The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-30
10 CRIMINALS REFORM !
WHAT JUDGES. LAWYERS AND
OFFICERS say ON THE SUBJECT.

OFFICERS say ON THE SUBJECT.
Ningled Sympathy and Severity-in-
spector Byrnes Cannot Recall SIN
gle Case of Genuine Reformation
among Professionals, and Warden
Green Only Remembers One-D Dis
tricS Attorney Ridgwsy, Judge
Moore, Ex-Warden Osborne, Law
yer Howe and Others Cite Many IN
/ stances Of Apparently Real Reform.
The Criminals Who Pose as Evangel-
ists- Influences That Draw Them
Back to Crime.
(Copwight)
New York, March 29.-Below will be
found symposium CT opinions of those
best qualified by their experience and voca-
lions to Judge on that long and sturdily
DISPUTED question: whether or no pro-
fessional criminals ever do reformgn A case
in point is that of Jimmy Hope, the expert
bank burglar, who claims to have reformed
and retired permanently from the ''pro-
fess.on,n and who IS now writing his auto
biography. The contributors to this inter-
eresting discussion include Mr. Ridg-
way, the brilliant young district attorney
OF Kings county, in which Brook
Iyn is situated; Mr.. Osborne is warden
of the Tombs prison of New
York, and was formerly the executive head
of the prison at Blackwelrs island, New
York, for great numer of years; Judge
Moore has been sentencing criminals in
Brooklyn fer the past thirty years, and is
looked up TO as the nestOr of the criminal
bench by the judges and lawyers of many
states; John Green was the model warden
q the Kings county penitentlary of Br Jok-
lvn, and the institution actually yielded a
profit under him. MIR. Howe occupies an
uuriValed place as q criminal lawyer
in New York, and Jere Wernberg is the
leading criminal lawyer of Brooklyn;
Secretary Rounds is the active and most
widely known officer of the New York
Prs Reform Association; Patrick Camp
bell is the chief of police of Brooklyn; and
y e all know Inspector Byrnes.
II any set of men ON the face of this earth
know all about professional criminals these
men do; yet they differ, and differ widely
seeing the matter as they do, from different
standpoints.. A majority say that tue pro-
fessional criminal sometimes does reform,
and that 1T would be wrong to take from
him the opportunities now offered bv the
minority declares that the professional
criminal never reforms, and that common
Justice requires that he be locked up for
life. SO that crime may be reduced, tie
police rendered more effectual and society
protected.
How much do you need to live on 2,
once asked celebrated burglar whom l
found behind the bars.
about 300 week is moderate allow
ance"
And supposing you could earn that in
an Office whore You have to work from 0
till O'clock each afternoon, would you not
sooner do that and live houestly"
What do you take me for! When I
work | make thousands of dollars in few
hours. NV time is my own after that
| believe that man spoke honestly for all
professional criminals.
The professional criminal is a lunatic with
two decisions. First, that it is right for
him to take the property of other men; sec
ond, that he can thus become rich and live
in peace and happiness.
The trouble is that he cannot think
straight. He never doubts that all his acts
are right. In fact, it seems to him that
there is no right outside of himself. He has
no sympathy wi h his fellow-men He does
not understand them. With cynical eye he
moves among them, wa ching his chance,
and making his spring when the time seems
propitious. The struggles and terror of his
victim affect him no more than the strug.
giles of the wild hare affect the lynx.
He smut off my wind (choked mcl an so
l let daylight into him." said a Brooklyn
burglar when asked recently why he had
added murder to his last crime. In his eyes
the blame lay not with him for committing
the murder. but with the victim for pro-
viking him by defending his property.
That his victims wife was left q widow and
her child fatherless did not affect him.
From his point of view, the man he had
murdered was responsible for this state Of
things.
To such social beasts of prey il is idle to
sermonize. The only protection against
them is cage, and society has a right to
demand that they be Gagged.
SYDNEY REID,