The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1906-08-23
STUDY OF CHRONOLOGY TURNS
EDUCATED MAN INTO A THIEF
Graduate of Rush Medical College Proud Of His EUf Ac-
conlpishments Only Sorry That Morphine Has
Slapped His Ambition

thefts and burglary. have stolen into
houses at night time and taken prop
erty that belonged TO Others for the
pure love of II.
Il did not need the money, did not
want the booty that took away after
got IL, but there was satisfaction
too deep for words or self-satisfying
for explanation.
Il imagine that a woman who has
perhaps for the best OF reasons. has
refused to surrender to him for
long time. must feel much as did
when l committed my first theft
at was not much. too little thing
to notice. Yet II was the beginning
of a career that | mapped out for
myself after fully realized that there
was nothing in the world that could
prevent me from being anything but
| thief.
/ Il was In a fellow physicians OF.
/ fee. / saw a pocketbook lying on the
| table. He was busy with patient
| opened the wallet and found two
dollars In It,
Il then had plenty of money. The
contents of the purse could do me lit.
! tie good. but resist the desire to take
the money could not-did not.
knew that the high character | bore
would protect me from the possible
ty of exposure. The cunning that I
have learned since. which | use to
protect me from being found out
when l have succumbed to my desire
to take possession of that which does
not belong to me. was not necessary
in that case. That was years ago
how many ! do not know II was the
beginning.
THE desire TO commit crime Is sim
liar To the desire. of genius to de
velop the talents which are his. II
often is the strongest passion of his
life, for which he win give up every.
thing else Just as an artist will strug
gle along for years. go without the
necessities that he might have in
some other walk of life, that he may
devote the talent which he feels with
in himself
Il have watched the development o
, the thieving instinct in myself from
the time that ! was old enough to un
| derstand the meaning OF the feeling
: which took possession of me. I neve
: had the desire TO kill. but possessed
, talent for scheming and outwittinl
4 others.
!. MY early youth was spent in Sa
g lima. Kan. AS my parents wer'
q wealthy | was given every educationa
I advantage. As soon as ! become oil
q enough to read and understand VIVA
= | read. gloried in the achievement
= of noted criminals, even murdererf
That was the kind OF literature tina
q l read when could steal time fror
8 my studies. found the same kin
a OF interest In that kind OF romano
q as others found in love stories an
q stuff OF that kind
o Il WAS zoo intelligent. though, nc
4 TO understand 10 what instincts sue
r as felt in myself led. and did nc
Immediately succumb TO my desire I
Il become a criminal.
e Il have never accomplished an,
e, thing worthy in the annals OF Grim
le and probably never will My offenss
Is have all been of the minor sort b
IN cause, like men who have the "a
ent but fail TO become great writei
n or inventors. became slave to habi
le which was stronger than ambitio
I'd stronger than the impelling force thI
ut would have made my name hous
I'd hold word as a criminal II ! had n
err fallen by the wayside, as so mar
ID others have done before me.