The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-11-09
MORE INVESTIGATIONS NEEDED

MORE INVESTIGATIONS NEEDED
Morris Mitnes, n Hebrew lad of thir
teen, aud Frank Rasinger, self con
fessed wife murderer, who have been
cellmates in the county Jail Mt Bridge
ton, New Jersey, have been separated
MS result of an energetic investiga
ton by representative of ChdrtieS,
the New York journal of Social Re
form, of the Philadelphia Society for
Organizing Charity, and the Child
ren'a Aid Society of Vineland, New
Jersey.
Something of hornets nest is de-
veloping about the ears OF the county
officials who are responsible for the
imprisoning of the boy with murder
or. The incident leads one to ask
whether indeed we are living in civ
ili2ed community.
The facts in the case. as developed
by the Investigators for the magazine
and the two charitable societies, show
that the boy MtneX was taken before
the ,IuvenIie Court i'll Philadelphia
last January for breaking the windows
in II Mission in South Street He was
released on probation, and reports
from his school teacher indicate that
he behaved well until last April, when
the family moved to Vineland, n. j.
At Ninelnnd he was continually alb
sent from school, and his parents,
who have been in this country IA com
paratvely short time, found them
selves unable to control him. On Oc-
tober l2th he was arrested aud plead
ed guilty before Justice Walter Scott
Brown, to n violation of the school
law. IL was shown that he smoked
cigarettes and carried dice in the
school yard. That he was habtually
truant, and was seen on the streets
late at night. Nothing showed, how
ever TINT he WIS worse than other
mischieyous boys, who need ii hit of
curb on their spirits aud tendencies,
and it IL said that he is more than
The story is common one to this
point, but beyond it becomes inter
esting. No guardian or probation of
flcer was found to become respon-
sible for the boys behavior, and he
was sent to the county jail to await
trial next January That is, he was
sent to the county jail to spend three
months in waiting for II trial before
the Juvenile Court, of itself pro-
ceeding hard To explain in the light
of modern methods of treating boy
offenders.
The rules of the Bridgeton Jail pro-
vide that children shall not be con
fined with common criminals, accord
lngly the boy was placed in part of
the Jail apart from the ordinary tiers
of cells, where his company was very
uncommon criminals When he went
there the sole inmates of the section
were two common prostitutes. Inter
two murderers were put in it, and
Morris was placed in the same cell
with Rasinger, the man who has ne
knowleged that he killed his wife aud
has SO far shown not the slightest re
greet for 1t.
The stories which the boy heard,
aud his constant association with
these men and women, have done all
that is possible, humanity speaking,
to excite him to spend the rest of his
days i'll vice and crime. Rasinger
told him the story of job Williams,
who occupied cell in the same ward
three years ago for wife murder and
arson His other male com pauion in
the ward was man named Abel, also
wife murderer, no was III the prison
hospital following an attempt to com
init suicide, aud with whom the boy
was allowed to spend much time.
The boy aud the two women were
allowed the freedom of the ward hall
way during certain hours or the day.
One of the women, girl of twenty
but hardened character, told Morris
the story of the Broadway case in
which she had been witness. Broad
way had been sentenced to seven
years III State Prison for keeping
disorderly house. The other woman
35 years old. was jailed as mistress of
such house. The undersheriff says
that he saw Morris in the arms of one
of the women. Morris says that she
was reading the Bible to him. Al
though a jew he asks to hear about
'the dear Jesus. =" The Jail officials
think this is mere ruse to play on
thoir feelings.
The boy was released on his own
recognizance after Mrs. Clara T..
Sykes, of the Yineland Children's Aid
Society had stirred up the officials.