St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-06-25
TAKE INFANTS TO PRISON.
Carried Into Penal Institutions In
4 q Their Mothers Arms-Arouso
Sympathy.

Sympathy.
| In passing sentence upon Mrs. Ats
Peltier, who was sentenced to Auburn
prison, convicted of misleading young
| and innocent girls, Judge Newburge1
publicly announced that he would have
given the woman the full extent Of the
law-fve years-if 1t had not been fol
| the five-months-old baby she carried
into court in her arms. It was the hap.
by little face at the mothers breast and
her innocent cooling as the judgment Of
the law was pronounced that moved the
Judge to mercy, says the New York
Times. Mrs. Peltier was sent to prison
for an indeterminate sentence, not less
than eighteen months nor more than
two and a half yeaRs; and her innocent
babe was sent there with her.
The child is seven months old. II It's
mother serves only the minimum term
Of sentence the little one will be one
month more than two years old before
1t leaves prison. The prosecuting au-
thorities say there are damaging cir
cumstances connected with the case
that make the chances of leniency on
the part of the prison authorities very
remote.
II the maximum term is imposed Baby
Peltier will be almost three years old
before she and her mother are released
from the prison, unless the prison au-
thorities say the child must be taken
away after she has passed her second
year. Until the expiration of that time
the state law cannot separate mother
and child. Under the city law, for a pen:-
Tertiary offense, the age limit is one
year, although child is seldom taken
from its mother until after it is IS
months old.
According to Lord Brougham, famous
English philosopher who gave a good
deal Of attention to the early influences
of childhood and the prison problem, a
child learns more of the material world,
Of its own powers, of its own mind and
other minds, between the ages of 18 and
30 months than 1t does during all the
rest Of its life.
There Is in New York large proper
ton of children whose babyhood is al
ways associated with the Tombs, the
penitentiary, the workhouse or some
place of temporary confinement in one
of the borough prisons. The baby life
OF the Tombs Is as much a matter of
daily routine as its continuous process
sion of thieves and thugs. Scarcely q
day passes but Matron O'Brien has not
two or more of them to take care of. But
the baby Peltier is the first one, in Mrs
O'Brien's recollection, to be sent d.
rectly from there to state prison.
"The prison baby is a peculiar prob
lem to deal WITH" said Francis ]. Lam
try, commissioner Of correction. I'VE
are obliged to ignore the strict letter OF
the law sometimes and deal with indi-
vidual circumstances. II a woman is
convicted OF crime it is an extremely
fortunate thing for her if she happens to
have an infant in her arms. Judges are
always merciful under those circum-
stances. They give the minimum in
stead OF the maximum sentence, no mat
ter how much the mother may deserve
the extreme penalty. I may say, from
long experience, that with those who
administer, as we'll as with those who
carry out the law, there is extreme re-
pugnance to anything approaching
harshness to woman with an infant.
no matter how much she deserves it.
Some women make great fuss abouf
being separated from their children. In
most cases we find that this is done in
hope OF lettering their own condition.
women who weep Historically at part
Ing from Johnny or Jennie at the Tombs
gate were very sadly lacking in anything |
approaching maternalism before they
the Tombs
The number Of babies born in prison !
Is not SO large as one might suppose
not more than four or five year at any |
of our borough penitentiaries. We can |
1eal with them easily enough. The |
trouble is with outside babies constantly |
brought within the sphere of prison In
auence through 1aw-breaking mothers.
In my opinion 1t is sad that 1t should |
be necessary to send a baby to prison.
The awakening Of the child's mind to |
he surroundings Of its earliest years is
curious phenomenon. Babies differ.
Some make rapid strides In conscious
less during their first year. I should
,ay that child three or even two years
I'D who had been brought up in prison
surroundings would have quite good
recollection of them in after life. How
ar this remembrance would affect It
morally cannot undertake to say. But
believe in removing a baby from
prison influences at the earliest possible
Frances Island Prison.