The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-11
WIDOWS SON
TO
| BAD CITIZEN
lard Nothing in Prison But
Crime, Says Young Des-
peradO
AME NATURALLY
WHEN RELEASED
|riking Indictment of Ameri-
can Penal System in His
Story
BY NORMAN ROSE.

BY NORMAN ROSE.
NEW YORK, Dec, ll.-Why doesn't
reformatory reform?
Why does boy, after year and
half in a reformatory, come forth
Uttered. discouraged and ready TO
nge deeper into crime?
These were the questions in my
bid as ! stood on one side OF a stout
d door and looked through the bars
John Gaskins, u years old, who Is
Brooklyn jail, awaiting sentence
a series OF robberies to which he
AIDED guilty.
Under his plea-"frst degree, sec
offense'-this boy may get 40
lrs In Sing Sing. 1t seemed hard
realize, as | looked into his clear,
Q eyes and followed the straight,
hthful line OF his slim figure.
faskins was one OF a gang which,
spring, looted a car OF silverware
q freight yard. They melted down
900 worth OF silverware. Gaskins
titled, and got $4,000 for II. HIS
ire was $4,000. and he spent 1t In
months on Broadway. He had a
tie OF rooms at q swell hotel and
opened q good many magnums
the denizens OF the white Way
When his money was gone, Gas
8 turned to robbery again. He
ed In burglarizing four cigar stores
q jewelry store. He was arrested
escaped from the Tombs Ar
ted again, he got away while be-
transferred from court 10 prisoS,
was caught for the third time a
nights ago.
les Gin bad" now. There's no doubt
but that. But II seems as though
might have been saved from the
ce he stands In today II reforma-
les reformed.
BE was the son OF chief engineer
one of the big coast lines. His
her died when he was child. His
ther married again, and he didn't
along with his stepfather. He
away from home. He got into
company, and for some minor
bnse was sent to the Elmira re-
matory. He stayed there Is
(hths.
When Gaskins made his plea Of
lty. he told the Judge that his ex-
hence In Elmira was largely re.
nsible for his subsequent life OF
me. went TO ask him his reason
making that statement.
There WAS another boy there that
wv me-" he said, "and he knew
{ I can play the E fat tuba. ! was
igned to play in the band. had
play every day. wasn't strong
hugh to stand 1t and got a dilated
rt. / asked TO be relieved from
Id duty and to be allowed to do
re gymnasium work. My appeal
ignored. / don't think anybody
II In for me or wanted TO make
suffer. It was just that nobody
ed.
The band had a room to itself,
ere we met for practice, with prac-
billy no supervision. In the band
re q number Of the most degener-
young criminals you can imagine.
b conversation after practice was
shed was horrible, and there were
IN worse things was In con-
nt daily touch with the worst Vile
Is anybody can think OF.
Zone day | got letter from New
TX, saying my mother was dying.
was Feb. II. / had expected to get
on the goth. That was when my
e was up. showed the letter to
OF the officials and asked him IL
ouldn't 60 home to see my mother.
her guard. He said he didn't be-
We my mother was sick; that prob
" I had got one Of the other band
Fs, who had done his time, to write
fake letter.
/ was kept an extra month, be-
hse my cell floor was not as clean
an inspector thought 1t should be,
b l got out March 25. When / got
New York and went to my moth
home | learned that she had
bn dead and buried q month.
ri loved my mother. She was all
had In the world to love!" The
rs eyes filled with tears-very real
rs.
n didn't care much what hap
he'd" he said. IL was just sore at
brything. | hadn't touched hands
ID anybody but criminals for Is
lnths. l hadn't heard anything but
me and rottenness. l turned back
crime.
rPm not roasting the men at Ell.
"a guess they're all right, in
bir way. They mean we'll enough.
they didn't care anything about
They didn't believe ! was worth
ything and they didn't bother about
They just slid me through my
10 and got rid OF me-"
rhis story of John Gaskins' Is a
minaps story. 1t may be the whole
TN and nothing but the truth or 1t
y not.
But John Gaskins himself. 81 years
standing behind iron bars, with
l0-year sentence hanging over him,
young eyes filed with bitter
krs, is evidence enough that re-
matories, in this country, today, do
reforml