New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-15
Graduated at Sing Sing.

"Are YOU sorry? interrupted
ono. Frank. I'm not. Least Of all
now. / entered Elmira an innocent
boy. left it with good Fundamental
knowledge OF crime, we'll on my way to
become a hardened criminal. ] finished
nv education in Sing Sing, took my
doctors degree. II you will There |
learned how to crack a safe and all
the other things that go with GRIM
inal life.
ton I have been a crook I've commit
ted every crime in the calendar. Some
| have been punished for. Other
crimes I have escaped punishment Tor.
But I've got to be crook TO I'VE
Why? Because | am never allowed 20
hold a job. The police follow me, the
boss learns of my record in some way
and I'm out of work again.
"All that for a mere accident. After
that accident money could not have
hired me TO play ball in the city I'm
it's, II | had been turned loose. But
here am. q hardened crook, they cali
me. and an enemy Of society. likely to
die in jail, when | might. had some
Judgment been used, be decent clti.
zen bringing up my family, instead OF
being a burden 70 those more fortu-
nate
Another case. that Of small boy
taken away from his family for the
awful crime of playing hockey In the
streets of Brooklyn on Sunday. He's
done two bits, and is now on bail wait
ing trial on a charge that will likely
land him in Sing Sing for ten years.
Arrested, this boy was sent TO jew
ish reformatory. Like most normal
children Of nine would have done, he
ran away at the first opportunity. lie
ran away every time he got chance
That was the natural thing FOR boY
to do. Young animals don't take kindly
10 bars. Because he did TINS ne served
a very long period.
Didn't Have a Chance.
This finally landed him in Eimlra.
Since then he has been a general thief
cadet. gunman and everything else that
is disreputable. He didn't have
chance in court. If he had he'd been
all right, for his family, though not
rich, could have given him a good edu-
cation.
Another crook got his start by run,
ming away from home. A blockhead OF
Judge Sent uiiH ~ a. w.
gest prep school for crime IN the
United States. About 70 per cent OF
the crooks I've met arc graduates OF
Elmira. could multiply these cases
by the score. tell these two to Il,
lustrate my charge that q large part
of our criminal population IS MADE
criminal in Jail, manufactured crimi'
nails ! call them, men who would have
been useful n accident had not sent
them TO prison in the first place.
THE other 10 per cent are mainly
physical and mental wrecks, men who
are diseased, mentally and physically
One old fellow, for example, Is IN jai
every winter. When spring comes he's
out in the country making a living
trimming lawns and trees, sleeping II
barns or haystacks. He couldn't hole
steady job anywhere. When winter
comes and it's too cold TO sleep out
he's back in New York, window IS
smashed and the city puts him uf
until spring again These, and very
small percentage Of men who are rea
professional thieves, who have phi
iosophy TO justify their thefts, make
up the final 10 per cent.
$50 you see that, under any system
which would enable a human being
TO satisfy his needs and acquire the
essentials Of life without having &c
} become a physical slave or die Of star