davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

If Paul Chapman is sent to a reforma-
tory, this is, in part, what will hap
pen:
very ordinary man will take him to
the institution, and on the way this very
ordinary man will make Paul realize
that he considers him a little criminal.
Possibly he will be Of the opinion that
Paul should have been electrocuted. He
will let Paul know insidously how he
feels, and Paul will secretly hate him.
Paul will then probably be examined at
the reformatory by inferior men, be-
cause the vast majority Of reformatory
officials are inferior men, holding down
these jobs only until tk1ey can get better
ones. The tendency on the part of all
the reformatory officials will be to let
Paul know that they consider him little
criminal of the worst type, and Paul
will develop hatred for them.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
Many Abuses Not
Covered by Law

1t is intended to provide farreaching
protection to children from those in au-
thority who are cruel yet who wisely
sidestep the general laws made for man
and beast. There are so many cases of
cruelty other than battering children.
For instance:
The other day in railroad waiting
room woman stacked a bundle and
baby on bench seat, and at her heels
traipsed a small boy carrying suitcase
which, if up-ended, would have been
taller than himself He swung his bur-
den from one hand to the other to dig
a free and very dirty fist into vacant
eyes that trickled tears through per-
spiration. He blubbered in that hope
less, helpless, resistanceless fashion pc
culiar TO the mentally deficient Almost
any layman would have pronounced him
mot bright" yet there was no ground
to call him deficient except surface in
dications of which the layman is not per-
mitted to judge and there is no legally
organized body to whom he might have
been reported as being in need of inves-
tigation and protection.
Suddenly the woman wheeled and
snatched at the suitcase. The boy was
used to dodging. He ducked his head
further down into the calico collar from
the edge of which showed a crop of
prickly heat which must have been mad
dening in the itching hurt of it. He let
go the suitcase and, following the law
of gravity, it dropped; but because it
dropped on the toes of the woman it
spelled tragedy for the lad. He, being
very small, could neither argue nor de-
fend himself, and only plead II did not
mean to-"
The open palm of the woman de-
scended with force born of much ex-
ercise, and her bony fingers left streaks
Of deeper red across his crimson and
grimy cheek. Then for ten minutes she
proceeded to terrorize the boy with
fiendish ingenuity.
wait til git yuh home; I'm most
goin' ter skin yuh erlve You remem-
Der the hidin l give yuh fer swimmin',
huh? Well, that warn't nothin' ter what
yuh'll git. I'm gon' ter cowhide you
till the blood runs inter your sho es,"
and so on-until an old lady interfered
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

unjust, ignorant, brutal men in charge
of these institutions. Among them are
found some very fine people here and
there, but there are very few of them
and they don't stay long. They are not
wanted in the average reformatory be-
cause they demand enough money to en-
able them to live decently and be-
cause they are too intelligent. and sym
pathetic to allow certain practices to go
on without protest.
The reformatory superintendent is
usually much more interested in keeping
down the payroll than in the reformation
of his charges. know of one institution
where the superintendent has but two
reasons for distinguishing down ex-
penses and raising money. The people
who work in such institutions usually
accept their positions as a temporary
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
This Child Stole
A Bone

There do eS not seem TO be need IN
New York for ways to reach really vio-
lent infractions of written laws. Re-
Gently in Brooklyn court a woman
was convicted of throwing boiling water,
a tub IF it, over little niece who lived
with her. In mid-winter a small girl
tainted in front of bakery, and it was
assumed from her very evident half
starved condition the display Of cakes
and Christmas goodies loved by children
had been too much for her resistance.
But when she was removed to a hospital
her body was found covered with con-
tusions and abrasions, and one arm was
broken. She was induced to explain
her condition, and as result her step
mother was placed under arrest.
On trial the woman admitted beating
the child and causing the bruises, but
said she was not responsible for the
broken arm, declaring she had tied the
arms of the child behind her and had
thrown her into bed and that the eff
forts of the child to wriggle loose made
her fall to the floor; and it was thus her
arm was broken! She said she had pun
ished her Cor being a thief. Pressed to
tell what the child had stolen, she testi
fed that the little girl had taken ham
bone from the woman's kitchen, and in
the middle of the night was gnawing 1t.
in bed.
To the credit Of the judge who heard
the case the woman was given long
term in the workhouse on BlackwelPs
Island. There is ample power given the
courts here to reach cases where chill
dren are badly scalded, or their limbs
broken, or they are mauled until they
need attention in a hospital. But ono
of the thirty-five bills passed by the Min
nesota Legislature as result of the
suggestions of the commission provides
specifically for the conviction of persons
who "inflict cruel and unusual punish
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
Refor1natories Are
Schools of Crime

