I've read in the newspapers,"

said Mrs. W——— P. M— of

L—, 16. R

St. of her son,

T. K —, 50, of St. disclaimed any knowledge of son M-'s activities. "I don't know any. thing about it, I don't know what he does," he said.

Adults who knew R. H-, 17, said, "We thought he was getting along all right," said one. “We're all rather shocked."

Csaid he and his wife separated in 1957, two years after they came here from Nicaragua. The boy and his two sisters live with their mother at

"Wnever minded mom," said V——, 13. “He always used to go out with that K boy and we

never knew what time he got home. He never let anyone know where he was going. He quit school in April to go to work."

His job was at his father's gas station where, each afternoon, K. and the others waited for him to finish work.

"W. was quiet and he didn't talk much," the elder said. "I told him to stay away from those kids. He told me they were just driving him home but I find out now they didn't go home." "THE WRONG BUNCH'

M a telephone company employe, refused to discuss the case against his son until he has talked to the juvenile authorities. But Mrs. M.

explained the situation

with the comment that "he just got in with the wrong bunch."

H-, an orphan, was made a ward of the juvenile court last year after an aunt died and was sent to the boys' home.

"Like every one, he violated our curfew once in a while but we thought he was doing well," said a supervisor.

All four boys have juvenile records which range from battery to auto theft to curfew violation. H-'s record goes back to 1954 when he was arrested for burglary but the charge was dismissed because he was only 10 years old.

'A GROWING TENDENCY OF YOUNG HOODLUMS'

ག

Such activities as these boys have indulged in habitually are not unique to San Francisco. Many readers have undoubtedly been made aware of such conditions before. Over two years ago from the News and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina came this editorial, entitled, "Protection of the Law:"

mattachine REVIEW

"In a trial at Charleston involving distasteful details of abnormality, a young airman has been acquitted of a charge of murder. On the same day that the jury brought in its verdict of not guilty, three other young men pleaded guilty torobbery in circumstances that they said also involved a homosexual. "We are attempting to draw no other similarities in these two cases, nor to criticize the jury that acquitted the airman. It is not our purpose to cast aspersions at the young man who went free on a plea of self-defense. We only mention these two cases to bring up a disagreeable subject that requires sober consideration by the public.

"Regardless of a normal person's views about sexual deviates, citizens do not have a right to prey on them, as happens on occasion. If protection of the law were denied certain classes of people, the judgement of which persons fit those classes would be left to each individual. The subject is not well enough understood to be dealt with on any such basis.

"Young men should be warned against corrupting influences they are likely to encounter. They should know how to avoid them without resorting to violence. Greed and sadism also are vices that sometimes enter into such cases. They can lead to assault and even murder.

"We dislike to discuss a subject in which it is difficult to make meanings plain without offending decent people. We do so today, in the aftermath of a sensational court case, because we are aware of a long existing problem that appears to be growing."

In a subsequent letter to the editor of the News and Courier, T. R. Waring; then editor of the New York Mattachine Newsletter, Lewis Christie, wrote: "In many large cities, there have evolved special classes of 'innocent' young men who make an industry of preying on homosexuals. The homosexual, being outside of the law himself, finds it difficult to bring these activities to the attention of the authorities; and yet it is hard to believe that those who specialize in homosexual victims do not derive a confidence from their activity which leads them into less restricted fields."

Editor Waring acknowledged, "We have understood there is a growing tendency of young hoodlums to take advantage of a situation. . . ."

Homosexuals have understood this for a long time; in fact, some of them have understood it vividly. But then, how many policemen or newspapermen give much credence to anything a homosexual says?

'JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE...A CIVIC DUTY'

The significant statements, credited to Inspector Robert McClellan in the News-Call-Bulletin are: "They said they considered Hall's death justifiable homicide," and "They seem to regard the beating up of whomever they consider sex deviates as a civic duty.”