Sentenced to Reform School
Two young boys, including the son of a former police captain, are committed to the reform school at Chehalis for petty theft and wayward behavior.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Sammy Jones, the 13-year-old son of ex-Police Captain Jones, has at last come to grief and will reside for a time in the reform school at Chehalis. Sammy is a nice-looking boy, but he paid little attention to parental restrictions. He delighted to frolic with boys of a like nature, and with a view to reimbursing his store of spending money, he joined his chums in the scrap iron business, eventually coming to grief through misappropriation of property. Justice Caldwell suspended judgment, and now Sammy will have plenty of time at Chehalis to repent of his waywardness. Sammy was not alone in his misery; Albert Jackley, a young thief only 8 years old, was lodged with him. Although Jackley cried long and loud at being incarcerated, he will likely have to get used to the quarters. From all accounts, it seems natural for him to take anything he can get his hands on. Both boys will be taken to Chehalis this afternoon in charge of Deputy Sheriff Jack McDonald.
“His eyes are black, brilliant and revolve as if hung on pivots. If there is such a thing as a shifting eye he is the possessor of it.”
This article highlights the Victorian-era focus on 'physiognomy' and moral correction in the justice system, viewing young children as inherently criminal based on their appearance. Today, the debate over juvenile justice has shifted toward rehabilitation and addressing systemic issues, rather than the punitive reform schools that defined the 1890s.
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