The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-11
A SPECIMEN CHARCTER.
increasing In the South-He Must Com
mand Attention.
lGreenville News. !


1t is not an extraordinary event in
Sons life. In fact his present situa-
ton may be accurately described as
normal.
He is in Jail on a kind of informal
process in use among the police of all
cities by which vagabond who has
no friends and no character, except a
very bad one, is locked up for fixed
time to keep him out of mischief. He
is locked up rather OH general prin-
ciples than on specific charges, al
though the provocation that caused
his arrest was grave enough.
"Son" is eleven or twelve years old ;
he is as black as tar and has been here
four years, having originally come
from Charlotte. He describes the res
idence Of his mother in a vagne way as
'''up near the Air Line depot" The
whereabouts Of the other parent sup
posed to have existed at some time is
to "Son" unknown. Tue deprivation
of his names is matter of guess. He
can read and write little, and is as
keen as brier, active as cat, sturdy,
strong and quick,
The police records show that during
| the time of his habitation here Son
has been arrested about fifty times, an
average of once for each month. The
charges range through the police court
gamut-petty stealing, fighting and
generally disorderly conduct. He has
probably cost the county and city from
$500 to $500 for bis keep and other ex-
penses.
He is liable to turu up anywhere,
at any time and in any conceivable
variety of devilmept: We think he is
the same boy, who, when a country
negro came along one night two OF three
years ago enquiring how to reach DR..
Dorroh, instructed the seeker to pull
hard at the rope hanging in the city
hall tower. Prompt action of this ad-
vice resulted in the ringing Of the fire
alarm by the oountryman, putting the
town In q turmoil and sending four
fire companies to gallop aimlessly
about the suburbs.
The other night "Son" was at the
opera house-where he had no imagin-
able interest or husiness-and by a
ready use ofthe opportunity offered by
an alarm in the street stampeded the
packed audience with yell of "6re."
1twas no fault Of his that scores of men,
women and children were pot crushed
to death
We have Investigated this specimen
with some care because he is q type Of
his class. Boys of his kind are around
all Southern cities, town and villages
smart, quick, ready and reckless, des-
titute of moral sense, responsibility or
fear of the laW=-splepdid tools at the
hands ofthe Devil or of older criminals
for the preparation ofany mischief, or
wickedness or crime that opportunity
may suggest or evil imagination may
devise.
Their situation is pitiful in some re-
spectS, although they are little afflicted
by the pathos of it. There is nobody
whose special concern they are; the
community suffers from them, but the
community looks to the police and the
courts to avenge its wrongs and has no
more interest in the matter. They are
simply 80 many sources Of life, limb,
property and morals, without fixed |
location or course, responsible to, fear
ing and loving nobody.
What are we going to dc with Son |
SherInans
1t Is big question for the Southern |
people to consider. At the North |
the streets are infested by white
editions of Son Sherman, but the pro-
cess of confinement, of removal and |
adoption works a good many Of them
have some moral principle, hope, MEM
ory or ambition to be developed and
built upon. But Son Sherman has
none of these things.
Our Governor has recommended o
reformatory where Son can be locked
up away from the influence of older
and more hardened criminals and
taught his duty. toward God and his
neighbor. But there are very few
criminals of any age or speciality that
Son could not give points to in wicked
ness. The idea of fearing that he would
receive contamination, for instance,
from a colored corn field hand doing
time for theft Of a stray hog or some
seed cotton is supremely ridiculous.
The more the State, or anybody else,
teaches Son the greater is his capacity
will always be fully applied.
We do not know what is to be done
with the Son Shermans, but the ques-
ion will have to be met somehow, be-
ore very long. He is increasing in
numbers every year and constantly
more dangerous and more of
| drag on the public. He is consumer
md spoiler, never producer, and his
weight is becoming burdensome al-
eady.
Son will be out of Jail in about three s
weeks. We suppose he will be around
The Greenville News Office again beg
ing for papers to sell, oblivious of
previous defalcations and 40
epting reminders of them and rebufs
With undisturbed good nature ;prowl-
ng about the streets with sharp eyes
nd quick hands awaiting an oppor-
unity to lift ANYTHING that offers