Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-11-22
A CARNIVAL OE CRIME.
Thicving Contagious Among the Small
Boys-Eight Arrests,

Thicving Contagious Among the Small
Boys-Bight Arrests.
Stealing is contagious among some OF the
small boys in this city at present, Judging
from the number of arrests that have been
made by the officers During tho past
three DAYS five boys under or about IL years
of age have pleaded guilty to the charge of
larceny and three half grown boys have
followed their example.
1t was discovered about o'clock Monday
evening that two boys had stolen a horse
and harness from the barn belonging to
Pease d Storrs at the rear of their store at
the corner of Winooski avenue and Grant
streets and they were in the act of securing
wagon near by when they were scared
away from the premises by the approach of
one of the employees An investigation
showed that one of the boys burned matches
while the other secured the horse and har-
ness and several punches of matches par
TALLY burned were found on the floor Word
was telephoned to the police station and
Officer Lamora responded, tho horse having
been found in the meantime hitched to the
fence on Grant street not far from Clarke
street. The officer at once started up Wi
noosk avenue, the direction taken by the
boys in their flight, and overlook them
near the junction of the avenue with North
Union street. He seized one of them but the
other ran round the square and plump
into the officers arms, tho latter having
waited instead of following as the fugitive
evidently supposed he did. The boys were
taken into custody and the mayor having
been notified according to law they were
lodged in jail, a warrant having been issued
on complaint of Grand Juror j. +. Cush-
man charging the boys with the crime of
stealing a horse ana harness.
The boys gave their names as Adnie Sal
tus and Willie Sweeney and they claim to
be ~ and years old respectively. They
told of number of scrapes in which they
claim TO have been engaged, the list incud
ing stealing Of whips and other articles as
far back as the time of the State fair. The
Saltu5 boy claimed to have taken rags and
sold them to their owner again and he told
of it as if it was a source of considerable
enjoyment and satisfaction. 1t was this
boy who took Col Brookes's horse from the
pasture a short time since but who escaped
prosecution owing to his tender years.
In the City Court on Wednesday Grand
Juror Cushman appeared for the State and
Mayor Crombie for the boys in accordance
with the statute, the respondents both being
under - years of age The boys admitted
their guilt and after some discussion the
court and mayor concluded that it would
he better to hold the case open for advise
mont. The hearing was accordingly put
over until Monday, December 20.
Chicken Thieves in Custody.
Charles Muir and two other young men
named johnson and Raymond were arrested
on Church street about 500 o'clock Tuesday
evening by Chief Dumas and Officer La
mora, who first discovered them, on the
charge of stealing chickens from the yard
of man named Allapa at Winooski on
Monday afternoon. 1t appears that they
were seen in the act by street car driver,
who did not, however, think anything
about it at the time. The young men
brought the chickens to this city, each one
carrying bird, and they sold them to Mrs
Stephen Loveioy on Allen street for 30 cents.
In the City Court on Wednesday they all
pleaded guilty to the charge of larceny pre-
ferred against them by States Attorney
Foster and that they received small fines
was due to the previous good character of
johnson. They were sentenced to pay in
Guiding costs S10.01 each.
store Broken Into.
Charles Gaborie, Mark Haley and anoth-
er lad named Lashaway broke into T. p.
Daley's store on Battery street Tuesday
night prying open the money drawer and
taking the contents amounting to about 50
together with quantity of tobacco An
entrance was effected by breaking a pane
of glass i'll "A window and crawling through.
The boys admitted having stolen a gray
robe from nei ghboring barn a few days
ago,