Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-02
Another Boston Boy Murderer

Boston-with its relics, its tradi.
tions, its transcendentalism, its nd
vanced female opinions, its Bunker
Hill monument, and last, but moi
least, its frog pond-has produced the
very worst boy of the period. Mas.
ter Jesse Pomeroy is q youth who
might have studied cruelty under
Santa Anna, and crime under Ruloff
He is undoubtedly the champion
worst boy the world has ever pro-
duced. Boston was lenient to Jesse
Pomeroy, and now that city Of mag
nificent ideas is reaping the fruits.
On Saturday last the city was paral.
yzed with horror upon learning that
the son of . prominent business man,
. little boy AZ years old, had shot
and killed another little boy, also the
SON Of prominent business man, and
aged about 6 years. The name Of this
promising addition to the list of Bos-
toms wickedest boy is Walter Dun
ham; his victims name was Stephen
Cox. It seems that the boys were
playing together and quarreled, when
Durham remarked, II win fix you.n
The little assassin then ran home,
procured his fathers revolver, return
cd, and deliberately shot his playmate
through tho head.
It is almost impossible to reason
upon . case of this kind. 1t is too
unnatural for words, almost too hor-
rible for thought. There is but one
conclusion which the mind can possi-
bly, arrive st-the boy was naturally
bad, he had profited by bad exam
pie, and the means lay ready to his
hand. There are but two remedies
which reason suggests for such an
evil: l. The effects Of proper relig-
ions and moral training; and, 2, The
banishment Of deadly weapons from
the homes and persons Of our people.
TO the first Of these remedies it is
unnecessary to do more than allude.
Parents worthy Of the name will see
to the training Of their children; the
Christian church is here to do the
rest. But the curse which is bringing
about this terrible reign Of terror, Of
suicide, and Of crime, IL the freedom
permitted to carry upon their persons,
or secrete shout their homes, deadly
weapons. After more than hundred
years of boasted freedom we arc In
this particular as far behind the
mother country ~ we have outstrip-
ped hcr In many other ways. Rev0lv-
era which are 40 common with us a.
penknives, Arc unknown to the decent
English citizen, and he never uses
firearms except ~ q sportsman, and
under license, or in defense of his
country. He deems the law, with the
assistance Of good thick stick, sufil-
cient protection.
Boys have . natural love for dam
gerous weapons, and when VIC conn
bine the reading Of thrilling roman
ces with the fact that the father Of
Young America very often keeps I
loaded revolver in his bureau drawer,
Il II not dffIicult to understand how
that precocious young gentleman
should occasionally be seized with an
insane impulse to handle it. Little
Durham has doubtless often eyed thia
glittering engine Of death with eager
eyes. Ignorant Of the dreadful con-
sequences Of his act, of what It was IA
hurl . soul into eternity, Of thu
blighted life into which he was t.
bear the brand OF murderer, he fired
the fatal shot. The case conveys 1
rebuke, not alone to the city Of Bos
ton. but to the entire country.-Inter
Ocean.