Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-03-15
Mr.. Wizards Work.


Mr.. Wizards Work.
From the New York Evening Post.l
For the last two months the judges of
! the court of special sessions have adopt
| ed what is known as the probation sys-
| tenn in dealing with juvenile offenders
/ who have been convicted of petty
! offences. These judges declare that it
| settles effcctually the difficulty hitherto
| experienced in treating the cases of
| young men convicted of minor offence,
| without sentencing them to the degrade
| ton OF city prison or penitentary, with
| its accompanying dangers.
| me probationary system as adopted
! by the judges of this court is to parole
all offenders between the ages of IL and
| p, for one month in the custody of David
| Willard, a young man who is devoting
| himself to settlement work among poor
! boys in the lower East side. Mr.. Will
! lard is teacher in the Tombs prison
| and in various ways his work has been
| brought to the attention of the judges
who rely upon his judgment i'm the cases
| OF boys and young men. While the
| prisoners are on parole Mr.. Willard in
! quires into the antecedents and environ
! ments in each case, and submits a report
| of his findings to the judges. When the
| date of the boys parole expires, Mr.. Will
lard appears in court If he thinks that
| the boy is not inherently bad, or that he
| can be reclaimed, he so reports, and asks
J that the prisoner be released under sus-
| pended sentnCe.
The chances are that Mr. Willard may
| be able to report that he has secured en-
| ployment for the offender; at all events
the judge knows that a careful watch
| will be kept on the boy in the future. and
he almost invariably releases the prs-
| oner as requested
Before the prisoner is released on parole
| decision in his case rests entirely with
| the result of Mr.. Wizards investigation.
| and instructs him to report to Mr.. Will
lard once a week, or as often as he may
direct.
Mr.. Willard said today that he very
seldom had any difficulty in Keeping
| track of the boys. They understand
that the judges sentence Will depend
largely on my report" he explained, land
lose no opportunity in lettin gme know
that they are keeping straight and are
not getting into mischief. one boy who
seemed especially anxious To impress
upon me his intention to reform nearly
pestered me to death. He kept coming
To report at AN hours of the day and
night three or four times each day. lie
| became such "a nuisance at last that
Literally had to chase him off To work
lie is doing well now and Will prove a
useful citizen.
five and one hundred cases So far, and i'm
"a vast ma jOritN have recommended that
the boys be given Il chance To- reform
Most of them were convicted Of small
offences. such as stealing brass or lead
pipe. They hardly realized the gravity
of their offences until they were convict
ed II some of them were sent to prison
or the peniteutiary the consequences
might be disastrous for them Associa-
ton with hardened criminals is always
fatal to the character and future of the
class OF boys that come into my charge OF
Even when the boys are sent to prison
ON Mr. Willard report, they seldom bear
him any grudge. In their vernacular
htey recognize that they had "a square
deal When they return To the city Mr.
Willard looks for them, and tries To get
them employment in some business where
they will be subject to no temptation
Il never recommnd a boy who has once
bee convicted 40 a position of any trust
he said They must take low plac,
at first, and earn their employers con
tidence by their own work and efforts
Mr.. Willard was in Chicago last fail
and while there investigated the proba-
ton system which is employed by the
courts i'm the case of children under six
teen years old, cases that would b,
treated by the Gerry society in New
York. IL thought the system could ht
worked with my boys he said, "ant
it seems tnat | was right"
Judge Holbrook expressed his approva
of the probation system and of Mr.. vii,
lard'S work i'm the highest terms today
There is every prospect that this system
is going to accomplish a vast amount
of good he said. In month or two
when we get over the experimental stage
we can speak with more authority on tnt
subject but at present / can say that il
promises great results. The most i'm,
portant thing about the system is that
we need not send youthful offenders al
an impressionable age to associate Will
, hardened criminals i'm our prisons ant
penitentares, to the utter ruin of theil
character, Mr.. Willard makes very care
full in VeStiEations. We can rely upOr
his judgment, and SO far the results are
most encouraging
zone batch of reports showed thai
forty-he prisoners had been paroed OF
these forty-two were reported upon ia,
| vorably and released on sustt nded sen.
2 tence. The three who had no favorable
reports We're sent to the city prisons on
penitentares. That record speaks fol
, itself. In many of the cases reported IA
, vorably we can safely look for compet,
, reformation without the individual haN,
ing been subjected to the degrading nnu.
ence of contact with hardened criminals
The prospects 1 consider most encuurdg.
ing"
Mr.. Willard work is done without
salary. Besides his investigating work
he has a little house on Chrystie street
which he has fitted up with eight small
bedrooms where he houses eight friend,
less orphan boys. As soon as he can fine
work for one of his family" as he calls
them and the boy is self-supporting he
must hustle for himself and make
room for another boy
When he has room Mr. Willard some
times takes some Of his paroled prisoner.
into his house, but he does not otter
have room The house is supported by
= voluntary subscriptions. Somestimes IN,
subscriptions do not come as numerouslN
. or as largely as are necessary, and then
as Mr. Willard expresses it, we hav,
{ to hook some of our goods at the near
2 by pawnshop until things look brighter
2 We have dark days as well as brigh
ones i'm my family"
The trial of the nine natives charged
. with having murdered Outstanding. DreSi