The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-07-31
MADE HIMA CRIMINAL
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN uNFoR-
TuNATE EFFECT.

COFreCte0 the Erfor.
do you think criminality is dis
sase?. asked the drummer of the hotel
clerk.
Course not, !" said the clerk. cit is
an acquired habit, and there wouldn't
be any criminals il children were train
ed right. "
That's what you think, but sit
down there where yon will be comfort
able, and I'll tell you something.
It was after midnight, and as the
clerk hadn't anything else TO do he ac-
cepted the invitation and sat down.
"Not o great while ago, . went ON
the drummer, 81 was I'm an eastern city,
and it happened that I had o 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 was
i'm the police court ON time, and there 7
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.
nc was granted, and he said:
May it please the court, want to
assume responsibility for this of1ense
and for . number of others Of similar
character, which / understand the ac-
cused has committed within the past
year.
Your honor, he said, until some
thing more than o 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 90. 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 a. the
bump Of acquisitiyeness. was called
in to treat the case, and upon examina-
tion discovered that the only thing to
be done was 10 remove a part of the
skull and trephine the fracture This I
did, exposing a considerable area of the
brain. The ,trephining, however, was
quite successful and had the pleasure
in few weeks Of seeing my patient
once more ON his feet, and to all intents
and purposes as well as ever, or very
likely TO be soon. At this time, and un-
til several months later, nothing un-
usual was noticed about the boy, but
after several months IL was observed
that he began to purloin small things
at first. but one day his mother caught
him in the act. and he was punished. /
may add that at this time he was per-
haps 13 years old. His parents were
greatly grieved over this discovery and
afterward kept q close watch on him
The habit, however, seemed tn be grow
ing ON him, and all their efforts TO
check it were In vain. They even went
SO far a. to have their pastor talk 60
him, but that did no good. One day
they were painfully shocked by his ar
rest for theft Of trining character.
The matter was settled as quietly as
possible, and 1t was hoped that this
would be q lesson to him. It made ab-
solutely no difference, and the boy went
from bad to worse. What he has stolen
no one can tell, for he 10 as cunning a.
fox in his work, as rule. nor Ii IL
known what he does with his stealings
unless he 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 me to think had anything to
do with it.
The parents came TO me when the
theft occurred at my house, and I'm the
talk about their boy the suggestion
struck me that perhaps could offer an
explanation. I 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-
op abnormally, and that lit was growing
greater every day. ] did not reach this
conclusion definitely until o day on two
ago, and this Is the first opportunity /
have had to make an explanation of
what, to those who knew the boy pre-
V4OAcAyB 40 % &GAn@Ah&&UAG G&SSC VA Ak4DAh
|retrogression. Having made this ex-
PLANTATION. / wish to assume the respon-
sibility for the boys acts, and as the
prosecuting witness Ii willing not TO
appear against my patient would ask
10 have him discharged. His parents
have agreed to let me perform another
operation ON him, and / feel assured
that I can render him service which
will make an honest man Of him. As
he now IL he win continue TO grow
worse, and there is nothing before him
except prison, for steal he will until
his offense becomes such that he will SO
to the pcnitentiary. where his opportn-
mites may be minimized, but his desire
DO steal viii continue to grow.
well, concluded the drummer.
''this sort OF thing knocked ont the
eourt and everybody else. but the prison
en- 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 d year ago. Today ! met the
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