The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-04-30
new GOSPEL IN
CRIM|NOLOCY
Continued from page One)

neighbours hen-roosts. Upon his promise
to reform, he was placed on probation and
given employment by Mr.. S. Franklin, one
OF the largest manufacturers in the district,
who not only afterwards raised his wages,
but sent, with his compliments, dozen
handsome pictures to decorate the court
room. That was year ago, and the other
day this young fellow came to my down.
| suit of clothes purchased with money with
drawn from his savings bank account.
Liquor Dealers Cooperate
Soon after inaugurating my parole system,
| invited the four hundred liquor dealers of
| the district to a conference in my court
| room. My first appearance in the Maxwell
| street Court had called forth violent opposi-
tion from many of the liquor dealers, who
| declared that my record as teetotaler dis
| qualified me from administering justice in
| that district. | was in some doubt, there
| fore, as to how my invitation would be re-
celved; but 1t was unanimously accepted,
| and the courtroom was not large enough
to accommodate the number that responded,
so that it was necessary to hold three ses-
| sionS. The audiences were picturesque and
| included men not entirely sober, but the
great majority listened attentively while
explained my plan and requested that they
| cooperate with me to the extent of refusing
to sell their wares to any person upon my
parole list. l promised to furnish each
saloon-keeper with such a list for his pri-
vate reference only; and gave warning
that thereafter sales made knowingly to
such persons would subject the seller to
summary punishment.
| A number of the liquor dealers followed
my address with remarks highly compli-
mentary to the work being done, and a
resolution pledging me their support was
unanimously adopted. The same day, by
curious coincidence, the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union passed similar
resolution in another part of the city.
All of the liquor dealers, with very few
exceptions, subsequently acted in entire
harmony with the resolution. One, who
caused the intoxication of paroed de-
PENDANT, was fined $50, which he paid; and
no further trouble occurred.
1t must not, of course, be supposed
that this parole plan was original with me
in all its features. A number of States have
passed laws for the probation of adult Of
tenders, providing for official probation Of
hcers to visit and report upon the persons
paroled; but no other court has adopted the
plan of holding night parole sessions or has
enlisted to so large an extent the services of
the business men of the district. These
were the two features which in my expert
ence proved most effective in retaining
the offender.
| Ninety-two Per Cent
During my thirteen months term in
Maxwell street Court, | tried upwards of
| a.
baton l, 231 persons. The results were as
gratifying as they were surprising, and won
for the plan the sincere support and cooper
alton of the police department in the dis
trict, many of the officers assuring me that
it had reduced crime one-half. Eleven
hundred and thirty-four of the paroled Of
tenders, or about ninety-two per cent, faith
fully kept the terms of their parole, and
stantially all of those who lapsed did so
because they violated their pledge of total
abstinence. None, with one or two trivial
exceptions, afterward committed any Of
tense against the law.
| At one time a number of young men
were brought in charged with burglary but
after the evidence was heard the complaints
were amended to petit larceny, and the de-
PENDANTS were given their liberty upon prom
ising to go to work and obey the law. When
| left the Maxwell street Court on January
| IL, 1908, to try civil cases, the suspended
sentences in all cases were set aside and the
defendants discharged, and felt some appre-
hension lest these young men, as well as
many others, should, after all restraint was
removed, return to their former ways. This
fear has proved groundless, the percentage
of lapses since January 18th being little, if
any, greater than before. A report from
the Police Department, covering the young
men above referred to, has just been re-
ceived by me. 1t reads as follows:
"Driving team, o. K, habits good;"
''driving team, sister says he is doing fine;
''driving express wagon for his father, do
ing fines driving team, stays home nights
and brings his money home;' Tailoring
for So. 90 per day. Mother says he is do
ing better" ''laboring for $500 per day,
doing fairly well;' ''driving buggy for
-Teaming Co., o. K.;'' "works for
the R. R., steady ever since paroled."
Because of the absence of express statute
ry authority, no person charged with
misdemeanor was released on parole except
with the approval of the police and the
State attorney; but there were many cases
where parole was not given, in which felt
satisfied that it would have yielded good
results. There were, however, upon our
| special docket, persons charged with lar
ceny, ENLIGHTENMENT, wife abandonment,
selling liquor to minors, malicious mischief,
assault and battery, and other similar Of
lenses; and except in the one or two cases
referred to, which were of minor nature,
the defendants have shown their sincerity
by their actions, and their conduct has in
every case been exemplary and satisfactory
In one case. where the charge was larceny,
the police assured me that the defendant had
been arrested fifty times. 1t seemed such
desperate case that gave him the longest
term allowed by the law. After he had
been in Jail few days, l discovered that
his aged father and mother were sick and
helpless, and needed his support. set aside
the judgement and allowed him his liberty
upon the understanding that if he again
violated the law he would be required to
serve out the remainder of the term. He
has since worked steadily and faithfully,