Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-23
A BORN THIEF.
The Curious Case of Walter England d.
 Now Serving a Sentence for Bur.

gIary.
 From the Philadelphia News.I
 The massive doors of the Eastern peni- tentiary have closed upon man just crossed the threshold of manhood, who for the next five years will mediate in the gloom of his cell on the way of the trans gressor. There are few sadder cases than that of handsome young Walter England. You may smile when I tell you that the case is sad one, and in the same breath add that this man who will live living death for five years has served four years term in the same institution, eight years in the Trenton State prison, eighteen months in the Allentown prison, and as lad 6 long term in the Reform school at James burg, N. J. He was born in 1856 near Or. ange, N. J., or within twenty miles of it. His father was a man of some means, gained honestly, and ais other was lovable little woman, whose temperament was sunshine itself. The father had ever been respected among his fellows honorable man, and just after the close of the war he was reck- oned to be worth fortune closely approach ing 8 million of dollars, but the money brought him no happiness, for his only son, then child of nine years, had given eyi- dence of depravity unconquerable as it was unexplainable.
 Nothing extraordinary was developed in the child until he had reached the age of six years, when he was detected in the act of hiding silver spoon in hole in the garden. This seemed to be simply childish whim, and the indulgent father provided the young ster with dozen spoons to hide anywhere he wanted to hide them. Not long after this the little fellow caught ill his moth CTS bedroom early in the morning industri- ously turning his fathers pockets inside out and appropriating all the money he could find in them. For this he was chided. and it would have probably been forgotten had not the same thing happened half a dozen times in succession not many days after ward. Mark you, the boy was not then sev- en 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 eight he abstracted purse from the over coat of visitor, and with precocious shrswd- ness innocently declared that he had seen a servant commit the theft. A few days later the mother, to her unspeakable horror, dis covered the missing purse, together with a lot of silverware, cleverly concealed in 8 closet in the nursery. Before he had reached his ninth year the boy had actually robbed no less than dozen persons who had visited the house. He then a delicate looking child with big blue eyes, haxen hair and 8 waxy skin. He possessed none of the exu- berance of childhood, but appeared to be constantly in meditative mood. When ac- cused 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 on him than the slight punishments inflicted by his father. The boy would endure whipping with the stoicism of an Indian, and at the very first opportunity thereafter would repeat the of fense for which he had been punished.
 At the tender age of ten the little scamp was known in the neighborhood of his home as an inco1rigible thief. Although never in want of spending money, he took delight in purloining pennies from children smaller than himself, and on one occasion was caught in the act of choking a little fellow who had refused to "stand and deliver" Between the ages of ten and thirteen Walter-1 will call him that for convenience sake-was the source of the greatest grief to his parents. Their tears, their pleadings, their threaten ings and punishments were alike useless. Once in while the boy would show slight symptoms of repentance, but the intervals grew further and further apart and at last ceased altogether. Just after his thirteenth birthday Walter ran away from home His poor mother was almost wild with despair. Detectives were put to work, advertisements inserted in all the leading newspapers, but to no purpose. A year later he came back. lie 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 8 sum of money belong ing to his father. Nothing more was heard of him for couple of years. Then from a description given in one of the newspapers, it was learned that he had been are tied in the interior of New York State for robbery. 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 number of notorious criminals Next he came to Philadelphia and despite his youth was one of the principals in big scheme to rob the Adams Express company, but was prevented by the alertness of certain detec- tives, who thought it wiser to nip the plan in the bud than to wait until it was consunl- mated 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 soQnar Was he out than he was engaged in more villainy, which brought him in contact with the .,,. . lentown authorities. Four years in Cbarrv Hill followed this, but it had no ehastenins effect, for now Walter England comes back again to be punished for the crime of bur glary.