#young convicts

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“Boy Convicts In Penitentiary,” Kingston Whig Standard. June 25, 1912. Page 02. --- Department of Justice is Investigating. --- If They Are Removed They Will Probably be Placed in Reformatory - Detention Legal. --- Upon the suggestion of Rev. J. C. McConachie, Children’s Aid official, the Department of Justice is making an investigation into the case of Convicts Cooper and Preuss, aged 16 years, in the Portsmouth Penitentiary on the charge of burglary. They were sentenced at St. Thomas six months ago for five and eight years respectively.

Cooper, it is said, was only five days over sixteen years at the time of being sentenced. Neither of the two boys, it is further stated, was in a position to realize the serious nature of their offence. It is held that the 16-year-old boys are at too susceptible an age to be in the penitentiary. Mr. McConachie took up the matter with the result that the Minister has promised to investigate.

The boys, if removed, from the pen will probably be placed in a reformatory.

Speaking with The Standard in regard to the matter an official of the penitentiary stated that he thought the detention of the two boys was quite legal and in a certain sense justified. Although they had given no trouble since being brought to the penitentiary, and their conduct has been for the most part satisfactory, yet there was no doubt that they knew what they had done. There had been deliberate shooting in connection with the burglary, and there is strong reason to think that they are older than they look or are represented to be. At present they are being kept isolated from the other men as far as possible, a special guard is detailed to watch over them to see that they are given every possible advantage and opportunity to learn something useful.

According to the penitentiary book Preuss is seventeen years old.

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"YOUTHS FLEE REFORMATORY," The Globe and Mail. June 24, 1939. Page 28. ---- Foil Guelph Guards by Taking to Bush ---- Guelph, June 23 (Special). - Believed in hiding in a heavily wooded area seven miles east of Guelph, two fugitives from the Ontario Reformatory were the object of an Intensive search by guards early tonight.

Slipping away from the institution grounds this afternoon, the two youths, Clifford Davidson, 18, of Brantford and Stanley West of Windsor, Nova Scotia, headed eastward and made their way across country in the direction of Arkell. A posse of guards quickly took up pursuit, but lost trace of the pair as they took cover in the thick bush. They had reported sick earlier In the day and were on their way back to join one of the outside gangs when they made the break for freedom.

Davidson, sentenced at Orillla, was serving twenty-six months definite and six months indeterminate for housebreaking and escaping from prison. West was serving twenty-four months definite and twelve months indeterminate. He was sentenced at L'Orignal.

Police of Toronto and suburbs were requested by police radio yesterday afternoon to keep a sharp lookout for the escapees. The radio message at 5:17 p.m. said West was 5 feet 9, weighed 143 pounds, had fair hair and fair complexion; and that Davidson was also 5 feet 9, weighed 145 pounds, with fair hair and fair complexion.

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"IN THE PENITENTIARY AT TWELVE YEARS?" Daily British Whig (Kingston, Ont.). October 8, 1920. Page 4. --- Who Sent Toronto Boy to Prison at That Age? ---- Toronto Telegram. Something strange and sinister envelopes the person of John Murphy. He is only seventeen, and yet he has faced the terrors of a two-year term in Kingston penitentiary, in addition to other terms for crime. In the dock this morning he looked older than his years, but notwithstanding his remarkable experience, his face bore no traces of a criminal life.

Early morning, Sept. 25th, Plainclothesmen Brown and Kenny saw him coming along the street with four auto tires, two on each arm. He was blithe and gay and bounced along like a giddy youth going to a dance, or coming home from a rubber tire conversazione.

"Hello!" said the police.

"Hello!" said Murphy.

"Where are you going with the tires?"

"I'm going to No. 3 station," he answered.

"So are we. Jump into our car." Turning the matter over in their minds the police remembered seeing tires in a nearby window on King street west, and going along later, found that the premises of J. Bracken had been entered and four tires stolen.

Mr. Corley read the record. It was in 1914 when he was sentenced to two years at Kingston. According to that, if he is only seventeen now, he must have been under twelve years of age when sent down. Do magistrates or judges commit children to Kingston penitentiary?

"A pretty persistent young criminal," was how Mr. Corley described the young prisoner.

"He's been on the straight and narrow path for the past six months", pleaded G. C. Elgie.

"Three of the six months on the straight and narrow path.were spent in jail," remarked the Crown Attorney.

"There's a doubt," said counsel. "Well, I haven't it," relied the colonel.

Then the lad who had been in the pen when under twelve, was committed to the jail farm for three months.

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"The justice department should give special attention to the imprisonment of youths in the Kingston penitentiary. That is no place for them. No penitentiary can reform the erring young man, and our government should wake up to this fact at once." - from the Weekly British Whig (Kingston, Ont.). January 6, 1913. Page 2.

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"Penitentiary Sentences For Boys Were Deplored," Whig-Standard. June 14, 1933. Page 2. ---- Brig. General A. E. Ross Declared That Greater Efforts Should Be Made to Help Boys - C. O. F. Banquet.

"We are making too many convicts and putting too many boys in the penitentiary and the churches and the fraternal organizations ought to resist it," declared Brig.-General A. E.. Ross, M.P., last night in speaking before the convention dinner of the Catholic Order of Foresters held in the Frontenac Hotel at which over one hundred Foresters and invited guests were present. Dr. Ross was speaking for the second time in the evening when he emphatically declared his attitude. The statement was brought out by a reference made to the juvenile work of the Catholic Order of Foresters and General Ross in a voice that broke with emotion cried out against the practice of send- ing young boys to penitentiary.

Dr. Ross cited a case of three boys recently caught stealing in Kingston. "Another magistrate might have sent those boys to a reformatory or a penitentiary," Dr. Ross declared, "but the magistrate here did not do that. Instead, he had those boys report every week and a real effort is being made to put them on the right road. If we had more magistrates like the Kingston magistrate we wouldn't have our penitentiaries so full," warmly asserted General Ross, amidst applause. He cited the case of three young Russians sent to the penitentiary. The wife and two little boys came to the penitentiary to see one of them. He described how the mother and the two little boys of that man had to speak to him through the bars, in broken English. The speaker was overcome with emotion as he tensely described the two little boys beating against the prison bars begging. "Daddy, Daddy, come back. oh come back."

"Young men should be kept out of the penitentiary," he declared. "for once they have gone into the prison walls there can be no saving him then. For God's sake keep your hands on your children and watch over them."

The convention dinner of the Catholic Order of Foresters was one of the finest events of its kind held in Kingston in a very long time: His Excellency Archbishop M. J. O'Brien. Brig.-General A. E. Ross, M.P., J. M. Hughes, representing the city, and officials of the Provincial Court, clergy and other guests occupied places at the head table. The dinner was presided over by the Provincial Chief Ranger, J. J. Nightingale, of Toronto, who filled the position in a highly capable manner. The program throughout was an excellent one, the speeches were of very high order and the musical entertainment provided was greatly enjoyed.