The daily Alaskan., 1913-09-24
A Blighted Hope By WILLIAM BLAKEMAN

enter Into the condition Of criminallty, but they are luextrlcably mingled. For instance. hcrcdty plays an impor- tant part, but since there are two par. ents. lhc ancestors of each reaching bucl, indefinitely. lt does not neces, sarIly follow that child bcgottcn by them will Inherit 70 criminal tendency. Moreover, crImiualIiy may be disease OF an imperfect working of Che bodily functions Then there Is environment which many experts Iu crlmInology consider by far the most Important of all causes
 Iu England many years ago there dwolt a family named Ball. John Ball. one Of these people ut twenty years Of age became a pnrrjride Tint was Che time when the English government was sending criminals to Botany bay, m Australia. Those transported were treated according to their condition, some of them being allowed fuIl lIb- erty within bounds. to live in their own houses and earn their own living. John Bull. to all outward appearances. was a perfectly good m0n and soon earned the right to bo treated as such within the limits of tbc law.
 In the penal colony w0s a young wo. man named Mary Coolidge. She had stolen money to keep her widowed mother and younger brothers and sls- tcrs from starving It would seem fhlt tHls net was only on the border of crime and should have met with 'Igh, puH.shucnt But thc act was comwI'tcd at0 time when there was but little mercy under the English law. md Mary was sent to Botany bay
 These two. John Ball md Mary Cool. idgc, met after they had been members 0f 'hp colony eight ycars There was mn Inclination among Johns associates to consider h's crime 0s Che result of a temporary Insanity As for Mary's, It was simply an ovorstrain Of human endurance The two became attached to each other and were married. each obtaining a ticket of leave Co go any where on Che island md build a home for themselves
 Each had saved some money md. putting thnIr funds together. had cap. itgl enough Co go Into sheep raising. At thgt time land was cheap in Aus. ta'I1 and they were enabled to buy what would now be considered large tract They nrosrtrcd and as they ac- cumu'0tcI more capital put lt Into sheep and whgt'wus required for their 1ocas' protection A son was soon born Go them, and Doc was followed by two daughters
 Johnny Ball was a fine IIttlc fellow and trr apple of his fathers eye. At ou early age hc learned tO ride on ho=rlark and made frequent trips with n's father over his ranch They were enjoyable rides over acres that they owned, well stocked with their sheep The family was a happy one notwithstanding thc reason for their being where they were. though the children wcrc.br0ught up Iu ignorance tmt their parents had been criminals,
 John ElI'. Sr. became quite wealthy, and H0s wcnIlI and h,s sterling quail. ties 1.I much Co eradicate the effect upon nIs fellow men or hIs having been transported for crime He had excel. lent Judgment. and before Important ventures were entered upon by hIs as- socIg,us they umaI'y consulted him
 Balls family rw up under entirely different conGums from other dc. srpudrnfg of rr.miuuIg. who oven to- day cuus#..,n a r.Hss by themselves. They u I'uJ HrE.ns and arc noted fr r wUr'u.D-auss md fur nlsh tM wl quom of Australian crImIu. Those who were observing cIaImr aHsr of thr Ball children IudInn q fwt environment was more ImDnru umu horpdIty Their father had nu.. ur.od Co uisc them far above t'"' nas0n'nuDu which produces crimIms
 John RaI Jr. grew up to be man with Che mmr judgment tho samo character his father It was be- IioypI Imt rn would furnish am exam. plc or Che som of criminal who, far from bu.np rlr usual larr.Eln, would bu an nouDr Gr Australia While ho manifested disposition to continue sheep raising. aJ which bis lathcr had been sD surrrsrul hc also showed an inclination Co enter lue political field,
 Hut one morning this optimistic structure that was being built upon Che rasr of the Ball family fell with a crash. The mother and the children, except John junior, who was now twrnrytwo years old. were away on n visit. leaving father and son In the ranch house. ln the morning a servant went lD their rooms to cal them to breakfast and found the father mur. dcrpd Iu hIs bed and the son gone
 The m0urr cast gloom over those who had drawn such hopeful conclu- s.ous from a ease which 1t seemed had been proving and would continue to prove that hereditary crime was of minor Importance md could be over. come by ou Improved environment Tho widow shut herself up with her younger children and never appeared