The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-08-20
YOUNGEST CONVICT.
ouIY ELEVEN YEARS OLD AND
IN STATE PRISON.

IL
A r,sas-raute Who Has Mania for
picking Locks aad Stealing
General Favorite, Despite His Ba'
Record
Probably the youngest convict 10 iho
I,njted States is row a prisoner IN tAs
Ebl0 New Jersey prison here ~ lfentpn
Ifhe i not the youngest he . cerialpg
Tie most interesting Of child conyict1,
ia "A a little bit Of fellow, Win
brI0ht. sunshiny face, and y locked UP
h 4 cell near the centre Of the prlsop;
l ~ n dressed III conventional RED ana
blaek stripes. aud has 70 do the lockstep
win old. hardened sinners. His maine
/, charles Krockel, and according TO ms
avn statement he - only fourteen Yeas
old. Persons who know him say ne I
only eleven. His size and general chllu-
4 like aDDearance suggest that tue inItcf
might Be a fact, for he is very small.
Charley is q deaf mute, whose criml-
mi career began when he was nine years
old. He showed q precociousness inso.
much that he could pick any lock lnae
he could get bold Of, and bis mama ran
10 locks, and latterly 70 those Denlha
which there was something worth steal
ing. The big book in Clerk Madden :
closet shows the following entry Omar
les Krockel, breaking with intenti re-
ceiyed April Z, 1891, age, fourteen, Az
lantic County one indictment; sentenced
April "a: term one year; born In New
Iarsev sentence expires April n, 1892;
Communication sixty days; release FeO'
rlary N. 1892; height, feet lnches;
gray eyes; light complexion; can rcaa
aud write: uses tobacco; no trade never
worked; parents living; religion, Ca'n-
, olic. :,
When Charley first arrived he could
not be given the regulation prison
stripes, because there was Mp SUI snia ~
enough, as the prison never Neld so ST =,
a criminal. He was marcheR to his eel
with the other prisoners ant fhe was told
! TO do the lock step He took to i
/. well. and as he paraded through tn,
a prison centre he thought .HroJal fun an,
turned to the group OF Interested prison
deputies and give Jolly flourish Of hi
. hand and winked A few days later hi
rcd and black stripes arrived and he wa
rcdressed. He had been wearing Knick
crbockers, but knee breeohes are no
known in prison forgery, aud when HI
stood out arraycd In long trousers b,
looked sad. Tears came into his gray
} eyes and reaching down he attempted
3 to tear off the legs just at the knee, but
he was prevented. lie asked for Stat,
and pencil as soon as he was locked up
and on this he communicated TO th,
keepers and the curious people who came
to see him He is in the best of humoI
at all times. lie always shakes hands
with strangers, writes . number Of ques
tions on tho slate and amuses them by
nasty drawings The boy is clever ar
fist. This he picked up at deaf mute
school. lie has begged, several chrome
cards aud has outlined item on the walls
esk b accll, and il housekeeping Tor paint,
a Is he propases to d.fo1se tbaswRliS ID
rich colors. He has Two cherubs' heads
drawn out ready for filing and is busy
studying out oil the details. He de-
Inands much social attention from the
deputies and if one passes him without
speaking or shaking hands he at once
writes note asking whether he is an-
gerod at him
u Charley's parents are honest people in
Egg Harbor City and there Charles be-
n gan his criminal career by breaking into
all the shops. The residents OF the town
felt so incensed and were kept awake
nights so much watching for him that he
was arrested. This resulted ia his being
sent to the Deaf and DUMB Institute in
this city, and thus he was credited with
being a bright boy, but very sly. He
was never in the institute when wanted,
as no had no trouble in letting himself
out. He was then sent to the Reform
school at Jamesburg, but he made three
successful escapes. The last departure he
accomplished by sliding down a light
Mug rod from the third story of one of
the houses. He had to be sent to the
State Prison because no other institution
would have him. Before the prison
night school closes Charles is going to
be allowed to give the old convicts, now
learning to read aud write, lessons in
penmanship aud free hand drawing. He
Is a general favorite with everybody ia
the prison, and is destined to be cele.
brated criminal character, as there seems
little probability of his reforming. list.
Louis Republic.