New-York tribune., 1902-12-21
THE CHILDREN'S COURT.
FOR W4TFS OF HUM4NITY
Scenes That Nay Be Witmessed Any
Day-Work Of the Magistrates.

At the last meeting OF the Monday Club. which
IS q social organization for charity and phil
anThropic work in this city, the two magistrates
who have far presided over the newly
instituted Children's Court told of their ex-
periences Magistrate William H. Olmsted,
who opened the court and presided during
the months of September and October, pre-
sented some interesting statistics of youthful
crime Magistrate Julius Mayer told of the
many striking human incidents which came
10 his notice during the November session
There is hardly a stronger combination of
hunor and pathos than is presented by this
tribunal of trial for children under sixteen
Their crimes run from stone-throwing. which,
according to Magistrate Mayer, is often the
first offence. TO downright burglary. horse
stealing and highway robbery. There have been
prisoners at the bar young as two years.
and one boy succeeded in getting into trouble
four times before he sent to place where
there were no horses or things to steal
Magistrate Mayer told the other evening of
q little Italian boy from the Madison-st quarter.
The charge was burglary, and the boy had no
hesitancy in telling all about it when the
Judge asked him.
Me and Billy was out on a bum he began.
You were what?" asked the magistrate.
'On bum," repeated the boy.
''And what is that"
''Oh, that's when you stays out all night an
your mother don know where you is"
He told how he had climbed over the tran
som Of store and gave a detailed account
OF the things he had stolen.
Don't you know that it wrong for you
TO take those things?" he was asked
NO" he answered frankly, but it wrong
10 get ketched.''
And there one has the logic of the tenement
waif. He paroled on his promise not TO
sin again, and went his way, proud of having
been Jet off.
In week he was again in court charged
with stealing.
You have been on the bum again. said the
magistrate.
No declared the son of Italy, Use only
STAYED out half the night
But the way to learn Of the Children's Court
is 10 go there and sit through session or
two as a Tribune reporter did. And this is how
il was:
There was the usual rustling Of legal docu-
ments and the usual activity the part Of
court officials attending the calling Of case;
then a couple of stout court officers brought
in the defendant Brought in is the correct
term, for the nine-year-old colored lad abso-
1utely declined to go in. He pulled and tugged
he braced his feet until his poor bowed legs
bent almost double. He cried until his face
was bathed in tears.
Had the lad been led to the electric chair |
he could not have displayed more abject fear |
than when the officers took him before kind |
hearted Justice Mayer to answer the terrible |
charge Of throwing potatoes through Ital |
ian's window. But he did not know Justice |
Mayer from the 'hoodoo" man. His conception !
OF the law began and ended with iron bars |
dungeons, redhot irons and other instruments
OF torture.
To the words of a court officer, THAT |
lad was the most thoroughly frightened boy |
we have had here since the opening OF the |
Children's Court. You have heard OF being /
scared stiff; well, sir, that lad scared white.
was sorry for the little chap. a big cop /
brought him down from Harlem. and the 'dago.' !
who had long curly hair followed along behind. /
tell you they made picture"
Justice Mayer smiled he gazed at the grief |
shaken lad before him and listened to the |
narrowing tale Of crime unfolded to him through |