The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-18
MADEHIMACRINIINAL
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN uNFoR-
TUNATE EFFECT.

normally After he Was Trcphncd-Isut
the Surgeon Stood All the Blame and
Corrected the Error.
DO you think criminality is a dis
ease?' asked tho drummer of the hotel
clerk
Course not" said tho clerk. cit is
an acquired habit, and there wouldn't
be amy criminals if children were train
cd 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 nc
cepted tho invitation and sat down.
mot n great while ago." went on
the drummer, II was i'll an eastern CITY,
and it happened that had u package of
samples stolen by boy on the street.
l caught him i'll tho act, and a police
man being OH 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
III the police court on time, and there
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 Il statement to the court.
1t was granted, and he said:
May it please the court, want to
assume responsibility for this offensc
and for number of others of a similar
character, which 1 understand the nc
cused has committed within the past
year.
Your honor, he said, until some
thing more than n year ago this boy was
as correct 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 q severe accident by being thrown
from n bicycle, i'll which his skull was
fractured directly on that spot which
phrenologists have designated us the
bump of acquisitiveness- was called
i'll to treat the case, and upon examina-
ton discovered that the only thing to
be dono was TO remove part of the
skull and trcphine the fracture This 1
did, exposing considerable area of the
brain Tho trephining, however, was
quito successful, and 1 had the pleasure
III few weeks of seoing my patient
once more OIL his feet, and to all intcnts
and purposes al VOL KS ever, or very
likely to be soOn. AT this time, and I'M
I'll several months later, nothing I'M
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
ut first but one day his mother caught
him III the net. and he was punished I
may add that at this time no was per-
haps Is years old. His parents were
greatly grieved over this discovery and
afterward kept close watch on him.
The habit, however. seemed to be grow
ing ON him. and all their efforts to
check 1t 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 mr.
rest for o theft of trifing character.
The matter was settled as quietly as
possible, and it was hoped that this
would be a lesson to him 1t made ab-
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
fox in his work, MS rule nor is it
known what he does with his stealings
unless no has hidden them somewhere.
Ten days ago the case came directly to
my notice by theft from my own
house had heard, Of course, of what
the boy had been doing but it did not
occur to mo to think had anything to
do with it
Tho parents camo to me whom the
theft occurred at my house, and in tho
talk about their boy tho suggestion
struck me that perhaps could offer OIL
explanation 1 said nothing to them,
but sent for the boy and made an exam
nation of the trephined fracture and
discovered that while had saved the
boys life had also given his bump Of
acquisitvcness IN opportunity to devel-
op abnorrnally, and that it was growing
greater every day. I did not reach this
conclusion definitely until day or two
ago, and this is the first opportunity 1
have hnd to make ali explanation of
what, to those who knew the boy pre-
viously, is remarkable case of moral
retrogrcssion. Having made this ex-
PLANTATION, wish 70 assume the respon
sibility for the boys acts, and MS the
prosecuting witness is willing not to
appear against my patient would ask
to have him discharged His parents
have agreed to lot me perform another
operation ON him. and I feel assured
that 1 can render him a service which
will mako in honest man of him. AS
he now is he viii continue to grow
worse. and there is nothing before him
except prison, for steal he will until
his offense becomes such that he will 90
to the penitentiary. where his opportu-
mites may be minimized, but his dosiro