To those who have made a study Of
criminal institutions, reformatories es-
pecially, this charge will rot be new
or seem an exaggeration. The average
reformatory not only fails to reform the
bad boys sent to it, but in many cases
deforms good boys who have fallen into
it's care. There is nothing very startling
in this statement. / have said it before.
l have heard it said by others. Yet
have never witnessed an indignant rush
to the rescue of these unfortunate boys.
We are too likely to get over our indig
nation quickly and go back to minding
our own affairs.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

posed law, which were held alternately
in the two largest cities of the state, at
which the opinion of every one present
was welcomed and sought. These meet
ings were always crowded, people COM
ing from all parts Of the state. Prac-
tically every citizen, therefore, feels that
he either directly or indirectly had a
part in forming these laws, and their en-
forcement is thereby made comparative
" easy"
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

Finally, after some very crude advice
and period of quarantine, he will be
thrust into the midst of several hundred
boys who have committed crimes of va
rious degrees. He will find these boys
already so accustomed to being "httle
criminals" that they have not only lost
the shame of it, but have acquired the
peculiar pride SO many have in the con-
sciousness of the fact that they are "dif-
ferent,' and problem to those they
hate.
Paul Chapman among them will be
hero, because he has been accused of
greater crime than theirs, and when Paul
forgets a bit the agony of the death
house he will become proud in his own
way of his remarkable history
There can hardly be any other result
of his incarceration. There are too many
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
THE NEW CITIZENS POINT OF VIEW
What Awaits Paul Chapman in Reformation

the electric chair as doubtful and would
rather, if we know how, turn Paul into
q good man, we face two alternatives:
First, we might just let him go. We
might say, justifying his release, that
Paul has had long time in prison with
the sentence of death hanging over him.
He has had time through the long days
and infinitely longer nights to think of
what he has done. He has seen me,,
dragged from their cells, half fainting,
and put to death-knowing that the
same fate was destined for him. He has
had time enough to develop a lasting
regret that he went the wrong way and
to make fervent promise to himself that
if he is ever released he will keep away
from paths that might lead him to an
other such frightful predicament. If we
release him in the custody of some good
man Paul might be led to the very
heights of manhood and good citizenship.
If, on the other hand, we feel that we
should not let him off so easily, we can
send him to a reformatory.
/ have investigated great many of
these institutions and ! have been in
various ways connected with some of
them. I wish to say, regardless of how
preposterous it may seem at first, that
if | had boy Of my own facing a SEN
tence of death with an alternative of
two years in the average reformatory
should pretty nearly favor the electric
chair. I say pretty nearly, because /
do not know whether my wisdom would
be great enough to overcome my senti
ment.
The chances for a life of misery and
endless abuse are done away with in the
moment Of execution, but the average
reformatory starts it's inmates on the
course that means lifelong misery and
shame and crime. And in the light of
common, ordinary criminal history the
life of crime begun at the reformatory
often ends in the deathhouse, anyway.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

