Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-30
LINDSEY, FRIEND OF BOYS
Deuvefs Noted Judge Of Juvenile Court
Visits Omaha.
CHIEF SPEAKER At CHURCH Club DINNER
How TO Reach n Boys Heart and
Now 90 Keep Him from BEING
Criminal Made
Plain.

Judge Ben b. Lindsey Of the Juvenile
! court Of Denver talked on The Juvenile
Court" last night at the Paxton hotel be
fore 15O members Of the Nebraska Church
/ club at the clubs annual banquet. Judge
Lindsey was the guest of the evening.
His talk was mainly OF methods used in
dealing with boys in the court at Denver.
and he told how the court sought to instin
hope, confidence. pride and love Of fair
dealing in the youthful heart. and how the
boys were made TO feel that the court
was with them and not against them. as
| they seemed to think was always the case
with the criminal courts. They were made
to feel that they were young men, to know
| that they were 20 be given a chance 20
prove that they were men. and 20 realize
that the court had just as much confidence
in their manhood as though they had
/ never been delinquent.
Boys May he Trusted.
Such treatment almost never failed of
/ the result desired said Judge Lindsey. IT
had inspired such feeling of pride in the
! boys tina; they could be trusted TO go
! alone TO a place of detention. Out of $50
boys Judge Lindsey had sent to detention
homes or reformatories in the last five
years, all Of whom had been sent without
an officer, only one ran away, and he re-
turned to court the next morning to say
/ that he believed he could get there IL he
| took a fresh start and were sent by an
other road. The train which carried him
1 had run past his home in the outskirts Of
Denver, the place where he played with
the kids" and he could not resist the
] temptation to jump OFF The second time
! he tried he reached his destination. An
. oth br,,- ~ q D., 4, 4
sentenced TO two years in the penitentiary.
This boy was sent alone to the prison, go
miles away, and the chief of police of
! Denver made a bet of $50 that he would
| run away. The next day the chief of po-
| lice telephoned the penitenusry to see IL
| he had won his bet The warden at the
| prison telephoned back: The boy is
| washed and dressed and in line" The little
fellow had ridden $50 miles the train.
had walked two miles to the prison, and had
literally forced his way into the peniten-
! tiary for the armed guards who walked
| the wall fourished their rifles and would
! not let him until he had made a long ex-
PLANTATION, which they could scarcely credit.
Criminal Courts and Boys.
In regard 10 the criminal courts, Judge
Lindsey said:
The state has no right to correct these
erring children unless the state is prepared
to correct them. And yet it does. with dire
results. Lie, sneak, cheat steal all you
can, but don't get caught is taught by
every police judge in the country under the
criminal law.
| Il talked 10 a boy who committed a burg
larry, was chased by detectives through ten
states, killed two policemen in trying 10
elude them and who cost the state of Mis-
soufi 5000 He said TO me with hate flash
ing IN his eye I'm even with Missouri
killed two of her policemen O. but the
state OF Missouri tied milestone around
its neck when 1t neglected that boy.
with the criminal court it is leniency or
the one hand or brutality on the other
Neither avails. Seventy-five per cent OF th'
boys treated with brutality return before
five years under criminal charges; 30 pei
cent of those treated with leniency return
reformed. The juvenile court comes be-
tween the two extremes and establishes a
system of efficiency. Love without justice
is sentiment and weakness, but there is nc
justice without love. And there is no Low,
in the criminal court.
Basic Influences Reached.
I'VE are making progress when We begiT
TO get at the causes Of delinquency" Judge
Lindsey said further. we are gettinl
away from the mistaken idea that it is only
necessary TO deal with the child. Nova
days in Nebraska and Colorado. and Ne
braska has the best juvenile law in tn,
country, the man who sends boy to sa
loon. the man who let the boy in. the paren
who allows the delinquency are criminals
under the law and can be sent to Jail. The
father who thinks more of his bushes;
than he does of his boy, the smother VIII,
thinks more of her pink teas, cards and so
! ciety than of her child. the careless either
who comes in contact with the child, al
! may be reached under the law"