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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1875)
THE WEST SHORE. November. 1ic Meat f Ivor . An EiK'il Page Monthly Illustrated Paper, published at PoaTi.aMD, Oaaotw, by I,. SAMUEL, J Waihington-tt. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, (Including N( " sny part of the United State:) O.e copy, one year, ft jo Single Numben. So cenlt. Printed by Oio. H. limit, cor. Picnt ft Waihinaton.ua. JUVENILE OFFENDERS. During the five years last past, the good citizens of this community have been fre quently startleJ from their complacency by exhibitions of frightful depravity, and as often schemes for the proier punishment and reformation of juvenile offenders would be suggested and discussed, but nothing more has yet been accomplished. That " Hoodlumism " lias during all these years prevailed and increased among a large class of our boys arc facts of which ample and repealed cvidenccsjhavc liccn furnished to the public. In this great and growing evil, which does not necessarily embrace any defined crime hut forms the initial steps to any and all violations of law, we may find the immediate cause of the lar ceny committed by four boys of lender years, of which they were recently con victed in the Circuit Court for this county and sentenced to the Penitentiary for a term of years. The establishment of a House of Correction or a Reform School may not be without clfect upon children inclined to the evil we have mentioned, but infinitely better would it lie to direct our efforts in a course where they might altogether dispense with the necessity of Mich, or kindred in stitutions. Statistics- compiled from crim inal records make the lamentable disclos uie that ninety-eight per centum of adult criminals in the Uniled States commenced their career of crime between the ages of eight ami sixteen years. It would follow thai if a boy conducted himself with pro priety and remained a stranger tociimc until his sixteenth year, we may' feel as sured of his becoming a useful, law-abiding menilier of society, there lieing forty-nine chances in favor of his continuing in an honorable career while there is only one against it. Can parents ignore the slan ting imtHiruiit-c of a lacl, showing as it does, that during the period of life in which pa ternal authority can ami should be exer cised, their children are either coutraciing the habiis, manners and feelings of the modern "Hoodlum" placing their feet iiHn the threshold of crime, or arc laying such foundations for clutacler as afford a guarantee of their huurc good conduct. r.irenls have a fearful responsibility, in Iho proier discharge of which they perform a duty alike owing to themselves, their off spring, their country and their religion. They should acquire anil retain absolute control of their children until they are six teen years of age, a matter of no difficulty, very rare cases excepted, ami if that control through want ol judgment or neglect is un wisely or insnllicicnllv exercised, the fault lies with the pirelits, w ho tlch,indireTtlv contribute, and are the real source of nine-tv-cight vr cciiium of crime in the I'niicd Slates. It is a sad relleciion, we leave it to 1 taken up in wisdom by the fathers and mothers of our city ami Stale, asking them to rememlier that Irotn eight to sixteen the ilfMiiiies ol children are fixed in forty-nine i'.l out of ti-!,x J h Ihl lrtiitl. It remains with them to determine whether those for whom thev are morallv rononsi. Me. and whom ih.-v hold so dear, shall go n"n ute crnok.c.1 pith which inj, 10 cr. tuition, di-r.i,lati,m and death, or Havel unn the broad highway of virtue and lie come reswie,l and honored cilitciu of our Commonwealth. Tatit.vo nn I ntmlalr ntiwj v. Wall. iMttnty. Mr. Unroll, M, c,k ,, ..mi. nt tin,. u..M,,, , . b:lt,ui l ll, Li,. Wa, yv.ii, Ul, Villi Sjnt.mm.i ,l'l iiv .!.,..!....... 0....1-. - P,. h. .i ,,..,,. , ,,,, nnl Blt : till .tnnr.1, I., drfsiiu. SI,. , 1 itt to Hi. lsrlilliitlur(v.H I LAYING THE GHOST. BY A DETECTIVE. On the H road is situated a large rnansion, once a private residence, but the original owner is now abroad, and he has leased his property to certain parlies for a summer lodging house. Some time ago the lessees took posses sion, and for many weeks have had their house partially filled by boarders; but there was one room in the house the best which they could not get anyone to remain in more than one night. Three or four times it had been let to different parties, but in the morning if they stayed in the room till morning ihey would tell tales of the most horrible ghost ly visitations. The most singular part of the whole story was, that the supernatural visitors were only seen by bona Jiie boarders. The proprietor slept in the room night after night, and was never disturbed. He also hired persons to sleep in the. it ivj.ii Mr r.rrc I do not believe in ghosts either, and I will take the room." That evening at tne uinner taoic utc new boarder who was to occupy the haunted room was an object of interest to his fellow boarders, who nodded significantly to each other, as much as to say ii Thai old ehan won't eat his breakfast with as much sang frotd as he, does his dinner after having spent a nignt in mat room I" Il.,i itiA man who W.1S In be SCflred seemed perfectly indifferent to the antici pated fright, but occasionally, as opportu ne.. nfTneAIl tiie jvilm him. avp. spanned critically the features of each of the board ers, and only spoke when addressed, wnen I, ri.i.ii-,I rnnripoLislv. and smiled confi dently at