JUVENILE COURT NOTES

It was decided at a mass meeting held June 21, to secure for Augusta, Ga., a Juvenile Court similar to the one in Atlanta. The meeting was addressed by Crawford Jackson, of Atlanta.

At a meeting of the Political Equality club at the Metropolitan hotel, St. Paul, Minn., Judge John W. Finehout, of the municipal court, delivered his address upon "Juvenile Courts." The address was applauded and discussed.

In forty-two clubs, more than 1,300 boys of the East Side of New York have been gathered to form the Juvenile City League. Each club represents a city block, and each boy pledges himself to abstain from littering the streets, while he also promises to persuade others to do as well.

There were five boys before the court on the charge of larceny of clocks from a Main street store. Edward Day was discharged on the complaint. William Sheehan was fined $2; Adolph Plouf had his case continued, Charles Breelenfeld was fined $2 and his brother Max had his case continued.

There were fourteen in court at Lowell, Mass., on a recent Juvenile day, nine of them being neglected children. Most of the children in for being neglected were notably well dressed and they were happy as could be. One of them, the little Monoghan boy, whose mother was sent to jail for a month leaving him in the station two days, played around the court room, as happy as could be, even causing the judge to smile as he dodged behind him on the bench while he was hearing a case, and then running out in the front part until the officer had to put him out. He was committed to the state board of charity, but that made no difference to his sunny disposition. The four Graham children were committed to the state board of charity and the four Benard children had their cases continued.

Judge McHenry, of the district court of Des Moines, Ia., expects to set aside each Monday forenoon for the hearing of juvenile criminal cases.

There may not be any of the youthful offenders to be heard during the summer as the criminal work has fallen off considerably since May, but with the end of the summer season and the beginning of winter and the use for the court and the place of confinement may be taxed.

Juvenile offenders who reach the district court are very few. Such as have been in the past called "boy bandits" have been so only by reason of the fact that they have been under twenty-two years of age and not because they were boys in fact. The quartette now serving seven year sentences in the penitentiary for their misdeeds in East Des Moines, were all of age and thus could hardly be classed as the youngsters they were represented.

The Iowa Juvenile Court law became effective July 4. The first case to be dealt with at Dubuque was that of Russell Vogel, a boy about nine years of age. This boy's parents were divorced some time ago and he was placed in the custody of his mother. She married again, and his father leaving the city, he was placed in the custody of his grandmother, who says she has not been able to control him, notwithstanding his tender years. He is charged with a number of petty thefts, and it has been

deemed better to bring him before the court and have the latter make proper disposition of him.

Under the law Judge Matthews will have power to commit the youth to an orphanage, a good family or the industrial school at Eldora. Heretofore, all youthful offenders were committed to the latter institution, where they were permitted to mingle with children who are desirable, companions for young offenders. Under the Crawford law, the courts are given more discretion.

The Municipal Voters' league of Syracuse, N. Y., believes that young girls and boys have no business loitering on the streets after 9 o'clock at night. The members consider that the practice leads to much of the immorality which exists in the city and deem it the duty of the city officials to take strenuous means to prevent it.

At a special meeting it was decided to recommend to the Common Council that an ordinance be passed instructing the police to escort to their homes girls and boys whom they find loitering and playing on the streets after 9 o'clock at night. The officers would be told to warn the parents against permitting their offsprings to wander as they please. In the event of a second offense the parents would be subject to a fine. The ordinance would apply to girls under 14 years of age and boys under 12.

The league does not believe that a curfew law would be practical in a city of this size, but thinks that some arbitrary rule should be laid down for the protection of the children of Syracuse. They are heartily in accord with the efforts the police are making to prevent young girls flirting on the streets and will do all that is possible to abate the evil.

Beginning June 1 a new system went into effect regarding the commitment of boys and girls under the age of sixteen,

as the result of laws enacted by the last New York Legislature. By the new laws the juvenile offenders are separated as to the institutions and the boys will be sent to certain institutions and the girls to others.

By chapters 167, 221 and 338 of the laws of 1904, the commitment of girls to the State Industrial School in Rochester and the House of Refuge on Randall's Island, is prohibited. after June 1, 1904 to the reception of boys under the age of sixteen years. The last mentioned chapter also provides that after June 1, 1904, delinquent girls not over the age of sixteen years may be committed to the New York State Training School for girls.

By chapter 169 of the laws of 1904, vagrancy under subdivision three or four of section 887 of the code of criminal procedure, is added to the offenses for which women and girls

between the ages of fifteen and thirty, can be sent to the House of Refuge for Women in Hudson and Albion and the New York State Reformatory for Women in Bedford.

By chapter 543 of the laws of 1904, the House of Refuge for Women in Hudson is to be continued as the New York State Training School for Girls after June 1, 1904, and girls not over. the age of sixteen years, who have been convicted of crime or of criminal association may be committed thereto. After June 1, no commitment of girls over the age of sixteen years can be made to this institution, but delinquent women and girls between the ages of fifteen and thirty years may be committed to the New York State Reformatory for Women in Bedford, if from the first, second and third judicial districts, and to the Western House of Refuge for Women in Albion, if from the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth judicial districts.

BOY STOLE TO

Thomas Clifford, ten years old, of No. 565 Eleventh Avenue, New York, turned burglar to save his mother and his nine brothers and sisters from starvation. When arraigned in court he frankly admitted that he stole, and explained why he had strayed from the straight and narrow path of honesty. Before his story was finished the whole court room was in tears.

