The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-20

work over that boy to answer those Ques
ticns, and very likely land him in Jail
again. I'd rather co my work in nE
own way
Mr.. Backus said that he rather shrank
from having people know much that he
was doing because he knew that man that
came down from St. Lawrence county to
New York couldn't help being more or less
Of eountryman and appear little awk-
ward, and he was afraid that he and his
work would be ridiculed In this he has
been pleasantly disappointed.
Mr. Backus does not look like a coun-
tryman; that is the sore that parades
Broadway with a baggy umbrella and ci-
garette advertisement. He wears his
clothes little roughly and likes a low
down collar. He has heavy black eye
brows and a rather uneven iron grey mus
tache. He has friendly off-hand way of
talking, saying everything that comes into
his mind With the utmost apparent free
dom and a; the same time talking SO slow
ly that he never slips into anything I'M
diplomatic. There is not the slightest hint
OF anything harsh or unkind about the
man until he begins to think about some
of the men and women who lead into trou-
BILE boys that are half-starved or weak.
1t is not veiy long since MIR Backus used
his information and influence with the
judges TO have one such man sentenced to
Sing Sing for ten years on evidence OBJ
tanned from. young boys who had helped in
his burglaries. Mr.. Backus is very hard,
too. on boys who break their promises to
him to b. cool. lie has a tremendous
amount of Iias'.lce, but he will not for
give A boy who yiola.ts a promise under
which a suspension es sentence was OBJ
tanned for him. He gave = reporter two
instances which illustrate these traits.
H. bot g how
who stole trifing amount with which he
bought food for his family. Mr.. Backus
bought for this boy $40 suit of clothes.
He has redeemed that suit of clothes from
various pawnshops four times for the hoy.
That sort of thing, he says, is expensive,
but it's not honest. If the boys family
insist upon stealing his clothes when he
is in bed. it is not anybody's fault. The
other instance occurred only week ago.
A boy who had heen sent out on an errand
by his mother with IS used the money to
get drunk and spent it all. His mother
had him arresi I'd on n charge OF petit lar
ceny. Mr.. Bs :kus thought that the boy
could be bra ed up and that Jail was not
exactly the place for him. So he took the
boy to Father Hill and had him take the
pledge. The boy kept that pledge until
last Friday night. Two hours after he I
broke it Mr.. Backus knew it and the boy
Is IN Raymond street JAN now ana VIII re-
ceive his full sentence for petit larceny.
Mr.. Baci.us' work is not confined to petty
offenders o. IT, those for whom he hopes
to have sentence suspended Even when
a boy has t. = back to prison ard serve
his term, Mr.. Eackus visits him frequently
and stands rsldy to help him at the end
of his sente.j Re.
There are two kinds of help that Mr..
Backus will ,,ccept from those that APP
prove of what he is doing. He likes to
hear from people who know of places
where boy can be put at work under in
fluences that will be good for him. He
can use as many suits OF clothes as are
sent to him. He has no use for old clothes
in the ordinary sense of the word. meaning
clothes that have been discarded because
they are so much worn that the owner
would not wear them under any circum-
stances. 1t is hard enough he says, for a
boy who is decentIy and even attractively
clothed to get work in big city like this;
it is quite impossible for boy who looks
shabby to get any sort of desirable en-
ployment Therefore Mr.. Backus wants
clothes that the owner could wear again
If he felt like it without lass of self
respect. There are many people WHO
give away such clothes. and Mr.. Backus
would like TO hear from everyone Of them.
He lives at 2s South Elliott Place, Brook
lyn.-New York Sun.