The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-21
TERROR AT EIGHT.
SaIina Child Will BE Admitted
TO Reform School.
Parents of Marion Marshall
Chained Him to Floor.
SMOKES AND SWEARS.
Could Not Tolerate the
Boy.
Long Controversy About State
Taking a Hand.

After a prolonged consideration and
considerable spondence. the state
board Of control today decided to ad-
NIT to the state industrial school for
boys little S-year-o1d Marion Lee Mar
shall. a Salina boy whose case has
been under consideration for some
time.
Although only years old. the Mar
shall boy is reported to be about as
bad as they make boys nowadays. Ac-
cording to a. letter received from Pro-
bate Judge W. F. Musser of Saline
county. the boy is SO bad that his par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. n. NJ. Marshall.
have been obliged to keep him chained
to the floor to keep him from getting
into mischief. His school teacher re-
fuses to allow him to come TO school;
he is accused Of using vile language,
of smoking and being generally incor-
rigible.
When the matter was first present
ed to the board of control, it was de-
cided that the parents of a boy only s
years old should be able to control him
without the assistance of the state. In
accordance with that decision. the fol-
lowing letter was written to the pro-
bate judge of Saline county:
we note that this boy is only 8
years of age; that his parents are both
living. That in answer to the ques-
ton: Has he ever been convicted OF
any offense?' you answer No That
he has not been tried on parole and
is simply charged with being an incor-
rigibEe disobedient boy, who uses to-
bacco and profane language and re-
fuses to attend school.
I'VE do not believe it would be to
the best interests Of this boy to admit
him to the Industrial school. nor do we
believe it would be just. without first
having given him an opportunity to
reform at home, under such parole re-
strictions as you may see fit to make
We need not go into details as to our
views on admitting so young a boy to
the Industrial school, nor to the OBJ
jects Of the Juvenile court law in Civ
ing the courts parental jurisdiction
and authority to parole and f1den tsrre
children We have covered that in
previous letter to you
If this boy can not be handled by
his parents, a truant officer, your court
and the probation officer. in the vari-
Gus manners provided by the juvenile
court act, he is a worse boy than the
papers indicate In our judgment if
he must be sent to d state institution
he should be sent to the Soldiers Or
phans' home at Atchison. instead OF
the state Industrial school for boys
With father and mother living who
can not control an S-year-old SON. it
would seem that it was not stretching
it to say that he is without proper
parental care, etc. After that pro-
cedure you could place him in the
hands of your probation officer who
could make application. as his
guardian, for his admission to the
Soldiers Orphans home
In reply to this Probate Judge
Musser sent his letter in which he
told about the boy being chained to
the floor. and referred to the child as
a degenerate
I'VE have decided" said one of the
members of the board of control to-
day, Ito admit this boy into the indus
trial school here. and find out wheth-
er he is really as bad as is represented.
If he proves to be easily controlled he
can be transferred to the orphans
home.
"A mistake is made in many case
by endeavOring to place in the indus
trial school boys and girls who are
simply. charged with truancy While.
these institutions are not penal, /;
should be remembered that they are
the only places provided, except county
jails, for boys and girls under 16 who
are criminals and have committed
criminal offenses. The teachers and
truancy officers should exert every pos
sible influence with the parents of tru-
ant children and with the truants them
selves, before they resort to sending
them to industrial schools
1T was hoped that the juvenile court
law would put a stop to sending such
children TO the Industrial schools but
it has not wholly accomplished that
purpose. tt has served to check the
matter up to the board of control. 81
and sometimes prevent the unnecessary
sending of children to these institu-
tionS."
The Marshall boy was born Oct %,
1898. and has lived in Salina with his
parents for four years.