Arizona republican., 1913-01-12

ration of the youthful offenders from their elders in crime-but-look what happens at Florence:
 The lad Alberto had been operated on but a few days before Christmas and was confined to bed-just as he had been for many weary months in many years Dr W. C Randall cool and collected. courageous and skilIfuI surgeon. had chiseled and scraped and dug away pieces of bone. The lad was prostrate on his iron cot chatting to his nurse about Christ mas something he had never really known. The nurse, murderer don't shiVer, please. for those who take life. usually through heat Of passion. are always those who are tenderest to preserve life-this nurse God bless him. had a great IDEA, Just to give the little outcast-the little 'greaser" kid-his Christmas his first Christmas Fancy a boys first Christmas in all his I4 years. Funny thng, was it not; but not near y so funny for SOCIETY that caused il, Just think that over
 Round about the prison went the whispered word Give he KID a Christmas" one outside trustE rode some miles to get the trce-they're rare in the mesas of the desert. nice green trees And when he brought it| in it was pretty much like the boy. d Weakiing, It was scraggly and scraWny and sickly green. with dead branches here and there. but it stood erect with the brave upstauding cour- age shown by the boy on the bed. The same fellow with the idea dug down into his pockets for his dollar, yes il was truthfuly his last dollar, as the prison books will show. and then tinscl and candles and glstrn- ing glass decorations appeared. 9th CTS dug dug just as deep. Rough. uncouth old scoundrels. hardened in sin-thats what YOU call LIS, any way. you who do not understand us they contributed until the tree was glorious with it's brightness and its shimmery sheen and it's gifts and the LOVE of the. men for their little brother
 Probably you would have under stood these men. these convicts in gray. could you have seen them tip toe into the sick room and go out
 
 a grittng of teeth and some with q stealthily brushed tear If you would have seen tine fruits and the candies the nuts and cake. the books and games. the stocking and ties and and-pshaW You might have un- derstood had you seen the lights dancing in the wide eyes of the boy, the reflections from the flames that | R.. .l- h felt d little tenderer had you heard the plucky little fellows cheerY "Mer- ry Christmas" and listened to his wonder at the Santa CIaus-for the saint was very real then to him and to some others who felt flutter- ing fingers at their heart strings. the fingers of memory
 There's a sequel to all stories. and this is it: Sunday, January 5 was a red letter day for Alberto Palheco. for on that day was his future de- cided for him-decided by convicts- men who had been through all kinds and conditions of life and who knew better than YOU who sent that boy to Benson, what lay before him. They knew better than anyone that the boy would be released still q cripple, still dependent on society that would not help him, a society which if it did help could only do so by pauperizing the boy. Making one dependent on charity takes away ones stamnia and capacity for FIGHTING the battles of life,
 In the dining room a meeting was called-a meeting of the ConVicts who