Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-09-14
MADE HIM X CRIMINAL.
An Operation That Had an Unfortunat
 Effect
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An Operation That Had an Unfortunate
 Effect.
 Do you think eriminality is a dis ease9h remarked the drummer to the hotel clerk
 3Gourse not, said the clerk; it is an acquired habit, and there wouldn't be any criminals if children were trained right"
 That's what you think, but sit down there where you will be comfortable, and I'll tell you something.
 It was after midnight, and as the clerk hadn't anything to do he nc eepted the invitation and sat down.
 Not great while ago went on the drummer, II was in an eastern city, and it happened that l had a package of samples stolen by boy on the street. l caught him in the act, and policeman being on the spot, for wonder, I turned the thief over tc him, and agreed to appear against the boy just to teach him q lesson. The next morning l was in the police court on time, and there was met by q physician, who told me something which led me to leave the case to him. When the boy was called the physician appeaied with him and desired to make | statement to the court 1t was granted, and he said:
 May it please the court. I want to assume responsibility for this offense, and for 4 number of others of a similar character, which I understand the ac- cused has committed within the past year.
 Naturally the judge was surprised, and, of course, he wanted an eXplana- tion, and the physician was ready and willing to furnish it.
 " Your honor, he said, until some- thing more than year ago, this boy was as correct a boy as any I ever knew, Of good percentage and excel lent training, there is no reason why he should not have been so. Two years ago he sustained severe accident by being thrown from bicycle i'll which his skull was fractured directly on that spot which phrenologists have desig- mated as the bump of acquisitiveness. l was called in to treat the case, and apon examination discovered that the only thing to be done was to remove part of the skull and trephine the frac- l ture This did, exposing a eonsidera- ble area of the brain. The trephining, however, wus quite successful, and had the pleasure in a few weeks of seeing my patient once more on his feet, and to all intents and pur- poses As well as ever, or very likely to be very soon. At this time, and until several months later, nothing unusual was noticed about the boy, but after several months it was observed that he began to purloin small things about the house He was not suspected at first, but one day his mother caught him in the act, and he was punished. l may add that at this time he was per haps thirteen years old. His parents were greatly grieved over this discov- cry, and afterward kept a close watch on him. The habit, however, seemed to be growing on him, and all their eff forts to check it were in vain. They even went so far as to have their pastor talk to him, but that did no good. One day they were painfully shocked by his arrest for a theft of trifiing character. The matter was settled as quietly as possible; and if was hoped that this would be a lesson to him. It made absolutely no difference, and the boy went from bad to worse. What he has stolen no one can tell, for he is as cum ming as fox in his work, as rule, nor is it known what he does with his steal ings unless he has hidden them away somewhere. Ten days ago the case came directly to my notice by theft from my own house. l had heard, of course. of what the boy had been doing but it did not occur to me to think l had anything to do with it. The par ents came to me when the theft oe- cured at my house, and in the talk about their boy the suggestion struck me that perhaps 1 could offer an ex- planation. l said nothing to them, i but sent for the boy and made an examination of the trephined fracture, and discovered that while I had saved the boy's life, l had also ! given his bump of acqRisltiveness an opportunity to develop abnormally, and that it was growing greater every day l did not reach this conclusion definitely until a day or two ago. and this is the first opportunity have had to make an explanation of what to those who knew the boy previously, is remarkable case of moral retrogres- sion. Having made this explanation, wish to assume the responsibility for the boys acts, and as the prosecuting witness is willing not to appear against my patient, 1 would ask to have hln discharged. His parents have agreed to let me perform another opera