Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1948-03-20
Youth In Dean Case Seen As Product
of Lack Of Proper Educational Recrea-
ton Facilities For Negro Youth
Of City
No Action Planned By Local Branch
NAACP

Jackson, Miss, Mar. Is, (DNS)
Following the arrest here few
DAYS ago of Arthur Moore, six
foot, 16 year old, fifth grade Ne
gro youth described by police as
the "Fantom Killer, now being
held without bond for the brutal
murder and robbery death of j..
B. Dean, local white insurance
man, in lonely spot in southwest
Jackson last January, and for sew
eral more recent crimes, as IN
creasing evidence seems to point
Enthusiastically to his guilt, the
case of the youth himself has be-
come tie subject of wide spread
discussion among all classes OF
Negro citizens.
While expressing the deepest
regret that a Negro youth could
be evolved in such a crime as
the Dean Case, it is everywhere
pointed out by intelligent Negro
citizens that the youth himself is
the victim, and the perfect exam
pie of the type Of delinquency
which can be the result of the
total lack of public recreational
facilities, such as parks, play
grounds and swimming pools, and
the wholly inadequate school IA
.ciIities and educational opportun-
tiles for Negmro youth in the CT
ty.
A check by the Jackson AID
VOCATE revealed that the Case
of Arthur Moore was discussed in
every well organized Sunday
School in the city Sunday Morn
ing.
The records of Sally-Reynolds
School reveaed that Arthur Moore
was first enrolled in 1915 at II,
years of age, in the Third Grade
Class. He attended school quite
regularly during this first year.
During the 1916 school year he
was out of school practically the
entire year. Suspected of truancy,
the principal of the school is re-
ported to have urged the youths
parents to come over to the school
to discuss the youths poor attend
ance and scholarship, but they
did not come to the school and
there was no one who showed any
direct interest in the youth. Al
though he was reported as stu
dent at the school this year, the
records reveoled that he has not
attended school even one day since
school started.
TIE youths parents are listed
as Charlie and Lucinda Moore of
Florence Street, Washington Ad-
dition.
At Sally Reynolds School, the
number of pupils per room av-
erages more than 60 although an
average of not more than 80 pu-
pills per room is the recognized
and guidance. Despite the obvious
handicap of the excessive teacher
load, one of the youths early
lesobers recognized in him GER
tain traits and habits not normal
for youth at his age and grade
level. She said that while the
youth was not a moron or imbe-
Gle, his record at school showed
the progressive antisocial tenden-
cies which develop into delinquent
cy and later, crime.
Officials of the local branch
of the NAACP are already repor-
ted to have indicated mat the
case did not contain the elements
upon which the organization usu-
ally enters case. At the same
time they expressed the hope that
the youth will be given a fair
trial during which he would be
given the benefit of the extenuat-
ing circumstances resulting from
environment, or the lack OF pro-
per .invironmental influences in
the shaping Of his character and
mind.
While police continued their
search for further and more vital
evidence in the case, the youth