tiding over until they secure better ones.
In the mean time the hours are so long
and the conditions so bad that they seek
to make things easier for themselves by
making stupid restrictive rules For ex-
ample, they force the boys into bed at
1880 or s o'clock in order to get off
earlier themselves, without the slightest
consideration for the effect on the boys.
Thus Paul will find himself severely
punished for the least infraction of
rule, and he will acquire the following
principles of adaptation:
Keep out of sight of an officer as much
as you can. Say as little as you pos
sibly can. Do whatever is asked Of you
when they might find out if you don't.
Crime King;
Age Sixteen
One thing is certain to me: Paul will
not find single officer in whom he can
contide. 1t is human to crave the op-
portunity to confide in some one. This
craving is the very basis of companion
ship. When he finds that he cannot make
friends with the officers, with the teach
ers, with those older people who could
show him in time the better ways of life,
he will seek companionship among the
other boys. These other boys, poten-
TALLY good, most of them, are neverthe-
less tainted with some knowledge of gam
bling, thievery, truancy, "dope" taking,
and even worse. Perhaps the worst of
all is a certain consciousness of being
enemies of society. They feel them
selves to be a class, another race, apart
from the rest of mankind and engaged
in an endless struggle against society.
Among these Paul Chapman will be a
hero. Here will be boasting and an ex-
change of knowledge. What he doesn't
know he will soon learn. The reforma
tory has not made the slightest attempt
to reform, to better, to influence in the
right direction these many boys. The re-
formatory has no programme for refor
nation. The reformatory believes in pun
lshment and rests on punishment as its
one cure. All those in charge feel they
need do is to keep the boys there and
make their surroundings such that they
won't want to come back. But, alas,
things do not work that way. They do
come back again and again, except when
they are sent at last to prison instead,
and on up to the deathhouse 1t is not
often that boys begin with the death
house, as has Paul Chapman.
The average reformatory is nothing
but cruel house of detention. Each boy
is kept for certain period, long enough
to become contaminated with any disease
in any boy around him, and then sent
home on parole.
Paul Chapman's case is bit different
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
What 1t Means
To Be an Outcast

They are all kept for about two years
and sent out on parole. During those
two years they get their meagre food
supply, work hard, play little, go to
the very poorest type of school for half
OF each school day, obey an endless num-
Der Of rules, just and unjust, and develop
a bitter hatred for all rules and laws.
This and nothing else will be in store
for Paul Chapman if he is sent to a
reformatory.
He has been removed from civil life
for some time already. and shame has
been scared all over him. If he goes to a
reformatory that shame will probably
harden into crust of indifference. When
he leaves two years later with this hard
ened crust the sympathy The world has
for him now will have been dissipated.
He will be gazed at furtively and
Stunned. There will be few if any who.
cept those who like himself, are outcasts
from society. He will probably inset
hardened criminals and accept their com
panlonship because he can find no other.
What is the use of going further?
Read the facts. The records are open
to every one Find out how many men
who die in the electric chair-the four
'gunmen" and Jack Mulraney and the
hosts of others-began their real crimi-
nal~cafeerS alter they lett refOrmatOrieS.
Find out how many Of the inmates of
our adult prisons began their lives of
crime in the reformatories that arc
spending millions annually IN making
criminals
What Paul Chapman must have is a
change of environment, good chance
to begin over again and to forget; an
opportunity to find the better way, com
panionship to help him along for while
and plenty of good, hard, pleasant com.
pensating work and play.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

THE petition which has been circu
lated by The Tribune asking
Il Governor Whitman to save the
life of Paul Chapman, now imprisoned
at Sing Sing under sentence of death for
a crime in which he was only technically
involved, gives the petitioner the choice
between asking for full pardon or a
communication of sentence to term in a
reformatory.
1t is certain that the women of New
York, now that they have something to
say in the affairs of the state, will say
to the executors of the law:
"You shall not kill boy!"
1t is simply incredible that the mothers
of this state will allow such an execution
to take place. But assuming that they
will not, what, then, is to be done with
Paul Chapman?
The crime of murder was fastened
upon him by an extreme, if permissible,
Interpretation of the law. Paul Chap
man murdered nobody. But Paul Chap
man conspired with others to rob, and
in the carrying out of this conspiracy
by others the crime for which Paul is to
die was committed.
If we desire to get even" with Paul
for joining this conspiracy we should
electrocute him. Our object could hardly
be attained more fully. If we desire to
make an example of Paul so that other
Pauls will not take part in such con-
spracies, we should ask ourselves why
did not the execution of the four gun
men in the Becker case deter Paul and
his friends from committing this crime?
And Paul and his friends had plenty of
other "very good examples" to profit by,
If they had made an attempt to profit,
II at the time they had been at all in
terested in so profiting.
If We consider the deterrent value of
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

