The leader., 1903-10-17
The Shooting Of Young MCLaurin.

The shooting of young John
McLaurin, Of Bogue Chitto, by
Charles ?. Tapley, Of jackson, in
one of the west side resorts last
Saturday night is surrounded with
many sad features. In the hos
pital the victim of Tapley's bull
let lies quiet as death, his face and
pulseless hand, white as the down
of pillows bolstering him up, so
he can breathe. He pays little
heed to those surrounding him
and patiently bears the pain of the
wound that may yet demand the
forfeit of his young life. Nc
Laurin is but a lad. He is under
seventeen and in many homes he
would be loved and petted like
child. He is motherless, father
less and without relative in the
wide world, save a cousin and
step-mother. This step-mother
has shielded him as her own; has
sought to guide his steps and
mould his ambitions, that a noble
and wise career might ensue.
Prayerful and loving has been the
counsel, but like many other boys,
McLaurin, though his native dis
position is sweet, tractable and
generous, is easily led when in
crowd of boys who are his seniors.
This was the case Saturday
night when he met the bullet that
is laying siege to the citadel of
life. He left Bogue Chitto with
several young bloods-thec blue
bloods'' Of the town-and by ar
Iangement they met other ''bIue
bloodso who are students at Mill
saps, and the crowd set out to do
the town proper. 1t may not be
the lack of home training or low
ing, wise mothers that boys will
run it to evil; simply runs in the
veins of youth. The fire burns
and to control its devouring
flames is to become manful and
self-masterful. 'He that ruleth
his own spirit is greater than he
that taketh city," To give way
to the cracking demands means
God alone knows what. The
rich iron, the strong bounding
tonic of youth becomes more
stimulated through the poison of
tobacco or alcohol; and these
habits, like a demon from hell,
drive the awakened passions of
the person thus crazed, lead the
young bound. Kindness a n d
charity should cover the misdeeds
of youth. Life's lessons are hard
to learn and harder to forget.
But these outward outbreakings
simply suggest several things
worthy of consideration. / have
no word of censure for young
Tapley. He is a man in years and
experience. He comes from
home of responsibility and love.
He has disgraced the mother
whose pure lips first kissed him
and prayed that his life might be
all itshould have been, or might be,
if he would leave drink and wo-
men and evil alone, and be a man.
But how can mothers feel at ease
with their boys in Millsaps
through the day and at night fire.
quenting houses of i'll fame? It's
seeing the world, y sowing the
wild OATS painting the town
red," and some fathers say it is
necessary-because natural; some
young women laugh at it and call
it the heroics of young manhood.
The popular songs of the day,
the popular books (the Mississippi
Bubble, for instance) the popular
dramas throw a glamor about the
fragrant sin, and make the bland
ishments like enticing voices cry,
Come thou and do likewise.
Now, what the church and
mothers of the grand old State
should do is to demand protection
for our boys. Make it peniten-
tiary offense for keepers Of a dive
to allow child or youth under
age within their snare. Make it
crime in the eyes of faculty and
school board, and students in col
lege or public school, if caught in
these resorts, publicly expelled.
Appoint school officer whose
duty will be to attend to these
matters. It would rest many an
anxious mothers heart. Then as
the custom house officer searches
for struggled goods, so let the
officers search every other young
man he meets and see how many
hip pockets bulge with flask or
gun or both. It is estimated by
a young man who runs with the
crowd that half the boys would
come under the wire upon this
proposition. Any way, there's
food for thought. Watch the
boys carefully, as the Whitworth
Girls are looked after. and the re-