The morning call., 1890-08-11
VICIOUS URCHINs.
LawIess Lads Who Looted Seven
Public Schools.
All Former Boy Burglars Eclipsed by Their
Wantonness and Depravity-They Admit
Their Guilt in Prison.

Almo st simultaneously complaints were
received at police headquarters last week
from seven public schools that burglars had
entered through the windows and looted
the rooms of all portable articles of any
value. Evidences of the thieves were found
in each place, and upon comparison proved
TO be alike. showing that the same person
OF persons had committed the burglaries.
Acting upon the statement of a school
boy, who had seen four small lads escaping
from window of his school, the detectives
arrested on Friday afternoon James Cana
van. IL years of age, living with his parents
at 3OS Brannan street, Joseph Murphy, 9
years of age, and his brother Lawrence,
years months old, who lived at home at
40 Nat0ma street, and on Saturday after
noon frankie Powers, II years Of age, who
also lived at his parents house at 57lH
psn5yard street.
Charges of burglary and malicious mis-
chief could be placed against them, but ow-
ing to their youth they were booked for the
Industrial School. Since their arrest they
have kept the City Prison in hot water by
their nnruly conduct and stubborn determi-
nation to fight out some grudges to finish.
TROUBLESOME YOUNGSTERS.
cell three times fer beating his brother and
companions, and last Saturday it was nee
essary to put the whole four into the Same
place of punishment for half an hour at q
time nearly all day in rotation.
In ViciOuSneSs, brayado and wanton dis
regard of law or right, these young urchins
are said to eclispe the boy burglars, who
have been appearing in periodical crops of
late, and later disappearing behind the PEN
iteIitiary walls.
They were not satisfied with rifing
drawers and desks and stealing what could
be found. but maliciously mashed globes,
cut holes in blackb0ards. tore books and
maps into shreds, and left waste of worth
less debris in their wake
The simultaneous reports of a week ago
were not the first, for just such depreda-
tions had been going on for months in va
ton and Officer Duggan were detailed to
trace the perpetrators no clew could be
found to trace the boys.
Hutton at last found boy Of seven years
of age by the name of Bartlett living at Go
Natoma street, who gave the information
that led to the boys capture. The detective
patiently waited in the immediate vicinity
of the Murphy boys home last Thursday
evening, but they did not 90 near the house
that night
CAUGHT ALMOST IN THE ACT.
A Chinaman had also been stood up" by
four boys, answering exactly TO the deS-
cription of the juvenile culprits, only few
blocks from where Hutton was waiting.
When on the following evening the officer
was passing near the Clement Grammar
School he noticed Powers, who gave loud
warning whistle and the detective tried to
catch him. Powers was, without doubt, o
lookout and disappeared in the darkness.
so the detective turned his attention to the
school-house and caught young Caravan
and the Murphy boys as they dropped from
window to the ground. He took them to
prison and next day found Powers at home
The boys frankly admitted yesterday to
the reporters that they had entered by win
dows the Spring Valley Primary, Union
and Franklin streets; Spring Valley Gram
mar, Broadway and Polk street; Golden
Gate-avenue Primary, John SWEET Gram
mar, Clement Grammar, Mission Grammar,
Filbert-street and the Union Primary
schools.
From these they had stolen boxes of
pencils and pens, clocks, trinkets, some
money and watches from teachers private
lockers, and then wantonly destroyed prop
erty to the value of S100 to $3.50 in each
place. They said that they had sold the
pencils and pens in Market-street saloons,
took some of the property home and dis
posed of the rest in pawn-offices.