anv allusion to the coming trial of his nerves. At about eleven o clock he signified to Mr. Gregg his readiness to retire. At ilii. Annr of his room he turned and asked his landlord one question in a low tone "Have you, sir, any suspicion of the A CONSERVATORY OR WINTER HOUSE. room, and they also had not been dis turbed ; but the moment the room was let a genuine paving boarder, thev were driven forth by the ghost. " I guess I can capture him," quietly re marked Detective Clew as he started forth lo " pipe a veritable ghost. " Hell, sir, there is one fact with which I wish to make vou acquainted,'1 said the proprietor of the haunted house to an elderly gentleman who had just made appli cation for board; " there is a mystery in the house which has not yet been solved. The room for w hich you have applied is said lo lie visited nightly by a supernatural apparition." " In other words, vour house is haunt ed" said the intending boarder quietly. .mi, sir, i uo not wink tne house is auntcd, but there is something verv me. teiious about the affair. I myself do not believe in ghosts, and I think in a few days this will be explained in a natural manner. 1 have employed a dcleciive, whom 1 hour ly expect, and I think if he's smart, he w ill gel at the bottom of the mystery." came ol these strange appearances?" " I have no definite suspicion." " Was there any competition for the lease of these premises?" " Ah, I see now," said Mr. Gregg. "You are the detective." .iiv ndum is ciew, at your service. I "1 am ccrtainlv triad tn ... an nftirar with such an excellent reputation as you have earned, Mr. Clew." "Thank you ; but you have not answered my question. Was there any competition for the lease of this house when you hired it?" "Yes, sir, lliere was." "Were anv threats made br anv of the dis.ipvointed parties?" t never heard any "That will do; good-night, sir." And detective Clew emprprl tl,n. rr.m and locked the door behind him. The detective, after placing his lamp upon the mantle, proceeded to make a through examination of the apartment. Nearly an hour was snt in this critical examination, but not a suspicious indica- i 1 m tion rewarded his careful survey, and at last he undressed, partially, after having first properly attended to his pistols, anil placing a club beneath his pillow, with the muttered remark "If my suspicions are correct, this club will serve my purpose as well as anything; and if Mr. Ghost comes here, I reckon his ghostly cranium will leel sore to-morrow morning." The large clock in the hall was just striking twelve. For an hour he lay waiting and watch ing. "His ghostship is late," murmured Clew and a quarter of an hour later, unable to combat the drosy feeling which crept over him, he closed his eyes. When suddenly, not being wholly un conscious, he became aware that a strange weird light had flashed across the half closed eyelids. He rose up in bed, fully conscious ; he had calculated upon encountering a ghost that bore, at least, a human semblance, but this mysterious light, flashing here and there, was something undreamed of in his matter-of-fact philosophy. Hither and thither danced the myste rious light, until finally it rested in a steady glare upon the wall opposite his bed, where it began to assume shapes aud forms, A cold sweat broke out upon the surface of the detcclive's skin, as his eyes finally rested upon the form of a pale woman, with a ghastly cut across her throat from ear to ear. "Thunder!" exclaimed the usually brave man, as he buried his head beneath the bed-clothes to shut out the horrid sight. " If this ain't a gbost, I'm dreaming, that's all." Again he peeped forth, and the figure of a woman had been succeeded by that of a man with a villainous countenance, and in his hand he held a knife. " 1 11 go for that figure, anyhow," ex claimed the officer, nerved with a sudden courage, "or my reputation is gone for ever I" and springing from the bed, he seized his club, stepped across the room, and struck a fearful blow at the terrible looking figure. But like a flash the latter vanished, and his club fell, with a resounding thump, against the wall. "That ain't a fighting ghost, anyhow," muttered the officer, having now fully re. covered his nerve; "end he ain't to be hitjl neither; I will wait until he comes again. and try another tack." Returning to his bed, he waited, and wis soon rewarded by seeing the mysterious light begin flashing about the room ; and shortly after the first figure again to take shape upon the wall. Now fully on the alert, and not at all jrightened, the detective noticed that the light surrounding the figure widened as though it came from a certain focusj and following the now steady ray he discovered that it nanowed down to a fine point just at the ceiling over his bed. Upon making this discovery he took his pistol in hand, and, with the remark, "That ghost comes from the next room I" on tip toe he went to his own room door, noise lessly opened it, stole out. passed to the ad joining room door, peeped through the neynoie, anu with a quiet chuckle realized that he had earned trinmph, aud solved mystery. Taking the butt of his pistol he rapped w!ist the door. Vs there ?" came in startled tones Sin. 'in Clew, detective!" was the re :f you don't immediately open 1 blow off your lock with my speedily opened, and the 's operators were soon rave detective, whose he end, proved to be testant for the lease by courage, and iwingly about exclaimed vcr, " Why id with np , I thought pairs, "j i being in ittle more can jump ST. LI KES CHVr bo most' Vontler him on J