The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-12
SMALL BOYS TRAINED TO THEFT
The Confession that is Made by Tweive-Year
Old james Smith.

James Smith, who Is in the City Prison,
was found 10y reporter for THE Sun in the
Boys Department. sitting alone. rubbing his
bare feet together. while in dreamy way he
wound and unwound a long thre al about his
thumb. He is not more than Il years Of age.
has a slender body. and u sloping head. with a
close shock Of stubby black hair. speaks low and
in short sentences. tries to smile now and then.
and evades every attempt to cat h his eyes. He
says he has been thievng for only three
weeks past but even that little experience has
branded him with the skulking manner OF the
thief. He has not been trained TO the thieving.
and was recently one Of the pupils OF Common
School 90 and OF 81. Francis Xaviers Sunday
school " Red Tully wanted me to 20 along wild
i'm. an did" james said; he seen me
payin' on Twcn'y-seventh street, whore live,
atwiXt Sixth and Seventh avenues He took me
up onto Forty-sixth street. an showed me
housr. an he wanted me to 20 in an get what
could. and bring it ont to him. ! didn't want to
20. He made me. He kicked me. tried to
get away from him. hu, he caught me. He could
run fast"r'n ! could. | went IN through the
basement gate. Th"ys most allu2 open. When
they wasn't, | didn't grt in. nn' we didn't get
nOthin. gOt two skirts an waist thnt time.
/ dunno how many houses | went in after that.
lots OF 'cm. | alluz got womens clothes. No.
no silver nor glass. nor lQolery. nor nothin'
else. Jest took what was lyln round. Two
or three times tried to g.t away from him. an
ho caught me, What did he doF Why. he
hammered and kicked me-. He'd stand outside
nm wait while went in an grabbed .somrthin'.
The servants never come AROUND. No, never
went iurdrr'n tho basement II there wasn't
nothin there, We went widput.
10 or ii o'ciork but it diin't make much differ,
playin' IN the street We didn't do nothin' at
night. He'd take the things to pawn ON 'cs. all
. go with him when he went to pawn 'cn.
Mostly he gave me a quarter every day. hut
some days he didn't give me noihin; That's n
lic about us usin' wire 70 hook things oul'n
the windcrs. We didn't have no wire An |
didn't Climb through ,atween the bars oi the
away from him If ] seen him ia time. hut most
ly he'd catch mo an make me 20 along. Some
tlmrs he'd give ne pawn ticket. didn do
nOthn' wild 'em. had three OF EN- when was
arrested never thought OF teIlih policeman
og,my, father,
no boots nor never sold no pnpers' ~ Ny
muddcr could support me. Sometimes Tuily
would go into the houses hsself when there
20 IN alone an fetch things on, 10 him. | don't
know mur h about Tully. He used to loaf round
an catch me on the street. Sometimes he was
drunk. He hadn't no business but stealing.
Everybody knowed he do'd that. dunno what
other boys stealei for him. Burnsey did. He
rested us. thiGk, Hogan used 70 be a stsalin,'
dunno no." He lie was Ca catchcd. Burnscy runned
away. Nobody teached me TO steal, only Tqlly
used 10 tcll me 10 20 IN an get tnlngS. an ana,
cause II ddn'thcd ck an lam me- dun
no whore Tully lived. He list loafed round His
ihth"r n mudder use Ia live in Twenty eighth
street between Sixth and Seventh avenue. That
was three months ago Me mudders Irish. My
iatn"r Is. too. mostly; or American. guess"
Michael Hogan, who was arrested with Smith.
Is u ilne specimen Of tho Artful Dodger His
head Is covered with a skull-fiung cap. with
long peak, covering n pair OF blue eyes that
oi dark brown hair shows below the edge Of the
cap; HIS lace Is handsome, and his figure il
| well KNIT and well prOportoned. Although only
| thlrleen years old, he has n large fund of eau
| tlousn'ss ana cunning, According to his story
| r., MEYER knew anything about stealing: saw
Ned Iully" only twice before his arrest; did
| not know TINT Smith or Burnsey conveyed tho
| property oi others to Tully's uses without legal
| rlght, and was arrested Just because he hap
pened to be with Smith, who was under sus-
plcl0n, and who was. for aught he knew inno-
| cent The boy who ran away, Burnseyp he
| thinks ran because he didn't know but De-
tectiNe Brown WAS n-gOing to club him." He
never had any pawn tickets. he SAYS. and didn't
tGar anything up when he wns caught although
the policeman says he did Smith the younger
is at the threshold Of crime. Hogan Ii well ai-
yanccd in audacity, and probably has little to
learn Of the wickedness OF Tulys life. Both
boys are under commitment for trial on Il
charge OF stealing many articles OF apparel that
were recovered from pawn shops on tickets in
Smiths possession ut the time OF his arrest
" Rcd Tully" has not been caught.