The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-27
BOYS RESORT TO
CRUEL TORTURE
Many Children of Wealthy Parents
Guilty of Vicious Practices.
SPARRoWs MAIN VICTIMS
HUMANE OFFICER THREATENS
TO MAKE ARRESTS.


Aggravated cruelty 10 animals is
becoming so frequent, especially among
boys of good families, that the author
tiles are threatening to begin cru
sade. The sparrow bounty is named by
B. B. Mann. humane officer as one of
the apparent causes for malicious de-
struction of life and ugly manning Of
helpless birds. At the same time the
humane officer has come into contact
with other instances of Smoking NAL
treatment of dumb brutes
The strange feature of the whole az
fair lies in the fact that most of the
culprits are boys between the ages of
I s and IA years, well dressed and from
good homes Equipped with .22-calibre
| rifles and air guns these youngsters
have been in the habit of killing birds.
and that pastime becoming too Ct'lL
they have begun to seek excitement
, for their jaded senses of pleasure by
methods OF torture.
A number of these instances were
recently brought TO the notice of the
humane officer. He investigated the
cases, expecting TO find poorly clothed
rowdies without good home bringing
across a group of neatly clothed boys,
whose parents, when he came TO in
terview them, turned out to be emiu-
entity respectable househOlders. most
of them having means. The parents eX-
pressed surprise at what had been
happening and complete ignorance Of
actions which had stirred their neigh
SSEIl until complaints were the re-
Found Torturino Sparrows
An instance of this sort came to
light in the east end. Along Twelfth
East street between First and Third
South streets the youth of the neigh
borhood were found amusing them
selves by a highly scientific species of
torture, which they had devised. Spar
rows were their victims They got the
little brown birds, generally by MAIN
ing them with rubber ''slingshots."
Once captured a bird was doomed to
slow death. A big firecracker was
buried with its fuse exposed. Over the
cracker the bird was buried with
earth alive. The fuse was lighted
The explosion invariably sent the fluff
fy little cluster of feathers we'll up
into the air. II always fell, quivering,
close enough so that the boys could
gather around it and watch its agon-
les; then, if there was enough life to
make il worth while, bury It again
over mine similar to the other.
District Attorney F. G. Loofbourow
called the attention of the humane Of
ficer 10 this and the practice was at
once stopped in that neighborhood
Colonel Mann states that he intends
10 prosecute similar offenders if any
are found.
Boys Garry Firearms.
The sparrow bounty was given by
these boys as an excuse for their noveI
method of seeking amusement
Ali of which brings up another side
TO the story. The police department.
about once a mouth has roundup
of youths who make this sparrow
bounty an excuse for carrying around
fire arms and air guns aud shooting
indiscriminately in the residence dis
triCts Every so often a boy goes to
the hospital with a small leaden bullet
lodged in his person. Sometimes the
thing ends in a funeral In spite of
constant watching on the part of
mounted officers this practice of car
rying and using fire arms within the
city limits is INDUCED in every day
according TO residents of the outer dis
trictS.
There is no reason on earth why
If the county wants the sparrow eX-
terminated" said Colonel Mann. 1T
cannot let responsible parties attend
to the work. This bounty simply
places the thing in the hands of boys
who go into it for fun. and speedily
develop A desire to Kill and A callouSed
sense of pity which lets them MAIN
without sorrow
Cat Cruelty Treated.
Sparrow torture is not the only
means of torment devised with dumb
things as victims An instance was
reported the other day where a num-
Der of boys had deliberately cut off
the two hind legs of cat and let the
dumb brute drag herself about on the
bleeding stumps-
officers and others who have stud
led such things say that this sort of
thing invariably results in bunted NOR
al sensibilities. and that these in many
cases develop murdererS- At any rate,
the humane officer states that he 10
tends to make arrests and to follow
them with prosecutions IN any
cases of cruelty which arise here
after.