Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-26
LIQUOR TO MINORS.
THE SELLING OF 1T PROHIBITED
By HEAVY FINE.

Case Yesterday In a Justice Court Growing
Out of This-Shocking Depravity of the
Boys in Butte Urgent Necessity of q
Reform School.
Wednesday morning Mrs. Catherine Bur-
ton appeared before Justice Hopkins and
asked for q warrant for the arrest Of a
s~aloonkeeper near the Montana Central
depot entered on the docket as John Doe
for selling malt and alcoholic liquors to her
son on Monday last. The warrant vas
served Immediately, the defendant appear
ed and on being asked if he had nydefence
promptly pleaded guilty and was fined $50
with $3.50 for costs which he paid at once.
In order to obtain the true inwardness OF
the case, a visit was paid to the home OF
the Burtons or Mercury street, east OF
Arizona. where the boy Willie himself was
seen. He is a rosy-faced. blue-eyed lad OF
the harum-scarum order, with a perfectly
innocent look in his face. His father said
he was not blessed with any too great
share OF common sense, and although IL
years of age, he speaks with a CHILDISH lisp.
In fact, as his parents said of his DISPOSE
ton, he looks like a boy easily led, with
very little will of his own and needless OF
consequences. In reply to questions asked
him. he told a story to the following effect
On Monday morning last he was in com
pany with other lads, among whom were
two named Grifiths and Jones on Idaho
street. when Burton picked up a pocket
book from the sidewalk. He was going to
take it to the nearest house, when his com
panions prevailed upon him to look at it,
one Of them. a messenger boy. snatching it
out If his hands and saying he would keep
it . secret if they would give him a dollar.
There were eight dollars in the pocket boob
and the three boys divided it less the dollar
they gave to the messenger boy to say
nothing about tie find.
With this sum in their possession they
set out to have a tine. They rode up and
get some liquor. Young Burton says he
went to the saloon kept by Fred Fielke, and
stating that he had been sent by his father,
obtained a flask of whisky. The other
boys went separately to two other saloons
in South Butte, where they went through
the same formula and got a flask apiece.
They also got beer in two places.
The liquor they drank in some secluded
spot in South Butte, and a driver OF the
Butte Hardware Company brought the lad
home speechless.
Ills parents noticed his condition and
next day learned where the boys had been,
made him find the pocket book where it
had been thrown away and returned to it's
owner who had advertised it on account
of it's contents other than the money.
Speaking of the circumstance, his father
said that it was almost impossible to bring
up boys correctly in this town. He thought
the greatest need of this Territory was a
reform school where, under strict discipline,
they could bs weanedf from their evil courses
when their parents could no longer manage
them. He said that boys become utterly
incorrigible here and parents are powerless
to prevent them getting into every kind OF
depravity. If they whip the children for
correction, the neighbors raise a torn OF
indignation al their cruelty. Mr.. Button
said he never had any trouble with his boy
until two years ago. when he got running
with other lads who led him into mischief
which, from his easily led disposition, is not
difficult to do. it seems.
Other parents have doubtless the same
trouble with their boys and, from
conversation with police officers, it
would seem that some kind of juvenile
reformatory institution is sorely needed in
the Territory. There are now at the Jail
two lads committed for stealing, one of
whom has been several times an offender
before the Police Court. The Jail is nc
place for young offenders like this, and u n
til the Legislature supplies the want the
evil will grow until legislative Intervention
will become an absolute necessity.