The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-02-22
THE BOYS OF TODAY.
Their Romantic Love Of Crime and How Ii /.
RngeHderea---A Waning TO Parents.


errand boy in printing Office opened a
letter addressed 10 his employer, took
out check for sixty-four dollars, forged
tho name Of the payee, got the money
and absconded 10 part unknown. Not
long before that, two lads Of tender
years, living in large city, possessed
themselves Of sum Of money belonging
TO the parents Of one Of them, and made
their way to Philadelphia by nail. With
Rvague idea that they were 10 fight their
way through the world, they bought n
pistol for offensive and defensive pur-
poses, and they laid in q considerable
stock Of peanuts to sustain nature, this
tayorite esculent being regarded as eco
nomical, as well as melodramatic in It's
associations. Being unfamiliar with the
details OF mature debauchery, these
youthful experimenters betrayed them
selves TO the police and were brought
home in somewhat dilapidated and for
lom condition. Two or three years ago,
the San Francisco police, searching for
the perpetrators Of series Of petty and
yeIatious thefts, discovered under the
wooden sidewalks of street near the
wharves cave burrowed ont from an
adjoining vacant lot. In this excavation
were found playing-cards, odds and ends
Of provisions, rude tools for burglary, q
few weapons, and various other EVIL
dences OF occupation as den Of thieves.
The cave was 0 rendezvous Of q gang Of
bad boys, who called themselves "Hood-
lnms, and whose leader was known 10
them as !" King OF the Hoodlums.
THESE young rascals had considerable
organization with thieyes' alang, or
ar0ot, Of their own. Their promiscuous
plunder was usually sold to the junk
dealers, and they subsisted almost en-
tirely on the proceeds Of their depredA-
tons! Some Of them lived secretly in
lonely houses, otherwise unoccupied, and
consorted with wretched little girls pick
ed up about the docks. The "Hood.
lumsP were aged from fifteen 10 nine
teen years, and their grotesque name,
invented by themselves, and meaning
nothing, has come into use rs describing
a.dangeruus class OF young ruifians in
Testing the city where they originated.
II will not do 10 credit all these OK,
.Rmples Of juvenile depavity to the
force Of mere spontaneous outcome Of
wickedness. There Il about all such
instances--and these arc only q few
ready samples Of q large class-a certain
flavor OF mock romance which Is peculiar.
Tho grown criminal necessarily practices
concealnent in the furthcnlnco OF his
-wickOl designs; but, II there is any
romance Of crime attached to his
performances, II is accidental. These
youngsters seem 10 go into crime for the
sake Of the audacious novelty Of the
thing, rathar than from any irresistible
impulse toward badness for Its own sake.
OF course, the conspicuousness Of crime
IN society has something 10 do With the
education Of these procodous criminals.
Crime forms 30 large n part Of tho news
OF the dnyl TINT II seems impossible 10
prevent sopAnf its details from appear
ing in the columns Of the most carefully
conducted newspapers We regret TO
say that soma thoughtlnss people make
these features Of daily intelligence so
prominent that graphic scenes of burg
larry robbery, aud piracy appear In print,
garIiished with many insidious allure.
ments 10 youthful minds. But, ns II
the faithful record Of passing events were
not enough, nor the sensational enlarge
mont Of actual details sufficiently en-
ticing, the youth Of this generation arc
fed with tho worst sort Of criminal litera-
tutc. The cheap noyelsa arc bad enough,
and 1t is a sign TINT the new supply Is
not equal 10 the demand when we see
that ancient criminal classic "Jaek
lSheppard" republished here. But whit
we must consider ono Of the very worst
forms Of printed poison is the trash
purpottihg 10 be newspapers and mag
azines for young people, Some Of these
are printed by grown people who proba-
bly, know better; and not few arc con-
Quoted by ambitious lads, who naturally
send ont the miserable stuff on which
lthey. have fed. In q collection Of anna
teur papers and periodicals gathered
from several American cities may be
found "blood-curdling aud "thrilling"
stories OF adventure. Tales OF runaway
boys, narratives Of piratical life, encotin-
ters with burglars, and all the phases Of
romantic crime that an Imagination slim
ulated by q course OF such reading can
picture forth form the staple OF this sort
of reading. In single page OF o little
weekly published in d New England city
were five contributions from boy readers;
in each Of these q crime OF some sort WIS
the chief figure in the slender plot. Who
is responsible for the encouragement Of
such an education for our boysi
OF course, in al. these dangerous pub.
'.lications, whether craftily or thoughtleSs-
~ conducted, there Is due parade OF re.
warded virtue and defeated vice. But
whether the mock hero be o bold md
wicked bandit or brave champion OF
the wronged, the sympathies OF the
young reader are usually enlisted on the
side Of the wiekedest man in the book.
And, in any event. he is made familiar
with the details OF crime, It's mystery,
subtlety, and concealthent inAame his
Imagination; he has boys natural love
Of adventure; the story OF the daring
deeds Of some hero sinks deep into his
mind; and before he is old enough 10
realize what he is about, he has taken
one Of the first steps in q career Of
crime; fortified with plumber, he has
tated the example Of all his, iayorite
heroes, and has run away from home.
The rest Is easy. Unless speedily re.
claimed md punished, as a boy should
be punished, lie Is already promising
recruit for the dangerous classes who
prey upon society. Anoted bandit, hung
by a mob in far Western Territory, 90.
knowledged under the gallows that he
owed his crimes to the early inspiration
Of theilives Of Dick Turpin, jack Shop
parll, Murrcll, the land pirate, md other
wufthiea fau1ed in story. Yet this yot1np