The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-08-09
CRIME AMONG CHILDREN
feaMl Giniaals lausaNas ia NsnbtrS
st AIsfmial Rate.

most deBlCate Aui Horiuu& pFonf"Hh
the courts ot the country have 10
deal with A wave Of crime among
children seems TO be on the increase
A well known officer of Ellis county
stated TO n reporter the other day
that boys from 9 years old UP to i5
were causing more trouble just at
this time than all other criminals
combined Several arrests have been
made within the last few weeks, and
In many instances boys have been
permitted to go free because OF their
tender age Texas now has a juve-
nile court law but its expediency In
saving the boy criminal is open to
serious discussion.
A special report issued py the |
census bureau on prisoners and ju- |
yenile delinquents In prisons says !
that that the number of Juvenile de |
lnquents in institutions for such Of |
tenders increased from 1886 on !
June /, 1890, to 23.034 on June 80, |
l90i---a gain of S,1SS, or $50 per |
cent, From January l to December !
81, 1904, there were committed to |
reformatory institutions 11,S1A iu- |
venile delinquents, of whom 10,154 |
or $50 per cent were males and t. ,
eco, or 141 per cent females.
In discussing conditions in Tar |
rant county the Fort Worth Tele- |
gram says:
Records Of Tarrant county courts |
show that crime among children is |,
alarmingly on the increase, the !,
greatest growth being shown during
the past two years. 1t is no uncom-
mon thing for boys under Is years
of age to be arrested on burglary
charges, and it is a rare thing for
week to pass by without boys being
docketed in both OF the justices
courts. Justice T. J. Maben, who has
been connected with both city and
state courts in different official po-
sitions for many years, talked to a
$ Telegram reporter about this mat
ter, and said:
"Since my election as justice OF
the peace in 1906 have been panied
and surprised at the number of
cases that have come under my OBJ
servation of boys charged with
crimes which if committed by men
would mean the penitentiary for
them AS constable and police Off
I informed nf the fact
that a large number of children We're
violators of law. but their violations
were confined largely to minor Of
fenses: but for two years past 1t has
been noticeable that many burglar
les and thefts of the gTaver grade
are the work of boys under - years
of age and sometimes boys not over
II wears are arraigned on burglary
charges ] don't know where this
thing Is going to stop. but 1t Is
alarming now. and just how to han
die the young criminals is puzzle
that is hard To solve.
County Judge John L. Terrell had
before him q few days ago a To-
. year-oId lad. charged with theft of
bicycle which he rode from Fort
Worth tu Graubury before he was
caught and brought back. When this
boy was brought into court and
questioned by Judsr Terrell be told
story OF runaway and wauder'nss
that was tuU 9f interest
My father ljses at Dublin. Erath
county" he said "auI 3 was COINS
to school when { fooe notion that
wanted fu sys fbr world and ram
uff H. udue .. f-.iehE ,an
goa aut f1 California where the'
% taaE me up auI plt me 'a work "u
- farm. n..1a5ar mr g. a month {
sat tired 6f fHst aaI wanted t' 'ome
tafE boms adi b ..u.e Ildea ou the
railroad 600 Jae es. Ir fori Worth
aautaa .1 ea Ir uHH.a fa g9 baek
ta school, aul st.. aw H h'0}rlr
aa lhs stfrfI U.Is .... i. ant rH.i.
Is Guana. e. u. aa bam.
Iade. Ta#. . Uaha H
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