The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-08-17
BOY SAVED FROM
LIFE OF CRIME
BY OPERATION
Abnormal Mentality, Coupled
With Vim and Power Of
\ Youth. Resulted in Acts Of
Master Criminal.

DENVER, Aug. II. (By International
News Service. believed to have been
saved from a life of crime by the re-
moval of part of an enlarged thyroid
gland in the throat. Maurice Alterson
Denvers 10-year- old runaway" is
speedily recovering his strength and,
it is confidently hoped By juvenile court
officers, the mental poise ordinarily de-
veloped In youths of his age.
Maurice has been considered incor-
rig1ble, and his many escapades led
Juvenile Court Judge Ben Lindsey to
direct an examination into his men
tality in the belief that the boys habit
OF running away was due to some
psychopathic cause rather than any in
herent badness"
Mental experts declared that Maurice
had the brain of a man past his ma
jority, despite his 10 years.
Maurice, the incorrigible, fell asleep
at st. Joseph'S hospital amid the daZ-
cling expanse of strange white tables
and the mystifying fumes of ether.
norm of mentality had been reduced IL
years and the world has been relieved
of potential master criminal, according
to the medical experts.
Previous to the operation Maurice
21-year-old mentality, co-ordinated by
the Judgment anu Will power VI d DOy
of 10 years, resulted in his getting into
all sorts of trouble. The mischief that
he perpetrated, guided by the clever
man-mind was more effective than any
that could be devised by an ordinary
boy.
father, New York Hebrew, came to
Denver seeking health. He placed
Maurice in home as the only means
of having him cared for and having
his wild tendencies curbed.
Running away was Matrices chief
accomplishment, and he effected his
escapes in every case with flnesse
and intricacy of detail that made his
apprehension almost impossible and
which showed him to be a calculating
and extremely accurate thinker.
Several weeks ago Maurice attracted
much attention when, after one of his
numerous escapes from the detention
brought back to Denver. This was
his sixth escape in as many moaths,
When captured, Maurice was found
to have made map Of his proposed
travels, including routes from Den
yer to Fort Worth and Ell Paso, Tex,
sections of Montana. After taste
of the wild and woolly' Maurice
planned to go to New York city. Sew
eral veteran railroad men pronounced
this map one of the finest route maps
they ever saw, declaring that an ex'
perienced railroad man, travelling the
same route, could hardly improve upor
Mauriee's work. The map was made
entirely from knowledge found In rail-
road time tables.
1t was this map that prompted Judge
Lindsey in having an examination O.
the boy made by medical experts, who
later declared that he had a mentality
IL years in advance Of his physical age
Following the operation for the remova
of part of the enlarged gland, i
was announced that over development
of this gland was responsible for thu
boys mentality maturing out Of all pro
portion to his moral and physical being
It is said that the operation was en-
tirely successful and it is expected tina
in the future Maurice will be just al
ordinary youngster with youngster'
capacity for mischief, without the de
sire to be a runaway"