Norwich bulletin., 1922-03-30
JOHN McHENRY's END

LbSSON ON MAYNARD NESS
There was nothing unusual in the story
OF John McHenry which terminated in
! his death by hanging, says the New Haven
Journal Courier. He was "a years old
which is young parents think He had
| served in the Meriden school for maynard
boys when he was little fellow of II
and IA. Then he turned UP in the re-
| formatory where the boys are older ana
| the drama grows more tense. He ran
away from there one day while working
/ on road gang-many of us know that
beautiful country north of Cheshire
| There is always great interest in such
cases but really there is no occasion for
| excitment or curiosity. Crowds rush to
buy the Papers and read every detail. but
such happenings are not news in a true
sense. There was nothing Unexpected,
| nothing unprecedented in boy with Me-
Henry's background, robbing a garage and
killing the owner; when a police sergeant
| turned up, he too was "croaked" One thing
leads to another.
The chain Of logic was completed when
the trap was sprung. This thing has been
| going on for centuries Familiarity with
Shooting irons, automobile fascination, re-
formatories and the gang idea have come
In within SO years, but we insist it is not
news If McHenry had taken on JOB
worked hard, earned the respect of those
who had known him when was a tor1gh
married some good girl. made home, be
come a useful citizen-that would have
been news. For that one might stop
the 37ress' and set up headlines.
The pitiful thing about crime is its fu-
tility; it is sad sorry. useless business. It
doesn't get youth anywhere-it can't be
for the killing of garage man throws
wrench into the moral law and moral
/ law refuses to be trifed with Two hun
dred years ago a writer who saw beneath
the twdry and tinsel of crime wrote a
play with the title The Devil rs An Ass
his idea being that he makes fools and
simpletons of men while all the time they
conceive they are stealing a march on the
world and making secret gains.
: HOW to interest the other McHenrys
. to whom looting a garage and beinI
: quick on the trigger seems enviable-
how to show the boys It is poor fun a
best and that there are enthusiasms tina
= beat that sort OF thing is the problem
OF course the best way is to open a hom
e | for McHenry and introduce him to boy
| and girls Of his own age whose talk i
merry and clean. with an occasiona
$ strong note. 1t is impressive to see
s roughneck thrown against fine mani.
n | lad with deep chest and thoughtful
face-they understand each other a
once McHenry docs not go from sue
company to kill he hungers and thirst
: to be near his new friend he feels him
self growing like him. These her
J | stories that punctuate crime are nothln
but the reaching out of some fellow
: trying to initiate someone he once knew
p Suppose NcHenry had been taken int
J wireless outfit group. or nut in TN
9 way of watching the stars through til
. mountaineering tube. Suppose soFneon
chung TO this poor foolish boy with hi
Meriden-Cheslire memories and stand
o ards refusing TO let him GO as men site
= 70 q business they seek to launch or f
y themselves Tor contest. Perhaps som
. DAY more energy will be spent on proven
r ton of bad boys as we prevent III healt
and fire loss ara use paint freely to pre-
o vent decay. Some good material has bee
given to the world. hand-picked from Il,
rubbish heaps, derelfcts lowed to th
shipyard
0 McHenry's story is ended. but other
II are coming on. One can see them abou
!. the streets after mdnight-tdle. withou
# errand, learning the language, fnasterin
n the reckless code. Are the signals I'D
t has anyone gone back with a lantern
n Is the light in the watch tower burning
i. Every time a boyish form walks I'D O
V the scaffold and smiles pitifully on tn
n crowd, citizens. men and women VIII
e would get at the bottom of this patheti
h BOY bandit business. should look thei
: city over and see what is being done I
lessen it. The difference between q. fu
neral that breaks a great city all up wit
sorrow and fears and q hanging may b
nothing but the interest that someon
: took in friendless boy. a little effort.
: little sacrifice