New Britain herald., 1928-10-19

vhisA hs bsst tis hsssss esl aeAr- el spss bts slsv. \ ssaesFaa' eeases wss knsvn e the tewa aoesstos. Hieksaa's fathss dsssstsl his family whoa ths by vas ls yssrs saA; hts mother tssk hss ehilaesn iato the cettsa Ael1s vhsre shs stse1 svss them with | butcher kntts aa1 . hand ax.
 The community in Arkaasas vhsrs all this was occurring was not alert It seemed to have rsgsF1sd the Hickmans as . little ''qussE" aad lse 1t % at that They were allowed ts follow out their own aalvataos- Yet some credit gees to MrsL Hickman during thsss trying dayA Youns Hickman. slong with her ether children. wers stven religious trata- ing end the boy went ts Sunday School and was regarded ss . bright boy at school and went to high school. where his reoord seeuns to have been good. MrA Hickman. her husband not with her to offer aid. certainly deserves credit for her en- dan.,nr~ at tynsa fimA
 Hickman was even mora ambitious than the average. He wanted to % to college. and was sorely depressed at the inability of hts mother to send him to one. PerhapA had hs rsmain- ed ia Arkansas under ths benign influence of his mother. he might have turned out . good citizen. It was when he went to Los Angeles. with the ostensible purpose Of saFn- ing money to acquire | better sdu- cation. that his first trouble began. It was there in 1927. when | bank messenger. that he caShed forged checks totalling 11oo, 70 as to buy . motorcycle.
 In juvenile court he underwent . routine investigations: and as hts sHa, ployers thought he WAS deserving youth. he was set free on probation. In view of this the probation system has been subject to critictsn and its proponents have como to its defense with vigor. It is said that though there was much in Hickman's history that justified more careful handling. there is the unalterable fact that probation officers as . rule do not possess psychiatrtc training nor ars they psychological experts.
 It is clear to everyone now that all the facts are known. that Hick. man from the first was . dangerous type of individual. Even when con- fined in his cell he assaulted a cell mate SO severely that the latter had to be sent to a hospital.
 Perhaps with our present knowl- edge and official equipment. nothing can be done to protect society from other Hickmans that may menace it.
 Punishment. though 1t be certain and fairly prompt, doss not protect the victims. Public sentiment clinel to the basic principle that crime must be punished-which is un. doubtedly correct-and that no fine distinctions can safely be drawn or a psychological and psychiatric basis We may progress further than thia point some day, but as yet we haven't reached it.
 One argument advanced has il that if Hickman was mentally Il and prone to crime on account of hii family history. why are not thu other Hickmans similarly afflicted That brings up . question that no body can answer. although writer are busy with books trying to brinl rules out of progenial chaos. Uptl we know more about the subject VI trend toward punishment that fit
 the crime; and it must be admitted that occasionally 2 downright menta
 derelict will be exscuted-when hi
 lawyers cannot successfully circum
 vent public sentiment.