The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-07-14
TkUAN1's FROM HOME
TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS OF Run
AWAY BOYS IN NEW YORK.

n Plain Matter of Fact Talk from New
Works Chief In>p-ctor-Boys Get Their
adeas of the City from Lnrid Bo"ks-A
Few Examples from the Records.
Having already referred in a general
way to the evil effects that usually fall
20 the lot of a boy who is 80 foolish and
-headstrong as to run. away from home
and try his fortunes in the great city.
will cite q few cases of the many with
which the records of our police depart
ment abound All teach the same lesson.
In january, year, or two ago. a boy
eleven years old left his home in Albany
and came to this city, as he afterward
said, Ito see the sights AS day after
Aay passed and he did not return, his
parents. greatly worried. made inquiries
Tor him in many directions. The police
Of this city were asked to join in the
search.
The boy had been absent about three
weeks when one day an officer who was
pafro1ling post in the neighborhood of
the docks came upon q boy who stag
gered as he walked. The officers first
imptession was that the boy was intox-
icated. but upon making closer exam
ination and questioning him it turned
weak from lack of food and from ex-
POsure in the wintry weather.
The policeman took him to headquar
ters and gave him a good meal. After
ward it was discovered that he was the
boy from Albany whose disappearance
had caused so much concern.
His parents were promptly communi-
Gated with and he was very glad indeed
to go home with his father. who came
after him without delay.
A few months after this occurred pur
police were requested to look for two
boys-one fifteen years old, the other
thirteen-who had run away from their
homes in New England city. They
had good homes and kind parents. but
they had tired of going to school.
The idea of wonderful adventures had
been put into their heads by the books
they had been allowed to read, and they
determined to see life for themselves in
a larger city than the one. where they
had been brought mp. ~.
They wandered about New York for
Eve days, but found life here a sterner
reality than they had supposed. The
little money they had was soon spent,
and at the end of the five days they were
glad to give themselves up to the police,
and tearfully asked to be sent back to
their homes.
One day a policeman attached to one
of the down town precincts saw boy
evidently a stranger in the city, sitting
ON the porch of a house, and soon found
that he was exhausted from hunger and
partially overcome by the heat. The
boy was only eleven years of age.
He had come here alone from a town
i'm Massachusetts, first because he wished
Co see what the great city was like. and
also because he had an uncle here. and
expected to be- Hospitality received. He
had the address of his uncle, but as he
was totally unfamiliar with the city he
could not easily find the house. ~
When at last. after much wandering,
he did succeed in getting to the street
and number, to which he had been so
often directed. he was worse off than if
he had not found them. The hope of
finding his uncle had been the one thing
that cheered him during his journeyings
xhrough the labyrinth of streets.
But now his uncle refused to aid or
harbor him. Giving him a little bread
and butter wrapped in d paper. he turned
the boy adrift upon the cheerless streets.
Under our law the uncle was arrested
for his inhuman conduct, but he was
discharged in court on his promise to
see that the boy was taken back to his
parents.
After the ambition to go west and
fight Indians perhaps the desire to &C
upon the stage is the strongest motive
animating boys who take a plunge into
the wide world for, themselves. More
girls than boys are stage struck" but
the girls do not run away as the boys
do-at least not when they are so young
as most Of the runaways of the Other
sex
No doubt the experience gained il
running away from home is often salu
tary The glamour and glitter that ar,
imagined to surround life in big cit,
are speedily seen to have no exlstenc,
save in the fancy, and the difficulties il
the way of a strange lad in strang
place who is seeking a situation, even o
the humblest kind-dificulties which
amount practically to an insurmount
able obstacle-are soon deeply impresset
upon the mind Fortunately, before tn
matter has gone much further. in mos
cases successful search is made for th
missing one and he eagerly seeks hi
fathers door again.
But this experience is not one tina
rational parents would choose for thei
growing boys The stern realities G
life will come all soon enough in th
natural course of things.
AS have already more than intimated
many years of experience in police wor
convince me that atscarcely anything wors
could happen to boy reared in tn
country or in small town than to b
thrown upon his own. resources in a bus
and bustling city like New York. TIL