Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-12-18
SENDING BOYS TO HELL.

4 few da.'s ago Tom Slaughter, desperate
criminal under sentence OF death 100 the tate pen
i,entiary 81 Arkansas. shot 90 death after max
ing has escape from PRISON. by q man whom Doe had
trusted and liberated While the dc,parado was
lying prone upon the ground number OF shots
were fired into his body at short range by his tel
low convict and later the liclc,s mutlatcd form
was hauled into town and viewed by the morbid
throng
But, it IS not Of the ,rcachcry through which
the nan who deserved TO die died. that wc would
write a, this time Nor is II Tor the sake OF con
dcmung a dcporabl, morbldncss that has never
been elevated IN It's effect, but rather e. call aten.
ton 90 the fact that Tom Slaughter represents the
final the finished product Of q state reform ~
school Note the following from q dispatch IA con.
necuon with the death OF the infamous tl,,ag IA
human iorm
Slaughter death bring, a. close lie OF
crime that started when he wa, g., years old At
that time hc was sentenced to the Nrkau,a, reform
school icr grand larceny Hts record since then
contain long list Of bank robbruc,. prison sen
fences. cscapes from prison and AZ least two
killing"
lD' Is the Tom Slaughter who as fourteen
year odd boy, went through the indifference Of the
community % a socllcd reform school OF the
state Through the ucgc. ui Tom Slaughter. ~
'host years when lac could have been saycd-re
deemed O. society, he wa, neglected The com
munii} went thc way of least resistance OF course
y ihr'" up rs hands BOO horror 10 the thought Of
'e4''ng such character here at home among uur
own boys. and sent hmm away Tor the safety I'D
% TIE community We DO not know the HISTORY
81 Tie juvenile error, aud oifcnscs of fourtrcn-yrar-
old Tom slaughter but j., J., certain that they were
below 'hc grade of bank rohbcrcs. murder. ana
all % 'he graduation, between the lowest and the
hphrs,
- tender boy n mind in body. ~ experience BOO
ne Tom Slaughter was transformed through the
minimizing through the improper proceeding, OF
h' nome community and hi, state government
from on crring. misguided child into one oi the
harics, criminal, who ever dcpred,t,,I 70, ,l ...,,
Of Arkansas. As such criminal hr uuoue,t,on.b',
hfel 'hc imaginatlons OF thousand, oi other boy.
% hi' state and IN the Southwest l. matirrs ma,
'ha' man Is criminal, II hi, daring =, Denoted
To boys Of imprcssonabe age they adore hmm and
Wns only Of his prowc>s and advcuturuu. a,br,-r
mcuis
10" do we know that Tom Slaughter was hu-f
'f h' stay m the reform school s8callrl5 Cimrf,
because having been guilty Of minor offcn,r. M
'he initial he came forth from the state ip,t,t,,,.r
prepared. equipped determined To- a, big thing,
y 'he form Of burglarics. tram rlbbcrir, mu,f.,.
''f'ugh the finished produc, of the reform school
system as u usually exists. not alone IN ,-l,r..
'd' 20 other states. TIN, particular commonwealth
f'apea dcplorablc havc,, OF expense d,,r,.r
''ine and The lingering infection IT a bad lie
Could The lips OF Tom Slaughter. now sealed i.r-
t'~T % death. recount the thing, through which
he passed. On that socallcd reform in.titu,,,r 4,
j. ho' improbable that the very mental aJd,, 40,
winch be- climbed into the depth, 81 the hen # lis.
par down 70 TIE level ~ robb,.r,cs and r,,,.i,,.
would BE- revealed IN thar formative r.ri.1 ,,.,
when Tom Slaughter advrn'urous yr, am~,.i,tir
70 cody influences. a, we'll a, bad one, wine, l.
stood N need Of sustaining influence, a, ne,r, he.
iofe ne was bundled of 10 the so-ealled rel,rua-
tory What effect 'his institution had ON b,r Is
SHOWN AZ The iull rpcned results Of the reform