The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-26
CRIMINAL
CORRECTION
Enlightened Methods Pursued
by Police Judge.
MIDNIGHT VISIT TO CELL
Parole System Demonstrated
to be a Success.
MIDNIGHT VISIT TO CELL

One night some months ago Judge
Claude Stanley could not sleep There
was something on his mind. After the
court house clock had struck twelve he
put on his clothes, walked down town
and never stopped till he was in the cell
OF young criminal in the city jail.
Young man" ne said, Il sentenced
you TO Jail this afternoon. l couldn't
sleep over your case, and l came here az
tlIe hour to have heart TO heart talk
with you. Between man and man, l
want the truth from you Are you guilty
Of stealing?''
Judge" said the lad, crying, Il am
guilty"
= has been the policy of Judge Stanley
Mo send d boy 20 jail about whose
p .l..IyyIeace he would have any reasonable
doubt He had sent this boy to jail, but
a-ter he had done so he had some doubts
Of his guilt These doubts grew upon
him and kept him from sleep. At mid
night his condition was unbearable and
he went TO the city jail 10 see the boy.
His interview with the boy at that queer
hour so convinced him that the lad was
not a criminal at heart that he caused
him TO be released on parole on the prom
ise that he would never commit another
crime. Events since then have more than
justified Judge stanley's leniency.
Judge Stanley believes in the parole
system. and has personally demonstrated
its success. whenever tried, in the 5000
cases brought before him at the police
court during the past two years. His
system is severity toward hardened Grim
inals, parole for the unintentional Grim
inal. and a lecture and admonition but
z1sT aIf h 1T NJ on
al criminal he means those occasional
patrons Of his court who have a domestic
or neighborhood row. He imposes the
usual fine upon them. but paroles them
on promise that it shall not be repeated
If it is repeated he will punish them for
the new crime as we'll as the old.
Judge Stanley has made the police
court an important tribunal He has
never looked upon IL merely from the
standpoint of revenue. He makes ii not
court Of criminal correction as much al
court of criminal reform He believes
that the day is not far distant when is
viii be profitable for Wichita to have
piece OF land up against the city upon
which 10 maintain an institution for the
correction and reform of criminal youth
something which viii ut and equip them
for self-supporting. useful, honest life
Judge Stanley has been acquainted with
criminals since he became a lawyer. His
FIRST cases nearly all came from Grimm
ais He had many clients among them.
as all young lawyers have, and when he
was elected police judge he had to deal
with some of them. He cracked it to
them as hard as to anybody and they
began to understand the difference be-
tween the lawyer and the judge. He has
actively co-operated with Police Matron
Ella Glenn Shields and said last night
that IL nothing else had been done during
the past two years but the organization
of the police matron's office with Mrs.
Shields at the head Of it. the administra-
ton of Mr. Mclean would be a success,
He says few have a proper conception Of
the work that has been done for human
ity by Mrs. Shields.
Judge Stanley has marvellous talent
Tor arlbtrating foolish disputes which
are brought to the police court. He takes
a personal interest in every case If the
offender is a wife beaten he gives him
the limit of punishment. If the Offense
is only a quarrel between man and wife.
and there is any danger of breaking up
q family unnecessarily, especially a fam
fly having small children, he acts more
as arbitrator and advisor than as judge,
and he never fails of clearing up the
difficulty between them.
The Judge came from a long line of
famous Quaker stock and the desire for
universal peace between man and wife
and neighbor and neighbor is inherent ia
him. His lectures from the bench to
criminals. brawlers and quarrelers are
classics OF temperate and sensible ad-
monitions.
Judge Stanley is Kansas born. He first
saw the light of day in a Quaker settle
n Mt near Lawrence on June 9. 1872 His
father. Edmund Stanley president of
tie Friends University. being an educator
Of great learning. took good care of the
education Of his son. He went through
the schools OF Lawrence. graduating
from the high school. From there he was
sent TO the Kansas University and thence
70 a famous Quaker college at Earlham.
near Richmond. Ind. where he graduated
in the collegiate course in 1895. He came
Il Topeka, Kan. and became bond clerk
for the Kansas school fund commission.
When the Populists came into power in
1886 Attorney General BOYLE and Super
intendent Stryker did him the honor TO
say that he was the best bond clerk in
the history of the state.
In 1895 he came to Wichita to look after
the details Of the re-establsh.nent Of
the Friends University of this city. and
II was he no urged James u. Davis. who
Is his uncle. TO purchase it He did a
great work for Wichita IN doing this. so
good a work that leading citizens e
Wichita asked him 10 locate here himself
He did so and induced his brother Fred
60 locate with him in the practice Of law,
both Of them having graduated from ths
law department Of the State University,
Both were young men OF fine character
-----------------