Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-04-06
nile delinquency?

- - stealing small
MIR. PICkERING things from
the neighbor's house.
81 would say that II almost
never comes 10 n clear-cut de-
CisiOn. The hoy who il going 10
he a criminal never comes Ia
point at which he must de-
eide. + will be criminal, or
Il won't.
Here's a case" he said pro-
ducing flc'an inch thick.
recording the misdecdS of one
boy Of II
II was a lad who had ioincd
The Royal Canadian Ar Force
In the file were confessions
made by the boy IN Detroit and
elsewhere.
He was fired from the RCAF
because, by ms own admission,
he was lncapacitated in an
accident caused because he dis
obcyed flight Instructions
Then. down IN Louisiana be
boarded a bus. had no money
and bluncd his way through by
saying he was a man IN service.
lie was wearing the Canadian
uniform,
4 dimes caTiarc >W.ndled IN
a moment of need. led 10 more
swindlng. which took the form
Of worthless checks cashed IN
hotels.
Finally an arrest for impcr-
Sonating A Canadian soldier.
Suppose YOU ask Yourself
where he became q criminal
Can you find tho line thai divides
honesty from crime?
"The number Of arrests Of
delinquents, particularly girls.
has risen tremendously in the
last year" BucaS went on
Were not social agency.
hut We can't help being in
terPsted.
ITS not enough 10 cut down
weed after rs grown up. Any
way. In nearly every case Of
Young criminals. they don't re-
alize how far they have gone
until. one day, they are caught"
There wa, a mild stir last
January when four boys. rang
lng IN age from II 20 20 were
arrested for stealing TWO ma
chlre guns from the Piqucttc
Armory.
A confession by tho actual
thief explains that another boy
inquired. Where can We Get a
machine gun .
The machine guns were m
tended for a SioOOOn hOldup
They wanted - rob safe II
is beside the point that The safe
they had m mind doc>n have
that much money IN d. and
never do
THE boss" SAID BuCaS has
some charts on national delin-
quency figures The boss John
Edgar Hooker. head Of tho FBD
believes that if il were possible
10 eliminate juvenile dclin-
qucncy. II would ALMOST do
away with crime"
Here are the figures The
largest number Of arrests. in the
past. has been at the age OF Il
or younger In l939-4O-4l il de-
clined 10 70 Last year there
we're more ls-ycar-old criminals
VIII IL he II or Is next year
Nobody knows, but many are
afraid
Arrests Of girls under y IN
creased 557 per cent last year
over the year before Drunken
ness rose 399 per cent.
Among boys il wasn't as
sharp, but II was bad Coming
closer 10 home, the Boys De-
lcntion Home IN Detroit had
$40 boys under y in the first
two months this year a year
ago il was 63l
\ general report 10 the FBI
in Detroit cites. among other
things more Shoplifting, more
boys running in packs and steal
ing. a lot more going down town
with easy money In their hands.
In the archives Of the FBI is
a copy of a newspaper clipping
found in the pocket of ST. Clair
Mclnerney one of the Touhey
mobsters after he had died, los
ing a gun duel with the FBI.
The clipping was this poem:
NY WISH IN LIFE.
I irish I noic ,ccrc old enough
To gire some sound .ddricc.
To make each person weigh his
thoughts
And tpIN them oUcr THRICE.
! kHoU my eyes hare seen enough
SO I could make him see,
The rdB impressions ~ this
life
Can fool ms casiiH
McInerney. the thug must
haKs. 49,.