The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-03-18
Deplorable
Conditions

A Times reporter dropped into the
office of Probation Officer and Juve-
nile Judge r. G. Tucker the first OF
the week in search Of news. On in
quiry of that gentleman as to what he
knew, and how things were going in
his department. he replied that condi-
tions were "bad enough" He then
launched into story of things he had
come in contact with in the past two
weeks in pursuit of his duties, that
were calculated to make 1.-THE flesh
creep. Many of the conditions he
described are unprintable, and these
we are going to pass over without any
attempt at description.
We wish to say right here, though,
that any one who criticises the very
important work that Judge Tucker is
doing-we understand there has been
some such criticism--does so from one
of two reasons. Either they are
grossly ignorant of what is going on
in the way of increasing neglect or
dereliction of children in st. Fran
co.'s county, or else they fear that ell
ther themselves. or their friends, may
be caught in the net that Judge
Tucker is making more and more per-
feet. Personally speaking, the writ
er does not believe that a man can be
found in the confines Of this county
who is better qualified or more willing
to rescue the "brands from the burn
ing" than Judge Tucker has proven
himself to be during his incumbency
of that office.
He told of a 14-year-old girl in Es-
ther, who to the 18th day of last
month attended the public school
there, in a pregnant condition; that
the child's uncle, youth of 10 years,
was responsible for such condition.
Through Judge fuckers influence
this girl was sent to the maternity
hospital of the Salvation Army in st.
Louis, where last week the child was
born. What think yoT of that?
Here is another: A 15-year-old
girl, without parent or guardian, was
put under restraint at Flat River on
March 5th, on account of lewd con-
dact.sf SIZE admitted having had H.
| licit relations with five men there,
and the five she named are now in
Jail awaiting preliminary hearing.
The child is at the County Infrmary.
Judge Tucker was called to Esther
Monday to inspect another case there.
It was of husband, wife and three
small children, who had drifted in
there, and are now quartered in box
car, with none of life's necessities
other than a few disreptable bed
clothes. This proved to be the family
that trampled through Pennington
last Friday, mention of which ap-
pears in this issue. The father gives
his name as B. F. Mckenzie. They
claim to have come from Osceola,
Ark, where they say they were en-
gagged in cotton raising, until burned
out by might riders" and all their
possessions were confscated by their
landlord. They were left to drift, with
absolutely no destination in mind, un-
til they were chung up" in their pres
ent temporary "home." The Judge
reports that the husband and father
is now at work there. He secured
for them some necessary provisions
warned the parents that they must
provide for the children, else he
would be compelled to take the little
ones from them. In the meantime
he will keep an eye on them while
they remain in this county.
These are but few of the cases
that have engaged the attention OF
Juvenile Judge Tucker the past two
weeks, with several more deplorable
cases that cannot be publicly describ-
ed. Who is it that thinks Judge
Tucker is carrying his work too far?
Let them speak out, and give their
reasons for their opinions. The one
objection that can justly be made to
the splendid work that is being done
in this department is that it has beer
too long neglected.