An Orphan's Chance
A young boy, caught roaming the streets of Tacoma, is given a second chance on a farm.
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.
Upon motion of Deputy County Attorney A. O. Burmeister, a 14-year-old boy who was arrested Sunday night after entering a residence on South M St., was this morning turned over to Walter Dibbleday, a volunteer probationary officer. Dibbleday will take the lad to live with him on a farm on Hartstine Island. The boy is an orphan and has been accustomed to roaming the streets. Judge Easterday gladly gave the boy a chance to live on the farm and get away from the temptations of the city.
“Judge Easterday gladly gave the boy a chance to live on the farm and get away from the temptations of the city.”
This reflects the early 20th-century 'farm-as-reform' philosophy, which saw rural life as the antidote to urban 'vice.' Today, Tacoma continues to grapple with how to best support youth in the foster care and justice systems, though the approaches have shifted from agrarian labor to community-based social services.
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