meant and aimed-farther than that the.
o over-stmulate their imaginations and fur
nish them with an ill-considered mass o
a reading impossible for the soundest intel
J, lect to digest with profit. Their taste ant
, appetite speedily become morbid, and the:
T crave stronger food, which the vicious sen
: sational books for adults, and even the bes
news Journals, with their columns OF his
tories of unnatural crimes, are ready eac
!. morning to supply them. Under these cir
n cumstances there lie no need of surpris
! when a case of moral insanity like that 9
Pomeroy's manifests itself. The onl
y cause for wonder is that they are so rare
PHILADELPHIA Enquirer.