The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-07
RAISING CRIMINALS.
How the Purlieus of Topeka Keep
Turning Them Out.
PARENTS WHO CLAIM THE RIGHT

To Impose Criminal Youths ON the
Rest of the COmmunity-Ough the
Community Endure 1t?
There seems to be something wrong
with the bringing up of children these
days Some seem to be absolutely with
out heart, without compassion or feelings
of any kind which appeal to the better
nature. They become criminals, and
Topeka boy criminals in one or two in
stances seem to be the most heartless on
record.
Take, for instance, Dennis Dumford,
whe has recently pleaded guilty before
District Judge Hazen to grand larceny.
and will be taken before him Tuesday TO
be sentenced. He is yet in his teens.
Scarcely any person commits a crime I'M
less he expects to profit by il; but Dennis
Dumford is a criminal from the love of
it. He steals because he had rather be
running from the officers and il caught
would rather be in Jail than living re-
spectacle life with less excitement in IT.
But Dennis is guilty of far worse
things than stealing.
He claims to be but 10 years old, but
six years ago he was guilty of one of the
pened in the county. He committed
criminal assault on child named Cobb
Ter. He was chased about the county for
some time by the officers, but a compro-
mise was made with the Cobbler family
which saved him from the reform school.
Since then he has committed thefts
almost by the score. Some of the times
he has been captured, aud others he got
away. One of his great points is his
~ off
has his hands upon him before Dunn
ford sees him, he might as well
try to catch a sun beam as to run after
him. The last time he was caught he
was in Captain Gardeners strong grasp
before he knew there was q blue coat
| around.
Although Dumford escaped the re-
form school once he would like very
much to go there now. but he is prob
ably too old.
For absolute cold blooded remorseless
heartlessness as shown in one great
heinous crime David Coulter stands
without an equal. He is a monstrosity
in the way of blunted sensiDilities, a
stranger to compassion. His recent
murder of Edward Illston, almost
for no purpose at all. stands without
parallel in the history of the county, and
certainly leads all the dastardlv deeds of
LA6 Uoy CElMIudiS VI luo SLdtSs LINZ
Jesse PomeroY, he was born morally de-
formed, like some people are born with
clubfeet.
The boy thieves in Topeka can be
counted almost by the dozens. These
are not born criminals; they become
such through circumstances. The num-
Der of boys with whom the police are
called almost daily to deal, is indeed,
large. The first time they are arrested
for stealing a sack of peanuts. the next
! something worse is attempted.
What would these boys not do if they
were not taken charge Of by the state
before they come to have larger oppor-
tunities and greater reasons for doing
! their villainous work?
The secret of much of this state of af-
fairs may be seen in what the father of
two or three of the worst boys in town
said recently. His boys will be put in
the reform school in few days They
/ have been arrested on an average of five
times by the police department of To-
/ peka.
| s'Im going to fight the case" emphat-
/ cically, declared the man, covered with
| rags 'EThey shall never put them boys
| in the reform school. I've heard of them
reform school people whipping boys till
the blood run. If they put them boys
there there'll be some funerals in Shaw
nee county" he repeated several times,
with a motion of his fist
''The whole police force is agin me,"
he continued. They've made their brags
that they were goin' to take my girl away
from me. Say, if ever one of them rAs-
Gals comes up nv stairs he'll GO down d
sight faster than he come up shaking
his fist.
This man does not support his own
family. He has failed himself in the
bringing up of his children, and now is
too foolish to see his mistake, While his
loyalty to his children is easy to under
stand, it is also easy to understand that
this kind of loyalty without precept and
training only makes them worse. This
open advocacy of violence in the home
makes the children want to practice it.
In most cases the boy criminal begins at
home. Hundreds of people are not fit to
have children. Some day if the state
permits the children to be born, it, will
take them away from unfit parents at an
early age If the State shall have. the
right to say what kind of citizens shall
| compose the state.
4--nr nr0,vr,s