The Ultimate Youthful Offender
Lester Smith, an eleven year old boy, was brought to the reformatory last Saturday. He pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter in the district court of Poweshiek county, and under the indeterminate sentence act was given eight years at the reformatory.
This youthful transgressor is large for his age. He became angry at his father and grabbed a rifle. His brother interfered, and Lester shot the brother, killing him. He then shot the father, inflicting serious injury. The boy seems well pleased with his surroundings at the reformatory, He states that he gets plenty to eat and a good place to sleep, conditions that he never enjoyed at home.
Lester is the youngest prisoner received at the institution since the entrance of Wesley Elkins many years ago. Young Elkins was 10 years old when he entered upon a life sentence for murder. When he reached the age of 21 years, efforts to obtain for him a parole or pardon, were successful, and he was placed under the guardianship of President King of Cornell college. Young Elkins was given an education at Cornell and soon dropped from public mind. It is understood that he now occupies a responsible position on the staff of a paper in one of the larger cities of the Central West.
There is a good school maintained at the reformatory, and Young Smith will have the advantages of this school, something probably that he would have missed in his home surroundings.