Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-12-01
CugFEW AND CRsME.
II csaian EFoodhc1nds TO Run Down
Minor Criminals

| Minor Criminals
Curfeyy was cnca TIE warning bell which
rang OUT the hour Of putting out fire and
/ light il communities. "Couvre-feu," it
was called IN franco covering the flre),
and curfew, gathered into one word. is its
! Norman derivation. Later on in history
| the curfew was supplanted by the night
/ watcbman who patroilcd the streets and
| ,ried out the hours Of the night.
| Colonel Alexander Ho2gland, its orig
| inator in America. says that it is the only
| measure that viii restrict petty crimes
| among juveniles.
1.-THE latest schemc on the part Of police
| authorities in some places to Offset the
'curfew ordinance j. The employment Of
/ blOCdhounGs in running down minor Grim
! iE4ls,' Colonel UoagiaEd IS reported as
I saying. This sounds terribly harsh. In
/ this country we connect them only with u
sheriT's posse on tho trail Of the Ierpe-
traitor Of Lginous crime In u certain
! western town the police force added a Few
feature N tho shape Of Russian blood
hounds Their first service was 30 run
down Iuisorc;.:lts who dslacCd the fIrui
ture and marble floors ~ one of the public
! buildings. Tho do.s led tEeir trainers into
the homes of taroo young EoOdluf-s, who.
on seeing the dogs aud hearing their say
age howl, srran.- upon tke beds and tables.
shouting: Keep tho dogs back! Keep the
dogs hGckl We did Il, and we VIII tell
Jon all about it.
Officials Of various cities arc aGvCoat-
ing the public lOggilG Of youths a last
remedy for truaucy and crime. All this
viii &c rcmoGicI by the ordinance OF tho
curiew. Children Will soon learn 20 obey
the waning Tel and return to their
homes. I cannot think of anything more
cruel, ilhI,Huu and barbarian than the
running down of youths with blood
hounds. IL takes Is back to the days of
the dark ages. Think Of it-onc of those
s,vuCe beasts, with gHIsLing teeth and
bloodsho5 eyes, il pursuit Of your child,
who may have committed trivial depre-
dation because nc ro2mcd with bad com
pany at night aud was drawn into the
temptation that turks in the dark!
The bloodhound idea should do more
than anything else in favor Of tho curfew
ordinance. Tho authorities Of st. Joseph
and indianapolis. where the curfew has
been established Tor some time, report an
almost complete oX;irpatiOn of hoodlum
ism. the sort Of ofICnsc which II is proposed
TO cxtcrminate with bloodhounds."
Two years ago Mrs. Eliza Harris, who
was fora long period the matron of the
four courts of IT. Louis, wrote to the
eighth annual convention Of the Curfow
association as follows:
I can count - women who have been
arrested on an average of eight times n
year for the last ten years in this CITY.
These women have from Cirlhood been
frequenters Of prison cells and do not seem
ut home III any other place Many of
them, to my own knowledge, wCro street
hOodlums before they grew ou5 Of their
teens. The majority of them died an carly
death since l came here. What blessing
Co mankind il Some association had begun
this reform IN their childhoodr
There is practically no opposition on the
part Of those dealing with all classes of
criminals 70 the CurIew ordinance. The
sherifTs OF the United States, in national
convention two years ago IA Denver, passed
resolutions inCorsing tho curfew and
called uEoa She C-ty councils il all parts
Of the United States u pass the ordinance |
Ono CT their number stated that its en-
forcemont would mean reducing thievery, |
robbery, hold ups and train ditching at |
least 20 per cent. At the same time it |
would be Il loss of o:!e-half the fees of the !
sheriff. Continuing, he said, IF there l. |
sheriff in Office who wants crime to |
thrive that he may get u living, no ought |
to resign. -