Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-19
Dime Novels and Burglary.


THE effect of a debased literature
upon youthful minds has seldom more
impressive illustration than is furnished
by the cases of the two little bows,
Myron Stevens and John Davies, who
have just been sent to the House of
Refuge by Judge Woolsey. Another
lad, Alva Davies, who was concerned
in the same crime, mas been committed
to wait the action of the Grand Jury,
the responsibility attaching to his supe-
rior age-he being thirteen and his
companions ten-supplying a reason
for the different line of treatment.
The burglary committed by these
children was at what is known as the
Sands residence at Milton-o -Hud-
son. They stole hundreds of dollars
worth of property and destroyed a
great deal more. The scene in the
Sands house after the robbery is said by
one reporter to have "beggared de-
scription." Dainty wall papers and
curtains were smeared with preserves.
Costly silk dresses were daubed with
"cauned fruits, wine and filth" Car
pets were cut into ribbons and furniture
hacked to pieces. Everything the lads
could mutilate or destroy was unspared.
1t appears from their own confession
that they got "gloriously drunk' on
wines found in the cellar. When ar
raigned in court their demeanor was
"impudent and defiant" They seemed,
indeed, to glory in their shameful
achievement, One precious young var
let, MyrOn Stevens, who is but ten
years old, exclaimed: "I don't care a
curse what you do with me- The only
thing I'm sorry for is l didn't burn the
plaguy ranch down and half the village
along with it."
The Sands house was not the only
one these boys pillaged. Several other
residences were visited and robbed by
them, although none suffered so much
at their hands as the Sands house. 1t
was their practice, after securing their
booty, to drink themselves into intoxi-
cation. They would then, in pure wan
tOnness, deface and befoul everything
about them. The Stevens boy was
asked why they maliciously ruined so
much property. Course it, 1 don't
know" was his reply; "but it was bully
fun, | can tell you" 1t is supposed
that the depredations of the youthful
outlaws have not been confined to Mil
n-on-the-Hudson. Other places, used
as summer resorts by families and
closed in winter, are believed to have
suffered at their hands, and, while re-
fusing to acknowledge this, one of the
boys could not refrain from the boast
that there would be "high iinks" next
June.
1t was made plain on the trial before
Judge WOolsey that the perversion of
these callow young minds was the
work, in great degree, of what are
called "dime novels" The boys said
they wanted, above all things, to be
highwaymen. This was the prime OBJ
ject of their ambition. But, until they
attained more effective strength and
stature, they judged that taking to the
road would be inexpedient. The next
best thing to highway robbery they
conceived to be burglary, and to this
they betoOk themselves with infinite
most remark in the wretched affair is
that the youngest of the lads seems
also TO be the most hardened and un-
concerned. "We won't be there
long" he declared, speaking of the
house OF heIugei ana JACK sheppard
was never more confident of getting
out of Newgate than are these I'M
happy waits of escaping the oppor-
tunity for reformation,
The story of these boys will
strengthen a persuasion already gem
eral among observant thinkers that
books of the kind which have been so
mischievous to them are of far too easy
access to the young, as well as far too
many. How to deal with the problem
it is very difficult to determine; but
that it should be dealt with, and that
in manner more effectual than has
hitherto obtained, has been demon
strated very often of late, if seldom
with so sharp an emphasis as in this
case at Milton n-On-the-Hudson.- Y
Evening Post.