CHILD CRIMINALS.

Evening Star, Issue 6711, 1 October 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHILD CRIMINALS.

WHAT OUR BOYS AKE COMING TO The rising generation will certainly be a wonderfvl generation when it h?a rises. Ifc will attain a height fir beyond anyfcbing previously known in the annals of cur race-. Children for a l ng time past havo ceatod to be children. Bu: it is only latterly that bates and sucklings have cooie<o f«m an important yjrt <f the davgtrtui chste*. I am as foni p.e ciildttn a< aoyoze, bn*: I have always thought that brma'jjtaiians made a grave mislsko in endeivoricg ti shield the imps of mischief who now acd again come before the from the consequences of their miedeeds. Every now and again—usually ia the silly teito "be pipers are deluged with indignant loiters becauee a girl or a boy thief bad been tent to a reformatory or sentenced to a few strokes with the birch. Magistrates have reilly been afraid to deal severely with the child criminals brtught before them, leet a howl of indigcatien should rnn thioogh the land, and the H; m; S ;oi eSary should be appealed to in pa<sicEate l-.ngu.-ge to reprimand the ferocious Shallow fj-r his grors inhumanity to " a poor little child." Now, a student cf She orirainal reports of the country generally will not have failed to notice the result ff this sentimentality gone mad, Every day seme child excsla its predecessor in a deed of wickedness. The amusements of tho ycusg, especialy in country places, ohms'; principally of murder, aisic, burglary, and oruelty to animals. The othor day sa,ne little children tried to murder their playmate by thutticg Urn io a dustbin, in order that ttey might iad the body hter oa and get a rswsrd. They conjured up visions of endless apples and brandy-snaps aad teffee and marbles and kites ; and to gat the ttffee snd the apples, etc, they deJioeraiely conceded a murder, and attempted to carry it on*. Wo hav<; long been familiar, thaak* to a certain class of literature, with the boy burglar aod the young Lighwajm»n; but the hi-'fcory of tho Biby Brir-villiers, tho Infant Piltner, the Boy Burke, the Girl Greenacre, and the Cbi'-d C arlsy Pcaco hat yet to be writen. Ia recent pnpsis 'here is repr.ed the case of two beys of ekvai who net fire to gramrii.3 and warehouses " in order to «e the flire-np " Ia one c*se the " poor IHtla fallows " t»;rew lighted futes on to the h?y. The reeu'.t of their amusement was grava eUngor to life aid serious dsm»ge t:> property. Mr Chance sent them io tba workhouse for a we:k, while ho rnad« up his mind what to do with them. Pocr ' children! Lit us hope ho will not ba too ' hard upon them for their playful liStle prank. It is only their icnccsnt little way, A BAD BOY'S DIARY.

Monday.—Me and Jo Perkins put a trea on the line ia front of ihs fxpess train Such a lark. 0, my ! didn't it go flyia' off the rails, and didn't the people hj Her ! Mo and Jo seed forty dead bodies; and the way a old gentlemra was S'Scraimin' bjoau' e ho had a whole pressin' on bii stommiok was proper. Taeid-iy.—Biked the oat alive in mother's hovin this mornin', and gava tho baby a teaspoonful of turseotinp. Father como in and whacked me. 11l make it warm for father to-morrow. Wednesday.—Jo Perkins came in and helped ma to kit father. He was s-drorin the water out o' the well, and we give bim a shove and in be went, Nobody see bim go, and he's there now. Won't mother holier when the pulls the buoket up and eess

father'* body in it! Thursday.—Got a hold gun and shot two horses and a cow in Farmer 'O-kioa's field. Me and Jj Perkins arttr that knocked a

little gsl down as was go'n' airr.ntg, and took her rroaey and wont and got dtuok with it, Jo turned nasty as bo was goin' home ; I stabbed him with a pcnkD;f >, and left Hai in a ditch. I think be'* dead, 'o?s I kicked him, and ho dido'-i ssy nothing. Went tome. Mother ain't found father yet; I told her I think he's eloped with the girl at the public-'cuse. Mother's poce to bed awful worrithd. What a lark !

Svurd-.y. • M ther'a found father. Ho come up logs fi-s 1 : in the bucket. I ebatl put mother down that wdl, jufit to tee her como up !?g3 first. I: mskss mo latf eo. Went ; u% this afteraocc, aud bought come &ut>p)v,dar acd blew up the infant ec!iocl. Ntver saw euch fun bifjrc ! Ths kids was a-flyin' in ell dlrcctxta. One oome up over the roof, and some r-f 'em was blowed two fislds off. One litth galccma down right a-top cf old Mrs Jimblea as wai parsing and is blind. I'm ill with IsrfiV.

Suadav.—Got up this mornin' rather eeedy. Feel l'>w. Didn't know what to do for a spree. Everybody went to churoh to hear a sermon on the infants is had been b'owed up. I thooght what a lark to set the church a fire. I did it. 0, my ! I sraU never forget. Tha smoke and the fismes was beiu'-.iful, and to see all the people a-fitin' and a-hollcrin', and a-tryin' to pat out! Nj i>s.n'. otnime tWt in it with a jolly good fire I see the parson rush cut with his surplus r-fire, and I larfed till I was black in the face. I can't think wbat to do for a lark tomorrow, I've used np everything. There ain't muoh ia life, after all. —G. R. S m;< in the ' R.ferae.'