The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-11-19
A BoRN THIEF.
Ac.rlo.. 1n.t..e. Of S.t.r.l D.pr.,,t,.


Philadelphia News.
The massive doors of the eastern
penitentiary have closed upon man
who has just crossed the threshold
Of manhood, who, for the next five
years will mediate in the gloom OF
his cell on the way ofthe transgressor.
There are few sadder cases than that
Of handsome young Walter England.
Iou may smile when | tell you that
the case is q sad one, and in the same
breath add that this man who will
live living death for five years has
served q four years. term it the same
institution, eight yearsin the Trenton
state prison, eighteen months in the Al
lerton prison, and as a lad q long
term in the reform school at James
burg, N. j. He was born in 1856,
near Orange, N. j., or within twenty
miles OF it. His father was man OF
some means, gained honestly, and his
mother was a lovable little woman,
whose temperament was sunshine it.
self. His father had ever been respect
ed among his fellows as an honorable
man, and just after the close OF the
war he was reckoned to be worth a
fortune closely approaching million
OF dollars, but the money brought him
no happiness, for his only son, then a
child OF 8 years, had given evidence OF
depravity as unconquerable as it
was unexplainable.
Nothing extraordinary was devel-
oped in the child until he had reached
the age of 6 years, when he was de-
tected in the act of hiding sill
yer spoon in hole in the gar
den. This seemed to be simply
a childish whim, and the induI-
gent father provided the youngster
with a dozen spoons to hide anywhere
he wanted to hide them. Not long
after this the little fellow was caught
in his mothers bedroom early in the
morning industriously turning his
fathers pockets inside out and ap-
propriating all the money ne could
| find in them. For this he was chided
and it would have probably been
forgotten had not the same thing hap
pened half q dozen times in succession
not many days afterward. Mark you,
the boy was not then years old. He
had every conceivable toy that boy
of that age could wish for, and was
humored in every caprice. At the age
of 8 he distracted purse from the
| overcoat OF visitor. and with preco.
cious shrewdness innocently declared
| that he had seen servant commit
the theft. A few days later the moth
er to her unspeakable horror discov-
cred the missing purse, together with
q lot of silverware, cleverly con-
cealed in closet in the nur.
sery. Before he had reached his
9th year the boy had actually
robbed no less than q dozen persons
who had visited the house. He was
then a delicate looking child with big
blue eyes, faxen hair, and waxy
skin. He possessed none OF the ex,
uberance OF childhood, but appeared
to be constantly in a meditative
mood. When accused of these many
wicked acts, he would at first stoutly
assert his innocence, but when caught
would confess without the slightest
show of emotion. The loving entreaty
OF his mother to tell her why he did
these things had no more effect OH
him than the slight punishments in
hicted by his father. The boy would
endure a whipping with the stoicism
portunity thereafter would repeat
the offense for which he had been
punished.
At the tender age of 10 the little
scamp was known in the neigh Dor.
hood of his. home as an incorrigible
thief. Although never in want oil
spending money, he took a delight in
purloining pennies from. children
smaller than himself, and on one oc-
casion was caught in the act of chok-
ing little fellow who had refused to
''stand and deliver" Between the
ages OF 10 and 13 Walter-I'll call
4 him that for convenience sake-was
the source OF the greatest grief to his
parents. Their tears, their pleadings,
their threatenings and punishments
the boy would show slight symptoms
of repentance, but the intervals grew
further and further apart, and at last
ceased altogether. Just after his 18th
birthday Walter ran away from home.
His poor mother was almost
wild with despair. Detectives were
put to work, advertisements were
inserted in all the leading
newspapers, but to no purpose. A
year later he came back. He refused
to tell where he had been or how he
had managed to live. In two weeks
he disappeared again, this time in the
night and took with him q sum oi
morey belonging to his father. Moth.
ing more was heard of him for couple
OF years. Then from description
given in one OF the newspapers, it was
learned THAT he had been arrested in
the interior of.New York state for rob,
berry. After that he got into some
sort of trouble in Trenton and was
sent to the reform school. Upon his
release he went to New York city and
formed the acquaintance OF num-
Der of notorious criminals. Next he
came to Philadelphia, and despite
his youth was one @. the prin-
cipals in q big scheme to rob the
Adams express company, but was
prevented by the alertness of certain
detectives, who thought it wiser to nip
the plan in the bud than to wait un.
til it was consunsmated and gain glory
| by an arrest. am unable to tell you
of the details of the crime for which
the depraved youth spent eight years
in the Trenton prison. No sooner was
he out than he was engaged in more
villainy, which brought him in con,
tact with the Allentown authorities
Four years in Cherry hill followed
this, but it had no chasteninS effect
for now Walter England com, back
again to be punished for the cine o.
burglary.
| POlitencss.
Every one is affected by politeness