The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-04-01

Judge Lindsey Tells How They
Are Reformed by Kindness. j..
GO TO REFORM SCHOOL ALONE

GO TO REFORM SCHOOL ALONE
Denver Jurist Talks Of Mickey, Worst
Boy, VIII Is Now . Good Citizen.
Desperate Burglar Went to Reforma-
tory Alone When He Found Law Hi.
Friend.
The congregation Of the Central
Presbyterian church in New York
heard the other night the story Of
mickey, the Worst Kid In Denver"
and for an hour learned things about
boys with burglar tendencies and lean
ings to crime in general. Judge Ben
B. Lindsey. head Of the children's
court Of Denver, was the speaker.
The Central Presbyterian church
started the big Brother" movement
In New York. the members Of the
mems class Of the church each guar
anteeing to take q boy convicted Of
crime and be q personal friend Of the
youngster and do his best to help him
straighten up. Ten churches now have
big Brother" organizations that are
working with the bad boys Of New
York.
Judge Lindsey. who brought about
the reforms in the laws Of Colorado
concerning the treatment Of criminally
inclined children, began by admitting
that his friend Mickey had been of
great practical value in getting the re-
forms accomplished. When it was
learned that opposition had developed
to the new bills before the legislature
the clergymen and philanthropiets died
to the capitol. but they brought no
witnesses to the evils they complained
of.
II sent for Mickey, who had been
pictured in the Denver papers as the
worst boy in town." said the Judge,
''and asked him If he couldn't get to-
gether some witnesses for me. He
brought me about thirty little chaps
who knew what Jail meant, what cru
city meant, what lack Of chance to do
right meant and who could and did
tell the truth.
"The first witness was a boy nine
years old. Every n of us felt asham-
ed that we did not really know Of the
conditions that child told us Of and
didn't know that in two years 1000
little men had served Jail terms.
I'VE have been struggling to put a
little love into the law. Some one has
said that there is no love without jus.
tice, but it is equally true that there is
no Justice without love.
I'm dealing with the boys along the
line of friendship we have had set
backs. A friend of mine got close to
the leader of a gang Of boys, and the
gang came to see him on his job as an
Office boy with his new friend. The
boys We're made welcome, and In a
few minutes the building was sur
rounded by fire engines and ambu-
lances. Some one had managed to
send in the calls.
Il had q case where the question
arose what to do with the prisoner
during recess Of court, the Jail being
at a distance. l suggested that we
take him with us, my idea being that
the subject Of treatment was a human
being. l had to pay a little extra for
the sugar bowl he carried out with
him.
ut was d~iscouraging for awhile,
but it is hopeful that at last we are
treating with humans as we'll as with
things. When a boy entered a box
a to steal and was captured, the first
and only thing put under considera.
ton in the courts in the past was the
box car, not the boy.
II saw In my friend Mickey nothing
but hate for the police. He despised
them all. and he had reaso to. When
he was not being locked up for some
thing he had done he was being locked
up on general principles and because
he was the worst boy in town.
"One day while I was on the bench
Mickey, who had been eating from a
bag Of doughnuts, saw a police cap
tain passing below the window where
he sat. He 6lled the bag with water
and squashed the captain. He was
brought before me and denied it. Lat.
er I saw him behind the bars. and he
whimpered: I hit him. Judge, but I
didn't let to lie to you. I jist can't
tell de trut' when a cops around The
boy was under hack. Even then he
was trying to enlist in the navy, but
he was underfed and could not pass
the examination.
THE police had done nothing to make
my friend the best boy in town, and
yet I began to find out that there was
very little difference between Mickey
and the other kids In town. the only
difference being that of environment.
He is today a respected young a in
Denver, but his picture and the story
Of his badness will be found in the
files Of the Denver papers.