The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1894-08-23
i. ABE HIN ACRIMINAL
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN UNFOR-
TUNATE EFFECT.

an acquired habit, a2d there wouldn't
b. any criminals if children were train
ed right.
That's what you think, but sit
down there where you will be comfort
able, and I'll tell you something
II was after midnight, and as the
clerk hadn't anything else to do he ae-
cepted the invitation and sat down.
Not a great while ago, went on
the drummer, Il was III an eastern city,
and it happened that l had a package of
samples stolen by boy on the street.
/ caught him in 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
was met by a physician, who told me
something which led me 10 leave the
case to him. When the hoy was called,
the physician appeared with him and
desired to make statement to the court.
1t was granted, and he said;
i" May it please the court, | want to
assume responsibility for this otfenso
and for number of others of a similar
character, which | understand the ac-
cused has committed within the past
year.
"'Your honor he said, until some
thing more than year ago this boy was
as correct boy as any ever knew. OF
good parcntage and excellent training,
~. !, 1,-ht- ha -hD,,1l
have been so. Two years ago he sus
tanned severe accident by being thrown
from a 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 part Of the
skull and trephine the fracture, This !
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 sn
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 in the act, and he was punished. |
may add that at this time he was per-
haps 10 years old. His parents We're
greatly grieved 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 TO
him, but that did no good. One day
they were painfully shocked by his ar
rest for q theft of trifling 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 as
a fox iy 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 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 in the
talk about their boy the suggestion
struck me that perhaps l could offer ar
explanation. l said nothing to them,
but sent for the boy and made an exam
ination Of the trephined fracture and
discovered that while l 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 a day or two
ago, and this is the first opportunity l
have had to make an explanation of
what, to those who knew the boy pre-
yiously, is 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 l would ask
to have him discharged. His parents
have agreed to let me perform another
operation on him, and | feel assured
that | can render him 4 service which
will make an honest rin of him. As
he now is he will continue to grow
worse, and there is nothing before him
except prison, for steal he will until
his offense becomes such that he will go
to the penitentiary. where his olportu
mites may be minimized hut his desire
to steal will continue to grow.
well" concluded the drummer,
"this sort of thing knocked out the
court and everybody else, but the prison
er 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.
physician ON the street here, and the
first thing l 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,
I think, he said as We parted,
that the boy is entirly cured, and here
after when have any trephining to do
shall keep an eye on the bumps and
not make apatient either better or worse