The producers news., 1927-06-03
have DESTROYED his victim.

There was no evidence to prove any OF the
above material allegations the DEFENDANT Is
not by law presumed to be when ne nlls-he
is presumed to be innocent of the material alle-
cations and each of the words describing now
the murder was done is a material allegation Ev-
cry person who knows anything knows there were
no proof of wilful, wanton, malice aforethought
produced. Everyone knows who saw the boy tnat
he was incapable of forming an intelligent idea
that he acted entirely from insane impulse-that
ne had no comprehension of what he was doing.
But the County Attorney wanted to hang him
ne is such a good Christian-the sheriff wanted
to hang hin1-fOr the thrill The poor fool OF a
kid was no good any how, either to himself or So
ciety and he would very likely kill some one else,
so why not hang him and have picnic-a circus.
The governor refused to put stop to this legal
carnival, so the murder pulled off to the
edificaton of those who enjoy shows Of this sort,
to the disgrace of the state and the shame of our
so-called civilized, christianized society.
And this not because the boy did not kill, he
did: not because he was not a dangerous person,
and must necessarily be confined the rest of his
life; not, as far as he was concerned it was not
the most human thing for him,-though he was
forced to be the star actor for evenings enter
tainment of a peculiar audience, but because the
0S'O1iOON
year old boy moron, Ferdinand Schlaps makes a
farce of the courts, travesty upon justice, and
is shame and disgrace to society.
If it were law to put the insane to death, than
we could have honestly, legally murdered Ferdin-
and Schlaps: and such thing might be justifiabIe
but to solemeny charge this poor demented un-
fortunate youth with murder in first degree, con-
vict him, and hang him as if he were one capable
of numbering, when everyone knows that the facts
are different, makes morons out of all of us.
Yes, makes every intelligent man blush for
shame-makes him hang his head for his $50
called" civilization-for it put society the par
with Ferdinand Schlaps
Now if as the above editorial intfmates, Schlaps
was the result of drunken, brutal father-a vic
time of infant exploitation-a poor boy who never
did have a chance, who was born wrong and nur-
tured wrong brought up wrong, over none of
which things he had any control, just how. could
we, honestly as a society, murder poor Ferdinand
Schlaps, who had never had boyhood, who had
never played who had only been to school thirty
four months, who had never known what love and
sympathy and guidance was, who when other
children had run and romped and played in the
field, had known only hard and ceaseess toll from
baby hood, for the murder of the unfortunates who
were mis- victims, who paid for all of this?
If society had been as anxious to do something
for Ferdinand Schlaps when his father and mother
were born and after, if society had been as con-
fcerned about Ferdinand after he was born, and
during the period of his infancy, as it was ir
numbering him, after society had allowed
murderer to be made out of him, and after ht
had done the inevitable thing-committed murder
then Ferdinand Schlaps would never have mur
dered his fellowmen-and the cost would hav,
been much less.
Of course there would not have been murde
festival for the other products of this civilization
to enjoy.
And it is grim that he died with the name o
Jesus on his lips.
Only Jesus l guess can understand. And that h
should say goodbye, world, so tenderly a worl
that had been so cruel and unacceptable to him
showed that this boy must have had flicker 0
the spirit of Christ in his poor demented minc
lie should too have said Gather forgive thes
poor witch burners, these poor murderers who's
souls are more brutal than even mine for the
know not what they are doing,' and he woul
have told the hard, naked truth.
However, returning to the subject of homes
influence and education and its influence on crime
there is murder every day-in fact everyman is
potential murder-and these murders are commit
= ted by people of all kinds, from all strata
society," by pious men, by impious men, by Chris
ian and non-Chrstian, by believer and non-believe
!, In fact careful investigation discloses that
per cent of all criminals in prison come frol
homes where they had careful religious instruction
> and the very best Of youthful surroundings: an
that per thousand there are more criminal
. among the ministers of the gospel then anon
any other profession, or even the trades
How then can we draw definate conclusio
from the Schlaps case, as suggested by the Wi
>, liston Farmers Press, except an Indictment
! society as whole: of the system under whic
: we ive--a system that produces Ferdinar
: Schlaps, Gov. Erickson, County Attorney Mario
:. Hangman Anderson those who went to see Il
= hanging and society as a whole which thinks it
% serving the ends of justice when it hangs by Il
y neck until dead, a seventeen-year-old boy moro
: In the form of Ferdinand Schlaps
> A LESSON FROM NATURE