The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1894-07-19
MADE HIMACRIMINAL
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN uNFOR-
TUNATE EFFECT.

A Boys Bump of Aequisitiveness Grew Abb
normally After He Was Trephihed-
the Surgeon Stood All the Blame and
Corrected tile Error. , ss-sr@o .,t
do you think criminality is dis
ease?' asked the drummer Of the hotel
clerk
Course not, )" said the clerk ''It is
an acquired habit, and there wouldn't
be any criminals if children were traint
ed right"
That's what you think, but sit
down there where you will be comfort
able, and I'll tell you something
1t was after midnight, and as the
clerk hadn't anything else to do he &C
cepted the invitation and sat down.
"Not a great while ago." went on
the drummer, II was in an eastern city,
and it happened that had a package of
samples stolen by boy on the street.
l caught him i'll the act, and police
man being on the spot, for wonder, l
turned the thief over to him and agreed
to appear against the boy, just to teach
him lesson. The next morning was
in the police court on time, and there l
was met by physician, who told me
something which led me. to leave the
case to him: When the boy was called ]
the physician appeared with him and
desired to make statement to the court.
1t was granted, and he said:
90 May it please the court, l want to
assume responsibility for this offense
and for number of others of similar
character, which l understand the &C.
cusel has committed within the past
year
Your honor, he said, until some
thing more than year ago this boy was
as correct a boy as any | ever knew. Of
good parentage and excellent training,
there is no reason why he should not
have been so. Two years ago he sus-
tanned severe accident by being thrown
from bicycle, in which his skull was
fractured directly on that spot which
phrenologists have designated as the
bump of acquisitiveness. was called
in to treat the case, and upon examina-
ton discovered that the only thing to
be done was to remove q part of the
skull and trephiae the fracture This |
did, exposing considerable area of the
brain. The trephiping, however, was
quite successful, and had the pleasure
in few weeks of seeing my patient
once more on his feet, and to all inteHts
and purposes as we'll as ever, or very
likely to be soon. At this time, and un-
I'll cax-arol he lo+o,.
usual 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 N the act, and he was punished ]
may add that at this time he was per.
haps ID years old His parents were
greatly grieyed over this discovery and
afterward kept a close watch on him. |
The habit, however, seemed to be grow
ing ON him, and all their efforts to |
check it were in vain. They even went |
SO far as to have their pastor talk 10 |
him, but that did no good. One day |
they were painfully shocked by his ar |
rest for theft of trifling character |
The matter was settled as quietly as |
possible, and it was hoped that this |
would be a lesson to him. 1t made alb |
solutely no difference, and the boy went |
from bad to worse What he has stolen |
no one can tell, for he is as cunning as I
q fox in his work, as rule, nor is it |
known what he does with his stealings |
unless he has hidden them somewhere.
Ten days ago the case came directly to |
my notice by a theft from my own !
house. / had heard, of course, of what
the boy had been doing, but it did not
occur to me to think I had anything to
do with it.
The parents came to me when the
theft occurred at my house, and in the
talk about their boy the suggestion
struck me that perhaps 1 could offer an
explanation. l said nothing to them,
but sent for the boy and made an exam,
ination of the trephined fracture and
discovered that while had saved the
boys life had also given his bump of .
acquisitiveness an opportunity to devel-
OPP abnormally, and that twas growing
greater every day. did not reach this
conclusion definitely until day or two |
ago, and this is the first opportunity
have had to make an explanation of
what, to those who knew the boy pre-
viously, is remarkable case of moral I
retrogression. Having made this ex-
PLANTATION, wish to assume the respon-
sibility for the boys acts, and as the /
prosecuting witness is willing not to
appear against my patient would ask /
to have him discharged. His parents
have agreed to let me perform another
operation on him, and l feel assured /
that can render him service which |
will make an honest man of him. As |
he now is he will continue to grow
worse, and there is nothing before him
except a prison, for steal he will until /
his offense becomes such that he will go /
to the penitentiary. where his opportu-
mites may be mipimized, but his desire
TO steal will continue to grow.
Well, concluded the drummer,
"this sort of thing knocked out tho /
court and everybody else, but the prison
or was turned over TO the physician as /
his patient, and he took him away with /
him to hospital, where he said the OPP
GRAFTON was to be performed at once.
That was year ago. Today met the
physician ON the street here, and the |
first thing / asked him about was the /
boy. He smiled all over and told me
that ever since the operation the boy
had been steadily improving, and for
two months past he had stolen nothing,
although the temptation was constantly
put in his way by his orders.
Il think, he said as we parted,
that the boy is entirly cured, and here
after when have any trephining to do
I shall keep an eye on the bumps and |
not make patient either better or worse
Than nature intended. Detroit Free
Press.