Daily Republican., 1889-01-17
THIRD EDITION.
YOUTHFUL THIEVES.


A Gang of Boy Crooks Discovered in
This Ciy-A Second Hand Goods
Dealer Implicated.
The city court room was Gro wded last
evening on the occasion of the tril OF
5ohn y. Wood, u second hand goods
dealer Mt No. 6O7 West Front street, " no
was charged with receiving stolen goods.
The principal witness was Alexander
Hagan, a 1875 ear-old boy residing At No.
604 West Second street. IL testified that
he was the leader OF gang Of some ten
or Twelve boys, whose ages range from s
TO IL years, who Lave made pract'ca OF
stealing almost everything they could lay
their hands o.. The leader himself and
several Of his followers are dime novel
readers, AID no doubt were inGu need by
this pcrnlcious litjrNurs to engage IN
tbleving operators
For long time there has been almost
daily complaints at The police station Of
the depredations Of sneak thieves, but 1t
seemed as though the perpetrators GOV
cred their tracks TO ell cuGlly that no
clue could To obtained to thu ir identity
Some lie or six weeks ago Officer Sd rrr
made up his mind that lie would solve
the mystery, ard he has succeeded in "A
ereditable manner. Alter considerable
labor and trouble lie asceitalnel that the
theits were committed by an organized
gang oil boys, who dist o5ed o, their plum
der to dsalers IN second hai d goods The
plan was to work IN pairs as nev sboys,
and II they happened TO be detected In
the hallwa oil house, to innOcenty ln-
Qulre IL paper was wanted. In this
way they secured large quantity OF
goods, which they sold at nominal prices
and divided the proceeds.
Alexander HaSan, bright looking
boy, who was the Acknowledged leader
OF the youthful thieves, tc-tifed la t even
Ing that Immediately after the fire at the
Academy OF Music they hal entered the
burned building by passing through au-
other building, and st lie quantity o.
IRON, brass, Gas tXtur 6, chairs aud other
articles, the greater part of which were
disposed OF to Wood. lie also testih Il
that the accused |, auel HIN his wheel.
barrow to bring the goods from the Acad
envy oil Music 10 his place OF business, and
mat he bad paid him from Il to So Tor a
load. They also stole door mats, umbrul,
"a, mats aud o her articles, which they
- eold to other pe-soLs. Two g0l !-heaIel
umbrellas were taken, one OF which W $
sold to jew and the other to Patrick
Maloney, at No. ia Tatnall street, at 25
cents apiece.
A silver card lcceiycr was stolen from
the residence of Miss ElcAaur Rnmford
NO. 7lO Wet street, which was sold to Z
secondhand dealer Tor 10 cents. A
dozen or more door kcys, stolen from a,
many different doors, were sold To DAME
Deputy, Nc. 4OG West Front etreet. Mt ,
few cents each. At enc time. lust as on,
OF the gang had sto'e en- key IRON do II
be met colore1 nan Gnylyycd in NJ,
house, when he banded him the kew s,v
Ing that he had found it living on III,
step, A house OF WASHINGTON st,"e
was entered aud fox robe taken wLr,l
probably 80, which was sold for "A try
cents. The chaiTJ tax f.on Tia
AcaueUy, with the &c p ON Of Oh
which Hagan took to his l0..1 were s,,,
for 10 cents apl ce. The dor mats we
generally sold for ~ or Is caats each
Ahd line silk ha', taken from tie hlu
way OF Henry f. Dure s residence, No
cents ~
According TO Hagan they also made
pIaeIlee OF stealing whips from carras G
standing In the stree, viii Ii they sofa a
livery stables, representing that they ba,
Iound them. Last week They sccur, d MIN
whips, and only last Saturday night stol
TWO door mate. The gang had no rcgu
lnr place oil meeting, Tut gen ral lily as
sem9led on some vacant lot, where the,
divided the proeeers of the't dcnreda
tipns. Two Of the mem ers OF the gan,
who testified last ey ming were so sinai
that they had to stand on chairs 50 tina
the Judge could SEE thcm
AT the conclusion e the teStlmop,
Judge Bal remarked: The porsfttle o
infant teprayity I ever listen,d to H.
been told from that stand ton glt." IL
said that he thought the lalt of WDl d
buying goods from these boys was il
tseli suspicious, and would wirran
nim In holding the accused in IS . ia
tQrSuurt. Inc boys were given to h
custodJ oil Their parents for the p eseet