The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-24
FOR FUN.
fected Young Jones.
A Twelve. Year-OId Massachusetts Lad
Places Rocks and Rails Upon a Rail
Road Track. i'm the Hope of Emu
latlng Jesse James.
IFitchburg Cor. Boston Globe.l

lHAtChbuIE tOI- bOolOl OAODO'l
Norman y. Jones, of Shirley, the twelve
year-old boy who made two attempt to
wreck passenger trains on the Fitchhn"g
Road yesterday, is now in Jail here. After
the distractions on the track had been dis
covered Station Agent Anderson, of Fitch
burg, and Special Detective McElheny ,weLt
TO Diamond Rock, learned that a boy had
been seen lingering in that vicinity, and
proceeded to search the adjoining woods
Mr.. Anderson drove about mile from the
place where the distractions were found
and encountered a small boy with Ratchet
and knife in his belt and general ''I'm-a-
bad-man" makeup. Mr.. Anderson cap
tured the 4" bad man" without bIoodshed
and charged him with trying to wreck the
trains. The yOungster stoutly denied that
he had anything TO do with the deviltry
until he was taken to Diamond Rock by
the agent and the detective, and fitted to
some footprints where the track was OBJ
structed, when he admitted that he had
placed the rocks and rails the track
''for fun"
The young Jesse James proved to be Nor
man H. Jones, son of Zephas Jones, of Shir-
ley, and his parents were at once notified
of his arrest, but they did not appear yes
terday when he was arraigned in court and
held for trial November 3. Young Jones
was taken to the jail, and in reply to the
questions of the officers he told a yarn
about a strange man forcing him to put the
rocks on the track and holding his wrists
while he was doing the mischief. Tonight
a reporter called at the jail, and the young
wrecker was brought into the guard-roOm
and questioned about his exploit. He re-
peated the story of the strange man, but
with so many variations and improbable
hat &c fo1s 1xra
The man sent him up the track he said, and
remained within hailing distance while he
was placing the instructions. He did not
know the man, but he knew that the same
man had tried to induce other boys, whom
he did not know, to do the same thing
long time ago. Later, he declared that it
was another man, whom he designated as
"Redhead, !" who had approached the other
and unknown boys. When asked if he had
been reading dime novels, he said he read
them when he could get them, and he ex-
pressed some admiration for Jesse James.
''What did you put the rocks OH the track
fOr?" he was asked.
"TO stop the trains, {" replied young Jones
with cool Indifference.
"Didn't you know that you might throw
the trains off and kill somebody"
Wasn't enough rocks to do that. Be
sides, they could see 'em in time"
"But they might not have seen them"
"An engineer amt no good if he can't
see things on the track. just wanted to
stop 'em."
"Then there wasn't any man with your"
WAS, too"
And so the yOungster went on, sullsnly
sticking TO his preposterous story of the
mystical man, and showing no signs of
contrition. He could not tell what he in
tended to do in case of a wreck, but he was
quite sure that no detective could have
caught the redoubta BILE Jesse under SINH
lar circumstances, because Jesse would
have fought, and he regretted that he had
nothing but Ratchet with which to de-
fend himself. "a Ratchet amt good for
nothing" he said. ''I'd rather have a
knife" When asked what he would do with
a knife, a cunning look came into his fNce.
and he answered:
'I'd whittle with it."
From the cautious replies given by the
youngster to numerous questions, it ap-
pears that he has run away from home
several times, armed with such weapons
as he could get hold of, and camped in the
woods alone. He made no complaints
about his treatment at home and gave no
reason for his escapades. The trouble with
him is that his head is full of the PERM
cious stuff which is printed in flash papers
and cheap novels, and he is imbued with
ambition to emulate the deeds of bold
burglars, train robbers and the miscellaue
Gus miscreants who are held up as heroes
before Young America. He Is a we'll
grown boy for his age and hardy young
liar. His face indicates intelligence enough
and more than cunning enough, and he ap-
pears to rather enjoy being regarded as
hard case. When locked up in the jail he
told another prisoner that he could get out
if he had a knife, and proceeded TO ex-
plain how the job could be done. He fur
ther declared that if they should send him
TO the Reform School they could not keep +
him there a week. The prospects are that I
the youthful train-wrecker will be given /
an opportunity to test the security of the
Tlofr