The Penn's Grove record., 1892-07-29
Words 70 Boys.

a few days ego, Alden fales, SIX
teen years old, was convicted In Essex
County Of murder in the first degree
This boy had not received good home
care and fell into carless habits. On
his trial he said that he had read sever
al hundred of the cheap story-books
which abound in thrilling recltals oil
exciting adventures. They served to
incite in him a desire for like notoriety.
Fales had been employed in a factory
in Newark, and learned how the money
to pay the hands was brought. After
his discharge he brooded over a way TO
rob the money-messenger, an old man.
So Fales took a heavy hay stick one
Saturday morning in April and struck
down this old man in a hallway. He
continued beating until he killed his
victim and then took about 500 from
the body, He had a little sport for a
few days and before another week pass
ed he was arrested. Thereupon he
confessed his crimes. lie is nov un.
der sentence of death. At the trial 1t
was sought to show that Fales was in
sane. 1t did appear that he is deficient
in moral sense, aud has only a moder-
ate share of intelligence, enough, how
ever, TO develop a large stock OF low
cunning.
Judge Depue took that occasion TO
comment upon the dreadful fate of AL
den Fales. He severely condemned
the reading of half dime novels, saying:
II never saw a copy of one until l saw
it during the trial Of this cause, when
several were produced. 1t is apparent
that it is the most pernicious literature
that can possibly get into the hands OF
children" The Judge said that he had
ascertained that in Newark over 60 per
cent. of the persons charged With some
form of stealing are under the age OF
Is years. Between Is and % years the
average is 80 per cent, while over %
the percentage falls to about 10. There
is no law which prohibits the sale of
this class of books. Judge Depue hop
ed that the publicity given to this s
would suggest to all who had the care
of children the necessity of protecting
young people from this kind of litera-
ture.
Now, boys, We know that it is very
hard to restrain you at the time OF life
when you are disposed to know more
than your daddy" or anybody else.
That little period is in your makeup
just as naturally as your self.impor-
lance runs along with your "teens."
1t takes a good many hard knocks
which you are sure to get in your man
hood, before you are ready to confess
that you wasted many chances to i'm
prove yourselves while boys. So we
will not give you a general lecture, but
coniine our suggestions to your reading.
We do not decry works of fiction
which embrace all the better novels. !
In their proper sphere they are useful,
entertaining and instructive, The
chief danger in this class of reading is
that it runs to excess.
But it is against the cheap trash that
floods our shops that We raise our voice.
The reading of such stuff is certainly
very prolitless entertainment. If there
are any boys among us who are Gull
tivating the taste of such reading we
implore them to cast the present vol
ume into the fire. With the thousands
of books relating TO the history Of ma
tions, and the numerous branches of
useful knowledge, you IA scarcely be-
come too well acquainted. From them
you can gather the substantial facts
which will enrich you through all the
years Of your lives. -SomerSet Democrat.
Alden Fales, the boy who murdered
Thomas Haydn in Newark last April,
has been sentenced by Judge Depue to
be hung Oh Thursday, August II.