He was barefooted and his clothes were ragged and torn, but he held his head erect and answered the questions put to him in a firm voice. He had been caught stealing brass, and the ten-year-old lad told the court that he had hoped, by the sale of the stolen metal, to keep his mother and brothers and sisters from starving until other and more legitimate help came.

Some of his little sisters. and brothers who that day had been given the first real meal they had eaten in weeks, with money furnished by kind-hearted policemen, were in the courtroom. "YES, SIR, I DID."

When the boy appeared before the court every one crowded forward.

"Now, my little man," the Magistrate began, "you are charged with stealing brass. Did you commit the theft?"

"Yes, sir, I did," he answered simply.

"Well, Thomas, don't you know that it is wrong to steal?" "Yes, sir, so my mother told me." "Why did you do it, then?"

"Well, Jimmy was sick; there was no milk in the house for the baby. Mamma was in bed, with nothing to eat. There wasn't a cent for us except the $4 a week that Mary, who is four years older than me, earned at the soap factory, and you know, Judge, you can't pay rent and support eleven people, one of them a baby, with that money.

"I tried to help out by selling papers, but I couldn't sell enough of them, and the other boys wouldn't let me stand on the corners where people would buy them. I saw how ill my mamma was and heard the children crying for things to eat and-well, Judge, I went out and stole that brass. I knew I could sell it for junk."

All of this was recited in a straight-forward manner without regret in the voice. The Magistrate's eyes became dim and a number of women in the courtroom cried at the pathetic little figure on the stand.

After some testimony, which brought tears to the eyes of every one in the courtroom, the Clifford boy was paroled in the custody of the Children's Society until Tuesday.

THE STRICKEN HOME.

The Clifford family live in a barely furnished room on the third floor of the building at No. 565 Eleventh avenue. Mr. Clifford, who worked in the Street Cleaning Department, died four months ago of pneumonia, contracted while cleaning the streets. A baby was born three days before Tommy stole the brass, and the family was in danger of dying by starvation. After the lad's arrest Police Captain Hayes raised $17, which was sent to the Clifford home. All of the children were fed and the police say they ate as if half starved.

A supply of fresh milk was purchased for the baby and the neighbors will assist the family until Mrs. Clifford recovers her health.

"I know that Tommy did wrong, but it was out of love for his brothers and sisters and myself," said Mrs. Clifford after the hearing.

"Tommy could not bear to think that we were starving," she

declared. "He is a good boy at heart, and this is the first time he ever got into any trouble. He is proud, and the desolation in our home affected him. I want him back home. It will be another mouth to feed, but I would never consent to give up any of my children. When Tommy was selling papers he brought every cent home, but he could not earn enough to help us much, although he worked hard."

TOMMY WAS RELEASED.

When Tommy's case came up in the Children's Court he was released. His release was due to the clemency of the Magistrate and the help which had come to Mrs. Clifford by the publication of the story of the arrest of the boy. The circumstances were such that they brought tears to the eyes of policemen and detectives and caused many of those who heard the testimony in the Children's Court to weep.

On complaint of John Tomanovitch three boys had been arrested, Robert Bennett, fourteen years old, who lives at No. 580 Tenth avenue, Charles Moore, ten years old, of No. 604 Tenth avenue, and Thomas Clifford. Magistrate McKean, in looking over the records, found that Bennett, the eldest boy, had been twice arrested before on similar charges, and that he had been found guilty and sentence suspended. The Moore boy had also been in custody before. The Magistrate found Bennett guilty and suspended sentence, warning him that if he ever again came before the Court he would be sent to prison. He also suspended sentence in the case of Moore.

To the Clifford boy he said that he had learned of the sad conditions which had prompted him to join in the theft.

"NO EXCUSE FOR STEALING."

"It has happened," said the Magistrate, "that you have found many friends and your story has attracted wide attention, but I must tell you that there is no excuse for stealing. If you are in want there are always ways in which you may find aid in this city. It is far better to do that than to commit a theft. Should such a need arise again I wish you to remember that. Besides, if you are brought before me a second time, the newspapers will know about your previous record and they may not be so ready to aid you."

"I'm going to keep on going to school," said Thomas, "for two or three years more if I can, and try to make a man of myself, so that I can help care for my mother and my brothers and sisters. If I learn more I can be able to do more work." Mrs. Clifford said that her boy did not realize what he was doing when he went into the printers' shop, and that he was influenced by a boy who is not under arrest, who taunted him with the poverty of the family, saying that any boy would steal rather than see his mother and brothers and sisters without food.

"I hope for the sake of my husband's memory, for he died last March," said Mrs. Clifford, "that the children of whom he was proud will be a credit to him. He had great hopes for 'Tommy.' But now, owing to kind friends we have found, I think we will be all right again soon. for we have some money and I have the promise of work, cleaning and scrubbing in Fifth avenue houses, for $1.50 a day. I am thankful for all that has been done for us."

Mrs. Clifford's children and their ages are as follows:-Mary, fifteen years; Thomas, ten; Sarah, eight; James, six; Frank. four: Benjamin, three; Patrick, sixteen months old, and, last of all, Herald, a week old, who was so named because of the timely aid given to her by readers of the New York Herald.