BOYS' NEWSPAPERS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1074, 14 April 1882, Page 2

BOYS' NEWSPAPERS.

[From the "Albany Times."] Last week at Bath, Steuben County, was sentenced to the Auburn State | prison for life John M'Entee, a pale, thin-faced, hollow-chested boy, aged 16, weighing less than 80 pounds, and afflicted with a cough which every hour sounds his death knell. The crime for which he must pass the remainder of his short life within prison walls was murder ; his victim his own uncle ; the provocation, alleged ill-treatment ; the real cause, a morbid craze for notoriety fired by inordinate reading of dime novels, " boys newspapers," and books about the Italian banditti. His confession made to a local newspaper last week is as sensational as anything he had ever read, and shows clearly the source from which he received his "inspiration. After acccusing his Uncle Peter of treating him badly, the boy murderer goes on to say that he determined to put the old man out of the way. For four weeks he tried to borrow a pistol, and finally secured one with a single barrel from a neighbour's boy. Then he waited his chance. One night Uncle Peter went to make a call, and his interesting nephew took a poistion on a stump fence beside the road where he had to pass. John says that he trembled so he was afraid that he could not accomplish his purpose, but he knew that he must return the pistol on Saturday, and this was his best chance ; so nerving himself up by the thought of what one of the heroes he read about would do tinder the circumstances, he advanced to meet his uncle pretending to cry and be lame. "Oh, Uncle Peter." said he, "father has beaten me and turned me out of doors ; here is a stick he struck me with, all covered with blood," at the same time holding out a stick under the cover of which he held the pistol ready cocked. The old man came up to examine the stick, and when, within about five feet of the young villain, the boy fired, aiming at his victim's chest. The old man walked a few steps and then staggered and sat down. Meanwhile the boy watched him, and fearing that he would not die, but get home and tell what had happened, deliberately proceeded to load up his one barrelled instrument of death a second time. The cartridge-shell stuck in the ban el, and he broke oft a twig from a tree to push it out. Then he put in another cartridge, but was so nervous or so unused to handling a pistol, that it went off by accident, and he nearly shot himself. For the third tameb§ loaded that pistol, andit'sqiutcter of an hour after he had fired the skot; he went up behind the old man where he could not see him and sent another ball into his chest, which killed him. The boy said he thought it was no use to run away, and that he had better play insane. This happened last April ; he was at once arrested, and recently sentenced as stated.