The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-11-03
MADE HIM ACRIMINAL
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN uNFOR-
TuNATe EFFECT.

S~A AAohS
That's what You think, but sit
down there where you will DO 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.
mot great while ago." went OH
the drummer, Il was in an eastern city,
anc 1t happened that had n package OF
samples stolen by boy ON the street.
caught him in the act, and police
man being on the spot, for wonder,
turned the thief over to him and agreed
to appear against the boy. just to teach
him lesson. The next morning l was
In 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 statement to the court.
1t was granted, and he said:
May it please the court, want to
assume responsibility for this offense
and for number of others Of a similar
character, which l understand the &C
cused has committed within the past
year.
Your honor, he said, until some
thing more than year ago this boy was
Is 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 a severe accident by being thrown
yynyy, 1irx-nl., in, ,,h
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 70
Do done was to remove a part of the
Akull and trephine the fracture This |
did, exposing considerable area Of the
brain. The trephining. however, was
quite successful, and had the pleasure
in a few weeks Of seeing my patient
once more ON his feet, and to all iutents
and purposes as we'll as ever, or very
likely to be soon. At this time, and I'M
nj 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
at first, bat one day his mother caught
him in the act, and he was punished. l
may add that at this time he was per.
haps - years old His parents were
greatly Srieved 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
- far as to have their pastor talk 70
him, bus that did no good. One day
they We're painfully shocked BY his ar.
rest for theft Of trifiny character.
The matter was settled as quietly as
possible, and it was hoped that this
would be 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 a.
fox in his work, as a rule, nor is it
known what he does with his stealings
unless ne has hidden them somewhere.
Ten days ago the case came directly to
my notice by theft from nv own
house. / had heard, Of course, OF wha,
the boy had been doing, but il did not
occur to me to think had ANYTHING 10
do with it.
The parents cana IN ma when ,be
theft occurred at nv house, and in tho
talk about their boy the suggestion
struck me that perhaps | could offer An
explanation. said nothing TO them
but sent for the boy and made an exam.
hation Of the trephined frarture and
discovered that while I had saved the
boys life had also given his bump Of
acquisitiveness an opportunity to devel.
op abnormally, and that it was growing
greater every day. l did not reach this
conclusion definitely until day or two
ago, and this is the first opportunity I
have had to make an explanation OF
what, to those who knew the boy ure
viously, is a remarkable case Of moral
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 I would ask
TO have him discharged. His parents
have agreed to let mo perform another
operation on him, and feel assured
that | can render him service which
will make an honest man Of him. Az
be now Is he will continue to grow
worse, and there is nothing before him
except a prison, for steal ne will until
n i ls.Tt - 1