The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-01
THAT TINY CONVICT
Judge Hudspetn's Solemn
Reasons for Wrecking
a Young Life.
NO 'MAUDLIE SYMPATHY" IN HIN
The Reform School for Children
With Hopes as Well as
Homeless Waits.

Judge Hudspeth, today, in open court, re-
ferred to the recent sentence of the boy,
Jessie Warren, to the Reform School, inthis
manner
I'm view of the criticisms of the press and
some persons of the sentence of the boy,
Jesse Warren, the Court desires to say that
the Prosecutor, early in the term, arraigned
the boy for trial. After a conference with
the Court the trial was postponed because OF
the age of the boy, and to enable the Court
TO make an investigation into the character
of the boy. In the investigation it was as
certained that the boy gave evidence of
viciousness and a disposition TOWARD crimi-
nal acts. and that he knew the difference be-
tween right and wrong.
The Court and Prosecutor decided from
these facts that it would be proper to place
the boy before a jury. He was tried. 1t
appeared in the evidence in the case that no
necessity for maudlin sentimentality existed;
The facts were obtained from disinterested
witnesses, and it appeared that the child was
ineorrigible and vicious and criminal IN
other cases.
Continuing his remarks, Judge Hudspeth
said
SOME AWFUL CRIMES.
tsThen there was evidence in the case, of
his taking possession of a doctors vehicle
and horse, and when the horse would not
move with him, deliberately getting out and
stoning the horse on the street. There was
evidence also in the case where a grocer had
warned him not to go in upon his premises
or about his store, and when he saw the
grocer on the street he deliberately stoned
the grocer.
ssThere is evidence in this case of an eye
witness, a young lady who saw this assault
and saw this boy jesse Warren deliberately
go up to this child that he had killed, and
strike him with this stone, throw it at him,
not at the fence, not at some other object and
by accident strike this child, but deliberately
strike this boy in the head with a stone and
then run away That was the charge upon
which he was tried Under all the circum-
stances in the case the jury convicted this
child upon the evidence, and the Court had
nothing then to do but TO follow its duty
under its oath of Office and under the law.
PURPOSE OF THE Fl SCHOOL.
'sThe State has a Reform School for the
purpose Of redeeming i~ncorTlglble and
vicious youths, and this institution is not
simply for the unwashed and the ilhterate
AMI the uncultivated, some poor little gamin
Who may steal or commit an assault and
battery or eyince viciousness; it IS not alone
for such a child as that, it is for all. ire
spective of position in society; and the
Court, in passing sentence, does not
consider the condition of the child,
whether its parents are rich or
poor; it considers simply the mental
condition, the intelligence, the viciousness,
incorrigibility of the child, and Furnishes it
accordingly. If it is a fit place to send such
a child. there that child must go; if it is for
the benefit of the child, there the Court
will send the child, and in this case the Court
had no alternative, it was its bounden duty,
in order that the law should be properly ad-
ministered, to send that child there, irrespec-
fin ~ ~ na0fhQr orr fhncn with whom If
lives.
1.-THE Court further desires to say that in
this case the mother and the grandparents
of this childs attention had been from time
to time called to the conduct of this child,
and instead of ~reprimanding it, instead
of keeping it off the street, instead OF
correcting it, they still allowed it to follow
its own inclinationS, and when the
father of the deceased child carried that
child to the mothers house in his arms bleed
ing for the purpose of protesting against
these outrages, they slammed the door in
the fathers face, and would not listen to his
e~xpostulation and demand that the child
should be r~eprimanded.
FOR H VICTIM.
"There should also be considered the sor-
row and bereavement Of that mother and
father; that child taken away In the heyday
of its youth, cut down and killed because of
the v~iciousness of this defendant; and it is a
warning to parents to look after their child
rem, keep them off the streets, and if they
evince a viciouSness to try and correct 1t,
otherwise they ma have the unfortunate
experience of the parents of this child, who
have the child arraigned here at the bar OF
this court charged with such a serious
offence.
1.-THE Court has also been in receipt of
anonymous letters, letters which have nc
effect at all upon the Court in regard to the
discharge of its duty. but they are of such a
character, so dastardly, miserable and cow
ardly that the Court desires to say to persons
who contemplate sending such letters to the
Court that the only consideration the Court
pay to them is to cast them into the waste
paper baskets
Il further desire to say that our sentences
here are not passed in response to newspaper
comments or editorials, but are passed with
a due consciousness of the responsibility and
duty that devolves upon the Court here ire
spectiye of the criticisms of the press. 1t
would be well for newspapers to investigate
these eases before they reflect upon the law
officers of the county or upon the Court"
A SPECIMEN LETTER.
One of the anonymous letters referred to
by Judge Hudspet1 was as follows:-
January 81, 1894.
SIs:-We. the mothers Of Jersey City, wish
to inform you that we consider it an outrage to
send 2 1oy 50 young 2an as as Je tSet warren var . TO n,n uh sh me
him for what he did. but he certainly does not.
Is it not just as likely that
any one would throw a stone at a gate. miss
what be aimed at and hit a boy? Jesse Warren
may have thrown the stone at the boy. Bnt he
may not have meant TO kill him. Why not take
his mothers feelings into consideration? We
don't blame Lawyer Alex. Simpson TO- not
being smart enough. for he is considered the
cleverest lawyer ia Jersey City, but we do
blame the Court. Now. Judge, consider the
case. Send the child home to his mother and
you will be thought q great deal more of.
MOTHERS CT JERSEY CRY.
-A---
DINNER TO FATHER KELLY.