from the average. Ask any reformatory
superintendent what he would do if Paul
Chapman were to be sent to him and see
if he has the faintest suggestion to
make.
The reformatory accepts boys in the
same way that thrashing machine ac-
cepts its bundles of wheat-one goes in
after another, and all go through an
identical process.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18
Bv DAVID S. CREENBERC

Author Of "a Bunch of Little ThieUes,"
"Murder," etc.
New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

ment on children less than sixteen yea
of age"
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
PICKETING is LEGAL.

Picketing in Arizona is legal and
unionists have the right to advertise
unfair work conditions.
These ruling have been made in a
unanimous opinion by the state SUI
preme court in the case Of Bisbee
Cooks and Walters union versus a
restaurant employer in that city.
When the workers struck to en-
force living conditions, the employer
asked a lower court to issue an in
junction against the strikers to stop
picketing and advertising his estab-
lishment. The lower court refused
this request, and the employer ap-
pealed to the state supreme court.
The supreme court sustains Ari
zona law, which permits picketing.
In referring to the unions method Of
advertising, the court said:
"No right of the plaintiff is vio-
lated by publishing the facts. Ger
tainly if dispute between plaintiff
and the labor union exists, plaintiff
has no legal right to enforce the
union to keep the facts secret"
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
AUDITORIUM THEATRE-GEO.
M. FENBERG, MANAGER.
By John Bush.

Ever since it's opening the Audit
orium theatre has been managed by
energetic and competent men who
have used their utmost endeavors to
secure for its patrons the best pos
sible attractions. Some have been
more successful in their theatrical
venture than others, perhaps because
of former experience or greater apt
itude in dealing with the "profesh".
The present manager, Mr.. Geo. NJ.
Fenberg, has shown himself to be
one of the most capable, efficient and
successful men who have controlled
this popular playhouse. He is gifted
with remarkable foresight, and keen
intuition, together with extreme care
fulness for details. In addition he is
a man whose friends are numbered
by his acquaintances, being naturally
happy and jovial in disposition. He
is extremely sensitive to appeals
from the distressed and suffering, and
his first impulse always is to extend
whatever relief is in his power to
relieve their needs. In dealing with
his employees he has always been ex-
ceedingly fair, recognizing the fact
that honest differences of opinion are
bound to occur, and when they do,
he has always treated the represent
atives of his men with courtesy and
the utmost fairness.
Since Mr.. Fenberg has had the
management of this house, the
theater-going public have witnessed
the best attractions obtainable and
always at a reasonable price.
The orchestra, six in number, under
the direction of Frank Reynolds, can
not be excelled for real music, and
are all members of Local No. 122.
The stage employees, members of
Local No. II, are all experienced and
capable men, many of them have
been with the house ever since it
was built, others have travelled all
over the United States and Canada
with the best companies on the road.
and all are capable of handling the
largest attractions. They have re-
ceived many compliments from the
managers of big attractions for their
efficiency and skill.
Newark may well feel a just pride
in the Auditorium Theatre, its man.
ager and his capable assistants.
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
SYMPATHY STRIKE
AT KANSAS CITY.

Kansas City, Mo.-A general SYM
pathetic strike which union leaders
declared would bring out upward of
$4,000 persons and cause a tieup of
industry, began in st. Louis We'd
nesday. Several hundred persons,
including brewery workers, BARRIERS
and members of building trades
unions have already obeyed the call.
The strike was called to support
laundry-workers and drivers who
have been out several weeks. The call
urged every possessor Of a union card
to suspend work. Only hospital
workers were exempted.
The order also provided that en-
ployes of the municipal waterworks
quit work within 48 hours after the
strike was declared
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
A NEW EASTER EGG.

