Connecticut western news., 1893-05-25

with this offensive odor that 1t might col lect and gormandize all sorts of insects.
 can think of nothing more striking as an illustration of this modern news paper. Such is the flower that has grown up in the putrid conditions of our mod ern city life. It's color is as gorgeous as it's perfume is offensive. It's roots take hold of the saloon, the gambling hell, draws its richest life. When the streets and sewers of our civic life are at last flushed with pure water, it must disap- pear with the filth from which it springs and on which it feeds. make this state ment without the fear of challenge from any source: Place in the hands of an average boy and girl, in average home conditions in the great city, every day in the year, such newspapers as the New York Sun or World, give them only these papers every day in the year to read from the time they are 10 years of age until they are 15, and I will guar antee my life upon the issue that the boy will land in jail and the girl in house of prostitution before either of them are of age.
 What are the inevitable results from this flooding of the world through the daily and the weekly press and through vicious books and pictures? The result is what any sane man must expect-a generation of toughs and criminals, even from childhood, and the consequent low ering of the average life of the nation. Let us take up the tabulated returns from our newspaper through the past two years. Let us quote but few ex- amples to show what is constantly going on from this cause.
 A dispatch from Belleville, N. J. about month ago told of the destruction by fire of large barn in which the owner suffered a loss of $3,O0O. It was discov- cred that the fire was of incendiary or igin, and the guilt was clearly fixed on two boys. One of the boys was heard to reply to his Nchum as they were talking the matter over ill secret that he would like to fire Mir. McCarthy's two Wash ington avenue houses, kill him and then die like man. No reason is known for the act, except that the boys read dime novels. They were lodged in Essex county jail for trial.
 Three boys recently broke into sa- loon to rob it. As the proprietor enter ed, aroused by the noise, one of the young toughs deliberately drew his re- volver and shot him down. After his arrest the young murderer said when told that the man was dead, "Wen, l must be a tough if have killed man" :"
 AT THE TONES.
 Not long ago, at the Tombs, boy of 12 was arraigned for felonious assault. He shot boy of his own age. They were at cards, gambling. One called the other liar. The young gambler, acting out the story he had read, rose with dig nity and said, Johnny, that has got to be wiped out with blood," and drawing B revolver sent bullet into the head of his companion.
 A boy of 16 years of age, after read across railroad over N1lvert and sta tioned himself on fence short distance away to see the train wrecked. Provi- dentially the engineer saw the obstruc- tion in time to save the train, but one man was killed. The young desperado said after his arrest he had been reading about a train which had been wrecked and thought he would like to see one himself.
 In April year ago boy 15 years of age was arrested after three attempts to wreck train just beyond Saratoga.
 Three boys, 9, 12 and IS years of age, were arrested at 8 o'clock in the morn ing some time ago in New York city. Four loaded revolvers were found in their possession and a quantity of filthy stories. They had run away from home in Worcester, Mass, and were on their way to Leadville to seek their fortune. They had stolen money with which to start and armed themselves in junk store.
 A boy of IA, of respectable parents, was discovered stealing money from his brother. He had in his pockets one of these dirty publications. He promised to reform, but his character was wrecked. A short time afterward he was seized for like offense. Two of these 5-cent series were found in one pocket, a package of cigarettes and his plunder in another.
 Last March year ago a boy of II years of age committed a burglary in Red Bank, N. J. He imagined himself a hero when arraigned. His poor old mother came into court. When she asked him a question, he turned upon her and in loud, defiant tones said to her, Who's running this thing-me or your In Missouri recently a boy B years of age was tried for murder and convicted. He had killed his own father.
 A girl 12 years of age recently shot down her father because he would not consent to her marrying young man whom the father thought unworthy of her.
 John Tibbitts, aged IA, was lynched by armed men in Minnesota. He had mur- dered two men. When he addressed the mob, the young villain declared that he was about to die for an act to which he had been melted by reading sensational | novels and the irresistible impulse to make noise in the world by some bloody act. While they were preparing to hang him he remarked coolly: Hurry up. Don't keep fellow waiting"
 In Texas boy shot girl summer be- fore last because she refused to put down | ~ pe&AA OAAO "co Sdi liiSo WliCh uO IOlI- l manded her to.
 There can be no question as to the ori. l gin of this scourge. In the general ses- l sions court of New York, May, 1882, the | grand jury, after being in session 2f | days, passed upon 236 complaints, and in making their. final presentment to the court said, Mot far from three-quar. ters of the complaints are against boys ranging from 12 to IS years of age.' Judge Cowing, in passing sentence upon batch of youthful culprits, said: 'To see the number of bright, intelligent young men brought into this court every | day is painful spectacle. A great ma | jority of the prisoners arraigned here are | young men between the ages of IT and 25. The judges are doing all they can te | put a stop to the commission of crime by the young, but it seems of little effect" One of the officers of the Prison asso- citation recently said, when asked how | many criminals of those arraigned ir l New York courts were under 21 years ot