A Boy and the Law

In Czarist Russia, William ("Willie") Eckstein, persecuted for being a Jew, faces imprisonment when school officials discover his membership in a secret society. Willie soon escapes and flees to America, making his way to Salt Lake City, Utah, where his uncle lives. Willie starts his new life as a newspaper boy but soon ends up in the hands of truancy officers. Summoned to the court of Judge Willis Brown, Willie at first defies the law, but later, he realizes that the judge sincerely wishes to help him. Judge Brown is instrumental in purchasing a farm for wayward boys, which he hopes will serve as a substitute for jail. A village called "Boy Town" is built on the farm, and Willie is elected mayor. At Boy Town, the youths practice discipline and self-government, and consequently, many of them grow into successful and law-abiding adults. Willie attends college and later becomes the manager of a large farm owned by the judge.