The Sad Case of Eight-Year-Old Albert
A young boy, orphaned and abandoned by his father, is sentenced to reform school for petty theft.
One of the saddest cases of parental neglect ever brought to the attention of a superior judge in this county was that of little eight-year-old Albert Jackley, who was sent to the reform school yesterday by Judge Langley as incorrigible. The Ladies' Relief Society claimed to have lost control over him, although he was given into its charge when but five years old. It seems from the evidence brought out in court that little Albert was placed by his father in charge of the society upon the death of his mother three years ago. It appears that he was constantly pilfering and making away with small articles in spite of the efforts of the matron. His career of crime terminated recently, however, in his stealing 85 cents from the cook, and then proceedings were instituted to bring him to justice. The little fellow has evidently had no chance from the beginning. His mother is dead, two of his older brothers are in the reform school, two more are in the penitentiary at Walla Walla, and his father is in the junk business in Anaconda. The father was informed of Albert's shortcomings before proceedings were begun, but no reply was received from him.
“The little fellow has evidently had no chance from the beginning.”
This story highlights a 19th-century reliance on carceral solutions for impoverished children rather than social support. Today's Seattle struggles with how to handle juvenile justice and homelessness, moving away from reform schools toward restorative practices, though the cycle of family poverty remains a persistent issue.
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