Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-05

IFS art to be a trustworthy citizen. I
| say. apt to be- he repeated cynfcaily,
We arc not counting on e." Sometimes
however. tho court IL confronted BY q
case where retribution 10 not so simple
| matter. About two years ago q small
boy OF Ton wan dragged into the court
Tor selling newspapers without q badge.
1he District OF Columbia requires all
nswsboys 10 wear badge, for which
there is no charge. This little chap
fwore that he did not know anything
aoon' such regulation, and the pro.
ration ohlGer let him go with tho stern
admonttion to got ono mmediateiy. Blk
months later he was back for tho same
offense.
This time the court locke ed him up for
four days In the hope that he woula
be sumciently scared into An obedience
or tho law. and when no was released
he did seem tribe subdued. AZ the
end OF another six months. however, the
small urohin was back again. only on
moro important offense. Ho had besn
getting money under falso pretsnses.
As far as tho court could ascertain upon
an Investigation covering several weeks
Tho small boy having refused to sup.
ply any details whatsoever-he had or
sani1ed gang OF newsboys. who had
regular beats In front OF the large
hotels OF the city, whore they carried
on very profitable traffic In tickets
for nowsboys' dinners.
Too Good to He Wasted.
The hoy had once been immensely
sucosssful In selling tickets for a real
bona fde newsies' dinner, and had been
much Impressed with It's monsy.draw.
ing power. He thought Il was too good
a scheme to be wasted. So he took
several other small newsboys into his
confidence. and they had some tickets
printed at local printers. These
they sold to genial old gentlemen who
were guests at the large hotels. some-
times receiving u ana often SO cents
in answer to their pathetic plea,
boys dinner" Tho profits. II II said.
usually amounted to $40 a day for the
whole gang. and after several days Of
this the boys would lay OF and have
good time. They were never to be
found at home. and this. in the end
was tho cause Of their downfall The
parents complained TO tho court.
Owing to the reticence OF tho leader,
tho court had great difficulty in track.
ing other culprits. but the ticket traflc
was stopped. Naturally, the court was
out OF patience with the moving spirit
They had him examined by q mentality
expert, who found that although ne was
twelve years old he had only the men-
tally OF child OF nine In view OF
his capacity for high finance. this con-
clusion was somewhat astonishing.
This boy was the second child In .
earned I'll week. They lived In =
stuffy garnet In one OF the most un.
pleasant neighborhoods. and rarely had
enough to eat. This child was Judged
thoroughly perverted by the court, and
sent to the reform school,
The records OF the court are very
discouraging In this respect. They
show that from 20 TO IS psr cent OF
the cases coming under It's Jurisdiction
finally end up in the reform school,
and the officials firmly believe that an
even larger percentage end in the pen
II because tho final ofrenas Ia com
mitted after the ago limit OF tho juve-
nile court. which Ia seventeen years.
Home Conditions 20 blame.
Tho particular records OF the chief
probation officer OF tho court who
tries many cases which mover reach
the Judge. are discouraeing from a
different standpoint. they show the
nature OF tho homo conditiorS, under
which criminals are propaRated. IN
tho majority of cases tho family n
large. the fathers wages small. and
often the mother IA away from home
all day earning an additional pittancA
Naturally ugiiness Of all sorts -four.
ishes. and II is not TO be wondered that
the children break tho law. Sometimes,
Indeed. they seem to got a certain
amusement out OF it-forms OF amuss-
ment being scarce on such a small
Income Thus one OF the most frequent
Juvenile crimes Is the turning in Of
false ffre alarms Every time fre
alarm Is turned In It costs the gov.
eminent si2. 80 that this form OF
amusement would be rather costly Il
tho court did not resort to It's efYioient
method OF making tho children pay for
their folly The boy must Darn t4a for
the court, and after one experience OF
this sort he regards the fire alarm
as q toy for fhA canifalist only