The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-08-16
Strange Causes of
Crime That Leads
Youths to Prison
CONTINUED from page one.)

was going to kill him as soon as he
got fat enough.
another young man was working
on a threshing rig in our state.
When the boss criticized him for fail
ing to do his work properly, one of
the fellow workers said that the boss
ought to be killed. While the labor
err intended his suggestion as a joke,
it made such an impression upon the
young mans mind that he assailed
the boss with pitchfork and nearly
killed him.
''In the case of other criminals, a
splendid secular education seems to
have been given and every advantage,
held in life, and still the criminal
bent is developed. Some Of these are
more dangerous criminals because of
the very education and skill they
possess. They assume smart
alecky attitude toward life and would
rather do the things they think are
clever than those that they know are
right. Frequently, their crimes are
committed because they have been
accustomed to live beyond their
means and when they find themselves
unable to keep up appearances are
too cowardly to live the truth, and
commit crimes in order to continue
the accustomed pace.
One of ire inmates Of our peniten-
tiary came from fine family in ILL.,
inois, had splendid education and
apparently every opportunity for
success in life. His record in his
home city seems to have been good
He and another boy kept company
with two girls and enjoyed many en-
tertainments and trips together. Then
the boys ran out of money and, not
wishing the girls to know that they
were poor, they held up farmer and
took his car with the intention tt
drive to one of the smaller towns and
there burglarize the bank to secure
sufficient money to finance their
style of living.
"Movies, the bright lights, jazz
and the rapid pace have ruined many
life and wrecked many a promising
career. 1t takes a strong character
and considerable will power to with
stand the allurements and tempta-
tions of these appealing manifesto
tions Of our modern civilization, and
where the home, the school, and the
church have failed to develop high
ideals and strength of character,
many boy and girl find themselves
unable to withstand their appealing
power.
"Some men of education and ability
will plan their crimes for year$ and
figure out philosophy of life that
they are seeking to follow. One of
the inmates of our institution plan
ned for years to kill one of his
neighbors in order to obtain his farm
and when the deed had been commit
ed was caught because he had over
looked certain simple precautions. A
colored man now serving time in GU,
penitentiary admits that this is the
fifth institution in which he has
served time and says that with him
it is purely business proposition
As business man who speculates
puts up his money on the accuracy
of his business judgment, SO he
stakes his liberty on his ability to
cover up his tracks and get away
He says: "When ! get caught, give
up and take my punishment, maintain
a perfect record while I am prison.
er, as have done in the other four
penitentiarieS and as shall do here
but when l get out I am going to
plan and execute another crime TAX
ing my chances on my ability to get
away.
: ut is, Of course, futile to hope TO,
any reformation in the case of these
who are hardened and professional
criminals, and I believe that the time
and energy sometimes expended in
seeking to reform these would b.
much more profitably used in trying
to do something for the men who
may just be beginning life of crime
| or who may be in the penitentiary
largely because of an unfortunate
combination of circumstances rather
than because of radical defects OF
moral character.
But when thA criminal is a boy
when the youthful mind is still com.
paratively plastic and easily nodded
where the prisoner is still sympathe'
tic and subject to the appeal Of high
ideals and finer sentiments, every eff.
fort ought to be made to redeem such
one for a life Of usefulness and
citizenship"
| European earwigs are doing Sc