The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-08-31
JUVENILE CASES
INVOLVE PROBLEM
DELINQUENCY AND DEPEND
ANCY IN STEVENS COUNTY ON
THE INCREASE
Five Thousand Yearly Spent on Wild
Game, but Little Money for Wild
Chrildren

Are you raising your child because
you believe it great privilege to
rear and train a future citizen of this
great nation-or are you keeping him
just because you happen to have him,
and know of nothing else to do with
him?
This question will probably be put
to you by the county probation officer
if your delinquent boy shows evil
dences Of neglect in the home circle,
and for that reason is caused to break
into juvenile or superior court circles
A fifteen-year-old delinquent boy
was brought to Probation Officer
James Petty by his foster parents
who said: "We have had this boy for
the past four years, but have grown
tired and disgusted with him, so we
are now turning him over to you, and
you may send him to the training
school or make any other disposition
of him as you may see fit, for we
are done with him."
An elderly lady stated Here is
my niece who is fifteen. She is
getting awfully wild and will not
mind, and besides has run away from
home, so | am turning her over to
you; she has mother in -"
Another foster father said; "1he
fourteenyear-old boy that has been
living with us for the last three years,
has run away and taken with him
our saddle pony. Get the sheriff
after him, but don't bring him back
to u.s."
Another elderly lady came with this
story: "We have a neighbor up in the
woods, and the woman Of the house,
who is big husky Dutch woman, has
been beating and kicking her three
stepchildren dreadfully, and almost
killed little ten-year-old girl, so
THEY SAY. This woman ought to
be prosecuted but for goodness sake
don't bring me into it, as they are
neighbors of ours, and | am afraid of
her."
A fourteen-year-old delinquent boy
came in saying. Mrs. -, where
you sent me a few months ago, told
me. this morning to pack my duds and
beat it." The boy added, 81 wish,
Mr.. Petty, you could send me where
| could go to high school, because
you know want to study mechanical
engineering"
Another boy fourteen years of age,
came with this story: 81 have been
working all summer for twenty dol
lars per month, and have drawn but
five dollars. Mr.. told me
that he does not propose to pay me
anything more, that | am no good.
Try and get me another place where
can go to school this winter"
Six small boys were brought up
charged with burglary. The par
ents Of these boys all agreed that they
should be sent to the state thaining
should be sent to the state training
school, "save and except their own boy,
who was led into the mischief by some
of the other five"
Another complaint by several
neighbors was to the effect that there
was a ten-year-old girl in the commu-
nifty, who was the means Of leading
astray half dozen neighbor boys
about her own age.
A small boy states that another
boy took his pony off the picket rope
and rode him twenty miles. "I wish
you would have him sent to the re-
form school,"
A fourteen-year-old girl says: "If
you do not make our school board
change teachers, l will not go to
school,"
A divorced widow says: 81 am the
mother of eleven children, and have
six small ones at home. want you
to try and get me some help, say
thirty or forty dollars per month"
A widow states: "My husband has
been dead for nearly year. | have
a fifteen-year-old daughter who seems
to be dissatisfied and wants to be a
moving picture actress, so thought
! would like to turn her over to you,
and you might possibly get her into
the state training school, which |
think would be good place for her.
am getting married again tomor-
row."
Another widow said: ~ have five
small children, and ! wish you would
get me a mothers pension. l could
get along with thirty dollars per
month"
States another widow: "My hus-