The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-16
will now speak of few of the different

on impulSe). rape fiends. and other GRIM
lnalS whose crimes come under the head of
''crimes on impulse" with but few words.
They form part of the great body polite.
but do not come under the head of "pro-
fessional criminals" 1t is of the profess
siOnal man wish to treat. of that class
who from moral obtuseness fail to recog-
nize the sacred rights of property.
Children born of vicious parents and
sucked amid surroundings of vice and
misery, may be said to have inherited their
criminal desires and may be called natural
criminals. There is another class, whose
crimnality is born of circumstances.
Among this latter class may be found men
who travelled from bOyhoOd to manhood
surrounded by every good influence. their
every feeling revolving against vice. and
their minds filled with lofty desires. hoping
one day to be hOnOred men among men.
And yet from some misfortune, wrong. or
law mSapplied, their minds were thrown
into morbid state. and they stand to-day.
criminals among criminals. And there is
another class of criminals. who became so
from association. Among this class are
found men, who. notwithstanding good
home influences, were too weak to resist
temptation. and took in vice by absorption
when brought in contact with vicious as
sociates.
During the past ten years the subject of
ing interest to me. Perhaps l am morbid
OH the subject. but at any rate, in that time
have studied. drawn out. and analysed
the emotions of every variety of criminal.
And one result of my study. is the diScOv-
cry that. no matter how low, ignorant or
debaSed the man may be. there is yet de-
sire to square up" and be better man.
The great bane of crooked men is the hope
that some day they may make good haul,
and square themselves. So, like Mr.. Mi
cawber, they wait patiently for something
to turn up. and generally as result of their
expectations. they turn up themselves-in
the penitentiary. The desire to square up
is not confined to any particular class. it is
common to all. but the great trouble is.
their idea of the preliminary step is not in
harmony with the laws OF right, as their
squaring up is made contingent Oh good
haul. They frequently come to grief. in
trying to give themselves start in legiti-
mate business, and then honestly feel that
they are badly treated.
Now. to come back to the different classes
of criminals. The first class, natural GRIM
inals," are disciples of crime. because from
the very nature of things it is impossible
for them to be anything else. Born in pow
erty, envirOned by vice. their minds dark
ened by ignorance, they are thrown upon
the world to battle for existence. Dull and
helpless. they struggle along being buffeted
hither and thither, suffering from the
CHASTITY pangs of hunger. they find penury
barrier between themselves and the nee.
essaries of life; their dull wit is sharpened
and finding it necessity of existence they
begin to prey upon society. Criminal life
comes naturally to them-in fact they feel,
if they have sense enough to reason, that
they have found their vocation. and con-
sclentiOusly believe that in making an
honest dollar in crooked way, they are
doing right, for to them crOokedness is only
name. So they become students in the
school of vice, and slowly advance from
the petty pilferer, stealing to satisfy the
cravings of hunger. to the sensible system.
attic thief. The first act committed by this
class is not prefaced by any self-analyss
They have no conception of right or wrong,
and their actions are governed by instinct,
not reason. They feel their wants. and try
to satisfy them. But in the course of their
depredatiOnS they are brought in conflict
with the law, and as the law refuses to rec
OgnlZe kleptOmania when accompanied by
poverty, it comes down with heavy hand
on the head of the unfortunate culprit
What is the result? The young offender sees
that there are forces opposed to him.. he
does not recognize these forces as right, but
in blind. minimizing sort of way, feels that
it is wrong, that he is entitled to living
and that law and order were created pur-
posely to Cypress him. These feelings lead
to reflection, but all of his thoughts are
colored and directed by his peculiar sur
rOundingS. Under these unfavorable con.
ditiOns he tumbleS or rather is kicked on
ward in life. unheeded. uncared for. He
becomes all emergency man, tries to adapt
himself to his surroundings. and accepts
good and evil with a philosophy worthy of
an ancient. He reaches manhood, phys
ically man. mentally child. with no
higher conception of right and wrong, than
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