New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-04
SPEAKING TO CHARACTER.

ofteper and more wOfully deceived than per-
sonal character; and there IS nothing more
common than to put any number of witnesses
upon the stand towards the close of criminal
trials, all eager to testify that they are very
much astonshed that the prisoner should have
been guilty of crime. There may be two OBJ
jects in view in bringing forward such wit
nesses: they may be called either to show the
improbability of guilt, or to secure, II pos
sible, mitigated punishment. For good
many reasons evidence OF this kind Is gener-
ally good for nothing. No man falls until he
is sufficiently tempted; and weak nature Is
of the very kind which easily secures the
good WILL esteem, gratitude, and confidence OIL
Others. This s true of adults, but 1T Is still
truer of young persons who really may have
no character, good or bad, at ALL in any accu-
rate sense of the word A boy, for instance,
may often secure a reputation to which he is
i'm no wise entitled, and be cruelty trusted to
an extent far beyond what his actual moral
vigor may justify. He is innocent in speech,
in appearance, in habits, aud when he runs
away with his masters money everybody Is
surprised to find such good lad doing such
a bad thing. A few details of an instance OF
the kind at st. Louis were given recently In
a brief telegraphic dispatch. The boy was
but twenty years old, of good family and of
previously rreprOaChable character" but
he has abscOnded with $1,000, stolen money.
He "enioyed the fullest confidence of his
employers and the -four merchants on
"Change, with whom he had daily trans
actions Unfortunately, similar cases are so
frequent that week scarcely passes without
an occurrence of the kind in mercantile
circles. A recent instance in England may
serve the purpose Of further illustration.
Henry William Yelland, aged Is, was SEN
fenced in Manchester to an Imprisonment OF
five months for forging two checks OF the re-
spective value of EOS and ego. He had been
a scholar at the DOncaster Grammar School,
where he obtained a scholarship, and received
the "highest character from the Rev. DR..
Vaughan, the present master of the Temple
At the tender age OF IA he was made clerk
in the Yorkshire Bank at DOncaster. Six
months after that is before he was Is years
old, he stole Go from parcel OF money with
which no was intrusted, and, being detected,
absconded, taking a check-boOk with him.
Forging two checks, he took them to bill
broker in Manchester, who cashed them.
Arraigned for this crime, he pleaded
guilty; but when the question of SEN
tence came up, the lads lawyer read
n certificate from the Chairman of the
Yorkshire Bank respectfully commencing the
lease to the merciful consideration of the
presiding judge because the boy was such
q good boy and might not have been fully
conscious of the seriousness of the offense."
Then followed another letter from the Rev.
DR.. Vaughan informing the Court that the
boys father was good Christian, and declar-
ing his opinion that the lad yielded to
Sudden gust Of temptation" and that he
labOred under no radical unsoundness OF
"charscter.n There is something quite touch
ing in the words of the Rev. DR.. Vaughan:
"The poor boy himself was as good boy,
"as docile, as diligent, as well-conducted as
"any of those who were under training in the
"Cboir Of the Church, The simplicity of DR..
Vaughans statement may excite some amuse-
ment. We have known very naughty boys
who were extremely expert in the singing OF
anthems.
Mr.. Baron Pollock, in passing sentence upon
this young thief, made certain very judicious
observations He pointed out with great good
sense that those who stood in the relation OF
trusted servants could never have obtained
such employment except they had received a
good character; and he thought that the person
who broke that trust was in o worse position
than the ordinary thief who stole from a
person in the streets or under the influence of
poverty and distress. He always found it
more painful to sentence prisoner of pre-
yious good character and one who had received
a moral and religious training. He thought
something was due In common justice TO
the poorer classes, who were tempted to crime
from want and bad education. In short,
Mr.. Baron Pollock quite upset young yell
lands testimony in mitigation. And yet the
Judge might have said something Of the cru
city and wrong of subjecting the Uniformed
moral character of q mere boy to such a
strain as the custody of large sums implies.
Why should this lad Of Is years have been
allowed access to great amounts OF money,
and to the check booksY Why should he have
been put in danger of losing character before
he could possibly know its inestimable value
We commit the same error every day in this
CITY; we intrust lads hardly out Of their petit
coats with quantities Of money; and when they
are caught stealing part or when they bolt
with the whole. we talk with melancholy re-
greet of their previous good character, as if
they had any character then or now, good or
bad, in the least worth mentioning. When
FULL grown cashiers and treasurers turn out
Enthusiastically after prolonged career
of responsibility, it is certainly discreditable
to our sagacity that we did not understand
them better; but when boys play sohool-boy
tricks and steal cash instead of candy, their
elders may possibly DO quito AZ much 10 blame