The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-10-15
CRIME IN SALT LAKE.

In its issue of Oct. 49, the Salt Lake Herald
thus summarizes the principal criminal events of
the week
From Wednesday, Oct. 5, to midnight yester-
day, about an even week, the following hold-ups
have taken place:
Wednesday, Oct. august Meyer, bartender
at Pullman bar Third West and First North, com
PEELED to hand over $50 at pistol point. One ar
rest, John 0Brien Wrong man.
Tuesday Oct 11-John Ferguson Rio Graude
Western employee, held up beaten into unconscious
ness and relieved of $50 at First North and Fourth
West streets. No arrests.
Wednesday, Oct. 12-Bartender John Fowles
made target for hold-ups pistol at Valley bar
West Temple and South Temple streets No ar
rests.
Wednesday, Oct. u, $3.50 p. m.-John Beck
stead, clerk at Union store. 674 South State street.
held up at pistol point by two who tapped till.
In the case of Miss Leon Baker the hold-up
scorned to use force, Tuesday night, but grabbed
her purse, containing Sc. and made off down Main
street.
The hold-up last night took place Immediately
after Mr. Beckstead had closed and locked the front
door, after making sale to George Maycock
This is a catalogue of "hold-ups' alone. In adj
dition to the criminal record, mention elsewhere
is made of an assault upon the life of a young
lady, High school student in the busiest part of
Main street, in broad daylight. by an unknown
person, man. The girl did not see the fellow
who made a lunge from behind at her throat with
a knife neither can any one who passed up or down
on the sidewalk at the time identity the would-be
assassin. The police are up in the air and so is
everybody, over what is set down and dismissed as
a mystery.
Again, the spectacle of four youths, two boys
and two girls, children IN years, arraigned
in the police court for drunkenness one to arouse
Indignation against the licensed dealer in intox-
Giants responsible for their condition. The presence
of children before the for various ofense is
becoming astonishngly frequent. Old-timers view
with alarm the future of the rising generation.
Scientists and philosophers who have spent
much time in Analysing crime and its causes insist
that large percentage comes by inheritance, pro-
ceeding from father to son the same as scrofua
is transmitted from one generation to another.
Many examples are given to substantiate this claim.
In making up criminal statistics, however 10 at
tention Is paid 10 the genealogical feature in pub
lie reports and arc at loss to account for the
source of information But any rational observer
of and his habits must perceive that the
largest percentage of criminals is recruited from
the class who owe their downfall primarily to
youthful folly and the laxity Of parental restraint
In the first place the criminal seed was planted
IN the evil soil which produced irreverence of God
and the teachings of religion, unhappily excluded
from popular education. Next come evil associ-
atoms, and the final fall into crime and felony.
While astonished at the precociousness
of youngsters of the present day, who know more
wickedness at the age of 10 than old-timers picked
UP at 20 we find a reason for it all 1t is
the result of crime thrust in their faces at every
step, most of all through yellow newspapers and
poisoned juvenile novels One local newspaper.
which boasts of larger circulation than all the
other dailies combined, undoubtedly attained that
number through the industry it exhibits in making
criminal news its principal feature, under adj
tanced Geographic dates 1t is hmiliating to con-
less that the majority of newspaper readers look
sor such stuff rather than seek for knowledge of
something that is clean and wholesome What a
shame it is to send paper outside the town with
| heading clear across the page "Jack the Slasher
II Salt Lakew What answer will the father give
lis child to the question, "Who is Jack the
Slasher.'
Unless the city is moved to better things through
Individual conscience, our children suffer We dare
Tot hope that they can be better than ourselves