What's the matter with kids today?

Rural Iowans, or at least the older ones, always have considered their bits of bucholia superior to those dangerous cities just over the horizon, as illustrated by this editorial cartoon published on the front page of The Chariton Leader of July 22, 1920.

The cartoonist was Magnus Kettner (1890-1963) whose work was distributed among small-town newspapers nationwide by the Western Newspaper Union, an outfit that provided economical "canned" content at a time when subscribers were plentiful but news often was scarce.

But trouble was brewing on the streets of this Chariton River city during those hot July days a century ago and, wouldn't you know it, those danged kids were the cause --- out-of-control 6-year-olds, a serial hugger and --- watermelon thieves!

In what traditionally was the lead spot on The Leader's front page of July 22 --- just to the right of the cartoon --- was a short story headlined, "Youngsters take horse and carriage." Here are the shocking details:

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Three Chariton youngsters indulged in a joy ride Tuesday afternoon that kept the officers, the youngsters' mothers and some of the citizens on a merry chase for about three hours before the trio was apprehended. The joy ride was with a horse and carriage, the property of J.T. Crozier of Chariton.

The horse was hitched to the rig and had been left at the rear of the Crozier store. When the owner discovered the horse was gone he inquired and learned that the boys had been seen driving away with the outfit. the town was searched for the youngsters, but it seems that they eluded their pursuers for some time by driving up and down the alleys of the city and avoiding the main streets.

the oldest of the trio of youngsters is nine years of age, and each of the other two are six. The horse is older and should have known better than to be a party to such an escapade, especially on a day as warm as Tuesday. 

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Elsewhere on that front page was the following story headlined "Young ladies meet hugger." Authorities today probably would take such assaults more seriously, but other reports suggest that the whole business was considered to be something of a prank. A suspect never was apprehended.

During the last month several of our young ladies have been attacked on the street after dark by some chap whose caliber is of the "Jack the Hugger" variety. No less than five different cases have been reported.

In nearly all of these cases the victims of this cowardly attempt were within a short distance of their homes and near enough a house that their first calls for help could be heard. In several instances the assailant received such rough treatment upon his first move that he was forced to make a hasty retreat to the nearest ally or hiding place.

Sometimes, it is reported, he has first been seen coming from behind a building or out of an alley onto the street; other times, he has been met on an open stretch of walk.

It is indeed a lamentable state of affairs which such a menace exists. In no instance yet has bodily injury been done though that much is no excuse for the tolerance of such a thing as this. We have received from a reliable source the statement that if an apprehension is made, the young ladies who have met this fellow will help in no uncertain way to bring about the proper disposal of this offense.

The latest report of this offense was last Saturday night when a young lady met the hugger near her home just off the public square. Her screams brought immediate help and the assailant fled.

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And finally, a week later, on July 29, the Herald-Patriot reported upon the first major watermelon heist of the season, an escapade that did not go well for the perpetrators in large part because railroad detectives got involved:

About half a dozen boys will be arraigned before the juvenile court next month, charged with stealing watermelons which were consigned to J.A. Evans, commission dealer, and which were standing on the "Q" tracks near his place of business. The car had not been released by the railroad company, and when the theft was discovered the "Q" detectives got busy and soon located the boys. the lads say they did not break the seal of the car, but gained entrance by crawling through a small aperture. It is said that some of the boys have been guilty of similar misdemeanors before.