Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-10-07
POLICE ARREST NEARLY 100 LIT
TIE CHILDREN.
MASKING WAS THEIR CRIME
DETAINED THEM At THE STATION
UNTIL NIGHTFALL.
Little Tots Taken Through the
Crowded Streets in a Patrol
Wngon-Herded Like Grim
inals in the Hold
over.

The great bulk of the arrests made bv this,
police yesterday was of little boys and
girls, youngsters Of tender years. who had
unconsciously violated the law in regard
10 masking and costumes. The little ones
were wrong. perhaps, but on this one week
when the city virtually belongs to them.
the police, it would seem, could have ex-
ercised better judgment than TO arrest then,
for no greater crime than wearing mask
that was contrary to the law or appearing
in a costume which did not strictly comply
in some one detail with the rules laid down
for the gay Carnival time. Altogether.
about 100 children were arrested and de-
tanned until O'Clock
The police board laid down regulations
prohibiting all masking or wearing apparel
OF the opposite sex even during the day
The police had no choice but to obey these
instructions, but the regulations could have
been enforced without harshness.
The reasonabieness OF these Instructions
is not involved in the duty of the officers
10 enforce them. but the public indignant
ly censured the wholesale arrest of bows
and girls for innocently disobeying tine
regulations of the board. The police couIu
lave ordered the youngsters to obey the
rules and this would have been sufficient
in most cases, as the rule was not gener-
ally understood, and its infraction did NOT
very seriously disturb the public peace
There is nothing hiarfously funny or
smart in the spectacle of a woman dressed
in mans clothes, or vice versa 1t is pos
sible, IL one be calm to look upon such
attractions of the code of ethics without
resorung TO violence But the act of a
schooiboy wearing false face and one OF
his sisters dresses Is a different PROPOSE
ton.
Numberless times the youngsters were
ruthiessly gathered up on the streets,
showed sobbingly into the patrol wagons,
there to keep company, possibly with some
crunkard or thief, and hauled around in
the sight OF everyone until a sufficient
Ioa0 was secured TO warrant trip to the
police station Many of them did not even
know for what they were arrested They
had come from their homes down upon
the streets for the frolic which they
thought had been decreed them, and the
costumes which they wore had been pre-
pared after days OF careful preparation.
They were anything and everything for a
fantastic guise and they could see no
painted faces Some wore hideous false
faces. None of them could see any harm
in this.
law that was never made to be stringentIy
enforced, for the first time in their young
lives they were subjected to public arrest
and afterwards to police detention
At the police station they were lined up
with hoodlums. drunks and disturbers Of
the peace generally, and the sight was pa
they not only felt the bitter disgrace OF
it all but also that they were IN deadly
fear as to what might happen to-them.
Not even the explanation and the con
game which procures for the tramp a null
LITIGATION of sentence was accorded to them
Their crime was unexplaiHable- What
--t~N rxNA- rf.4 rhn-
they did not know of the law against mask
ing? what mattered II that many OF them
fell to their knees and begged to be let go:
promising that they would do so no more?
The law of the Carnival was as fixed as
those of the Medes and the Persians. and
there was no appeal Besides. Chief HAYES
had said that il should be thus, and thus
II was
One little fair haired boy pleaded for
mercy. He was locked up. Two girls were
taken before the desk. one weeping upon
the shoulder of the other They had worn
false faces. They were hustled down
stairs into the hoidover to keep company
all clad in red with terrible red horns pro-
truding from. their forehesds were sent
down to mingie with the criminal riff
ram OF the Carnival time. A crowd OF Ut
tie colored girls were detained because they
had paint on their faces young man who
was clad as the court jester was not even
permitted to give bail. he had committed
such a terrible offense. The smaller chill
dren were detained in the police nlatron's
room
This was just 4 few Of them, noticed in
a few moments. and IL was repetition or
this all day long. OF course, IL was the
law II was written in the bond-or. rath-
err in the police regulations But IL the
rolice displayed the same energy in en-
forcing every law OF the city as that one
was enforced yesterday. there would be
less crime in Kansas City and more train
robbers in Jail. They may think they were
right. but the people did not think so. ana
many protests. loud and long. were made
to the officers without the slightest effect
Last night the jailer went with his biz
bunch of keys to the great IRON door OF
the cell department and opened it SO the
Youngsters could troop out The little fell
lows still frightened. their faces tear
stained their Carnival suits covered with
the dirt of the Jail floor. filed out slowly.
sorrowfully. and disappeared before the
chief or any OF his subordinateS could ap-
rear to lecture them on the fearful crime
they had committed 1t was a great day
for the Kansas City police-a great day.
Ham Vrou Truxf Dissolved