A new kind of egg for the Easter
nest is on the market for parents to
buy this year. 1t is a Thrift Stamp.
The Ohio War Savings Committee
has decided to urge parents to buy the
new kind of Easter present for their
children and instill in their minds
the necessity of adding to the nest
egg, through saving pennies and buy
ing thrift stamps as one of the ways
they can aid in winning the war.
"Not only will the children be aiding
in this way" the state committee sug-
gests, "but the example set by them
in saving their pennies will have its
effect upon more mature minds.
Thrift Stamps may also be sent as
Easter greetings to take the place
of the usual card, thus combining the
patriotic with the religious spirit of
the day."
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
CAMP SHERMAN BOYS RECEIVE
CIGARETTES

Mr.. Sam Alsdorf, chairman of the
committee appointed by the Trades
and Labor Assembly to provide the
boys in camp with smoking material
has received the following letter of
acknowledgment:
Camp Sherman, March 20, 1918.
Mr.. Sam Alsdorf, Chairman,
Committee Trades Assembly
Dear Sir.
| wish to thank the Trades Assem-
bly, on behalf of the Licking County
boys at Camp Sherman for the Lon
don Sports cigarettes you sent us.
The boys were very thankful and ask
me to thank you for them.
They have changed a great many
of the Licking county boys to all
parts of the camp, but the committee
did their best to get all they could SO
all should get some of the cigarettes.
The boys here are always very thank
full for anything they may get, and
say that the London Sport Cigarette
is the real cigarette.
So thanking you again for your
kindness and hoping that what little
we can do will help win the war, for
we are going to do all we can and do
it well.
Very truly yours,
CLIFFORD T. BRAMLAGE,
Chairman of Committee,
316 Sanitary Squad, Camp Sherman.
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
EMPLOYERS JOLTED BY FED
ERAL AGENT.

Employers are jolted in state
ment by Roger w. Babson, the Bos-
ton statistician, who is assisting the
United States employment service.
After visiting chambers of COM
merce and other business groups in
western cities, Mr.. Babson says he
returns convinced of these points:
"rhe labor difficulty at present is
one of improper distribution rather
than of shortage. The complaints of
manufacturers, I found, have arisen
not so much from their difficulty in
obtaining labor but from their diff
ficulty in obtaining it at the prices
which the manufacturers desire to
pay. Ny principal difficulty was in
convincing manufacturers of the in
crease in the cost of living to wage
earners and in the reasonableness of
advancing wages corresponding to
the advances in the price of mate
rials.
Manufacturers who are not COM
planning about paying advances of
100 per cent or more for material
are strenuously objecting to paying
fraction of this advance in wages.
81 started on my trip with the idea
of educating workers to the difficulty
and needs of the present situation. |
returned with the idea that manu-
facturers, especially those in some
localities need fully as much mission
ary work as do the workers.
"In many ways manufacturers are
more liberal than wage earners.
They cheerfully pay heavy taxes,
give bountifully to the Red Cross and
similar organizations, are willing to
work in Washington for $1.O0 year,
and permit their wives to knit from
morning to night; but there is one
thing which they will not do-give up
one-sixteenth of so-called inherited
rights of the employing class Like
the weakest link in chain, this may
be the weakness of our whole indus
trial structure today.
Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-03-29
COMMISSIONERS CON.
TROL CANAL LANDS.

The State Board of PublicWorks has
placed the control and management
of all state property recently occupied
by the Ohio canal in the hands of the
commissioners of the counties con-
tanning the channel of that old water
way. Anyone desiring to use the
abandoned land for agricultural pur-
poses should therefore make applica-
tion to the County commissioners. It
is hoped that not foot of this splen-
did garden land will remain unoc-
cupied this year. Now is the time TO
begin preparing for an early plant
ing, and those wishing to secure a
desirable location should apply Inn.
mediately.