Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1920-12-15
Criminals in the Making


For the past SIX months the writer
has watched with considerable mis-
giving the development in this little
city OF. what is common in larger
places, a yeritable gang of hoodlums.
This gang had its inception in a
group of eight or ten boys ranging in
age from IL to 16 years who began to
hang around Ryland Park evenings.
early last summer.
At first they were just harmlessly
NOISY, acting the Smart Alec, and say
ing smart things to each other for the
benefit Of the passefby. From this
they passed to saying smart things to
people, especially school girls, com
ing and going from the library. tap
ping on library windows and other
Things equally annoying. Finally
they became so bold as to invade the
library itself in the absence of the IL
nrarlan, turning off lights and refus-
ing to leave when asked to do so by
the lady in charge On one such oc-
j caslon the writer found it necessary
10 personally escort home a Young
nigh school girl who had been left in
charge and whom they had annoyed
until she was afraid to go home alone.
Lately this gang has been hanging
about churches and private homes
when parties are being given, yelling.
hammerlng on windows and making
themselves generally obnoxious A
lew nights ago during a C. E. social
at the Congregational church they
opened window and threw dead
leaves in the room. Last Friday night
they kidnapped two boys on their way
to a party and locked them in an old
building where they might have had
to stay all night had they not been able
TO knock the boards from a weak spot
III the wall and escape. The gang
then went to the house where the par
ty was being given and proceeded to
make themselves obnoxious in all the,
ways such hoodlums can. When ask
ed to leave by the lady Of the house
they made insulting remarks and kept
Oh with their disturbance.
Members of this gang have been
known to annoy young girls on the
street both day and evening, laying
hands on them, jostling them off the
walks, and so on.
The ring leaders appear to be some
half dozen school boys, one a Junior.
one a sophomore, and three or four
freshmen. Their followers are a doz-
Ell or fifteen boys from the lower
grades ranging from Ia to as young
as 8 years DID,
Some of these boys are from homes
in which they never had any training.
either by precept or example whose
parents seem to take the attitude that
they did their full duty when they
brought them into the world and that
it is up to the public to do the rest.
Others, however, come from good
homes and have had proper care and
training but their parents seem either
tc have too much faith in them or to
be too much interested in business
or social affairs to keep track of where
they are or what they are doing.
That this state of affairs is a de-
nlorable one no right thinking person
will deny. From the hoodlum to the
thug is only step. We who have
girls would like TO have the streets
safe for them even at night and we
who have boys, even husky fellows,
don't care to have them mauled or
mistreated simply because they chance
to walk along the street with girl or
have an invitation to "a party, etc.
The genuine hoodlum never attacks
alone unless his victim is smaller and
weaker than himself. If of equal
size and strength he sees to it that he
is out-numbered three of four to one
before he strikes. With his gang be-
hind him he is brave; alone he is
miserable coward
Admitted the condition is deplor-
able what is the remedy?
We firmly believe that good-old-
fashioned session with dad in the
woodshed with a tWo-inch strap vigor-
ously applied where 1t does the most
good would be the most effective way
OF Kidding the city Of this nuisance
but since this. cure is not likely to be
applied except in isolated instances
il seems up to the legal authorities
to act