The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-08-13
Conditions Must
Be Corrected

What is to be done in order to cor
rect the lamentable conditions of
many children in st. Francois county
especially through the lead belt
continues to be question Of gravest
Importance. Practically every day
brings to light new horrors under
which an alarming number of children
are living--or surviving-in that dis
trict, which for years has apparent
ly been a dumping grounds for all
manner Of human derelicts.
Probation Officer r. c. Tucker, who
is certainly the right man in the right
place, has during his entire term in
office been unusually active in search
ing out and bringing to public notice
neglected and derelict children, is
principally responsible for the many
disclosures that are being made along
this line of human incompetence. The
disclosures that are coming to light
through proceedings in his court al
most every week are calculated to
make the hearts of thoughtful citi-
zens bleed. If such disclosures are in
the least criterion, then the natural
thought of all thoughtful citizens
must be: "What do such conditions
indicate for the future?"
Only one of several cases in the
court of the Probation Officer this
week will in manner illustrate the
frightful condition of affairs that are
becoming public with constantly in
creasing regularity. On Monday a
woman named Reed, with four small
children, appeared in Judge fuckers
court. The woman had been arrested
in East Bonne Terre Saturday and
placed in Jail here, charged with lewd
and licentious conduct. The children
were brought with her, because there
was no other place for them to go.
That they were almost starved on
reaching Sheriff Adams lodging house
was evidenced by the manner in which
they gorged themselves-more like
wild animals than human beings.
The trial of the woman was not in
the jurisdiction of the Probation Of
ticer, but she was examined as to her
ability to support the four children.
She claimed to be sick, and she evil
IDENTIFY is diseased; that she did the
best she could for her children, but
often was unable to work. The poor,
weak creature was doubtless sincere
in such statements, and doubtless in
her heart there is mothers love for
her children, at least in accord with
her clouded views and degenerated
ideas of life. The wrong she had
been committing was doubtless,
through her depraved ideas, the one
thing she could 80 in order to provide
for her srstIssg Glr
The poor little children, with not
enough clothing to conceal their nak-
edness, had it not been for the dirt
and vermin with which their frail
bodies were encased, with all that,
rather prepossessing in appearance.
The mother did not know the ages of
the children, two girls and two boys.
The oldest is a boy of about IL years,
next a girl about 7, boy of 5, and
baby of 2, the latter being the only one
whose age the mother could youch
for. The children were ordered taken
from the mother, who was remanded
to Jail pending a disposition of the
charge against her. What effect
such action will have on the poor,
weak woman-but the mother of the
children-will have it is impossible to
even surmise, but it will certainly i'm
measureably darken her already
blasted and miserable life. But Judge
Tucker is strong for saving the chill
dren, and therefore honestly attempts
to put aside every other consideration
where their interests are concerned.
In this connection, it might be of inn
portance to state that Judge Jeager,
Probation Officer of st. Louis, recent
ly stated that so per cent of all way
ward and derelict children who are
brought before him from all parts of
the State, come from st. Francois
county. Read that again, and think
of it most seriously. 1t is not time
that an organized effort were put
forth to reclaim these atoms of hu-
manity, which are now threatening
to the sewers that are so necessary to
clean living? What are you, and you,
and you going to do to relieve such
alarming conditions