Daily Republican., 1880-05-11

th0 AFTERNOON lOr tno purpose OF organ
sing for the campaign. A full an
punctual attendance is requested.
s. HKRsEY, Late Chairman.
"t"
a Heuse Of Correction Needed.
A House Of Correction is very mucl
needed in our State. Its necessity wa
clearly shown yesterday in the Court q
New Castle, when four small colored
Lads were arraigned to answer for hav
ing stolen a watch and chain. Though
three Of them are yet to be tried, one
having confessed his guilt, there can
be no doubt Of the guilt Of all Of them,
and il the trial proceeds they will all
be convicted and be sentenced to pay
costs, pay fine, be imprisoned several
nonths, be whipped with a certain
number of lashes in the presence of q
crowd Of uHsympathetic and unfselinp
men and children, and be required to
wear convict's jacket for six months
after their discharge from jail. These
boys, apparently bright and intellig ent
and therefore the greater the pity to al
low them to grew up in vice and crime,
ara aged respectively nine, ten,
eleven and thirteen years, old enough
1t is trus to know better, but not old
enough with the neglected training they
have had; to be held fully responsible
for their actions before the law and 10
bo made to suffer all its rigors for its
&rangression. These boys are the children
OF poor parents, who in all probability
have number Of other children and
finding 1t hard work to keep the wolf
of hunger and despair from the door,
they allow their children to run the
streets and by their wits, together with
Begging from door to door, cara a de-
graded and precarious living. sympa.
thetie families amongst the best and |
well-to-do classes Of society, are found
Who from time to time contribute to the
wants of these little street waits. who
finally and ungratefully turn upon
Their best friends, and, goaded by the
Pinehing of necessity, they pilfer that
which is withheld. in the case alluded
to these boys had found friends in the
family they finally robbed. They had
bsen supplied during the rigors of win
ter with both food and clothing by the t
kind lady of the house, and in their /
visits they learned all about the house 1
and knew how to enter it. During the L
evening Of the fire at tho Sisters school, /
at Sixth and West streets, when the v
family were temporarily absent from d
home, these boys entered the house s
and stole the watch and chain in a
question. Had they been practiced e
thieves, old in sin and crime, they s
would have stolen more for there wssIp
plenty in the house for them to steal d
but they were content with taking the
glittering watch that attracted their
fancy This was perhaps the first y :.
crime for some of them, though we are :;
informed by the police that one of them :,
known by the name Of "Sugar" Roth. :,
we'll, and only eleven years of age, has
been guilty of petty thiev- y
ing and before this transaction was no :,
stranger to prison life and prison fare
Now, the question arises, what is to be ~ .
lone not only with these boys, but :.
with hundreds of others roaming
through the streets and leading the !,
same kind of lives? Convicting them =.
of larceny and sending them to the
whipping post and to prison only far
ther degrades them, and in boyhood's 5 F.,
age they 60 forth in the world stamped N
with the badge of infamy. Is thers not v
some way by which such boys can be ii
and reformed before they 20 so m
Tar upon the road to disgrace y.
and infamy that they cannot return ? =,
Thieves many of the are it IL true, m
but the rigors Of the law which ia in i;
tended for older criminals, if applied to M
lem, will not lead to reform. Bar 70
.ag their backs at the whipping pest ii
and lsceratipg their young and tender A
bodies according to law, will not teach al
hem to be christian citizens. Impris-
'nment amongst older and more bardea-
ID and deprayed criminals is q poor
way TO teach them moral duties. We N
IRE not at all surprised that Chief JUS vt
'i'e Comegys last ev ming felt won pl
ierful sympathy for these weeping OF
boys, though some Of them were con fsss tr
ID thieves, ard remanded them back ht
for future consideration. VI
What would We do withath EN- are we os
ssked? Why We would have a House so
If Correction provided for them as soop an
ss possible, where such boys would not pr
'nly be punished for their crimes but
where they wodld bs taught the higL,r
moral dGties of life, N, nro, .o;a' !. COZ