The Detroit times., 1910-01-17

YPSILANTI, Mich. Jan. l7.-After
Robert Mccormick. aged 49, shot and
killed Station Agent Henry Minor
he other day, tie Judge ordered him
ocked up for lite.
Behind the bars Robert Mccormick s
hody will be nurtured. and perhaps
occasionally tortured. Anyway, the
Robbie Mccormick the world knows
for good and for bad will be effaced.
Hut hard work and plain FOOD will
make him outlive the average span OF
boy his years, that his penalty To
society Will be paid the longer.
A woman visited Robert Mccormick
In his cell while he was waiting for
the black maria She wanted to find
out II what the sociologists sometimes
| said was really true--that some Grim
inals are good at heart and that In
many cses the guilt was not with the
perpetrators Of crime. but really with
society as whole.
Robert Mccormick all his life has
been poor, half-fed, and the butt or
hard knocks.
do You know, lady" the boy asked
quietly. that believe sometimes that
most OF us in here were born on the
wrong side of the street?
MAYBE our souls aren't as valuable
as the soul OF Chinaman. II they are,
why don't some Of these church people
who help the heather help us when
we're losing our grip?
I'm q reform school graduate. Most
| Of the kids get into the reform school
. for little things. They come out Grim
. inals.
Before we've been In there "a hours
We know we're considered criminals.
Hate and thoughts of murder even
come In A week They crowd out all
our good intentions"
Thus this criminal. this boy muir
derer at IS, preached his sermon 10
society. Whether or not he was to be
made better or worse mattered little
&c Mccormick. He was only telling
this message AZ something that was
on his mind
AS his story went on. he unfolded
the part of his life that no law recog-
nizes as plea for clemency.
I my father left my mother IL years
ago when he first heard the new baby
cry. She didn't have doctor And
all her life she was in bad health,
sick most OF the time. ! vas then
and nv brother was 5. She had to
take care OF the young ones. l took
care of myself.
"In school didn't learn like some
! CT the fellows did vino were better on.
I tell you, lady. you don't know what
punishment is. rhe taunts | got there
because | didn't have my lessons were
the worst punishment | ever had In
nv life. So quit school.
IL and two other kids tried to get
into a hardware store one night. They
sent me 10 the reform school for that.
Say. lady. was wondering II that
man hinged mad any kids"
Yes the man had son, 16, as big
as you
I'm glad he's big lad I would
not want 10 think where I'm going that
uny little kids would cry like my
brother used to cry for father.
when | came out OF reform school
nobody would give me a job. Every
bodv knew all about me. So I met
two other fellows who served time
with me, and we went to Ypsiianu
from Detroit to rob store. We knew
how, all right hoNins Pi.'u'e
showed us how, In a Detroit nickel
theater.
"Minor. the man plugged, tried to
stop my getaway. | shot at MN De.
caust I knew what another dose Of
he reform school meant. I'm sorry
he's dead.
LADY. know I'm bad. but don't
YOU think II they knew what the re-
,orm school does to fellow they
would change things there? Why, |
snow many Kids come there just for
icing truants. rhey can't stand II az
school II the others pick on them be-
cause they don't learn as fast as
some other fellow better on
"A very remarkable statement, the
professors at the University OF Michi-
gan said when they heard II.