The morning call., 1893-06-07
PEDDLING FAGINS.
Men Who Teach Young
Boys to Steal.
The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children Commence a
Crusade Against Them.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
10 Children has again commenced vigor-
Gus crusade against peddlers who employ
boys under 16 years of age. Complaints
have been so frequent of late against these
peddlers and their useful assistants that
the society has determined to break up
the com bination, although it should take
months to do it,
The first arrest was made on Monday
afternoon by Officer Christie. the pedder
being Isaac Cohen. He was charged with
employing minor contrary to the law.
The case was assigned to Judge Conlan's
court, but as the Judge is taking few
days vacation while No Courtroom is
being renovated the case was yesterday
continued till Monday next.
The section Of the act under which the
arrest was made reads as follows:
Any person, whether as parent, relative
guardian, employer, or otherwise, having the
care, custody, or cOutiOl OF any child under lie
age OF 16 years, who shall exhibit, use, or EN-.
ploy, or VINO shall In any manuer, or under any
pre- euse, sell, apprentice, give away. let out, or
Otherwise dispose OF any such child to any per-
SOU, under any name, Title, or prelense, III or
Tor the vocation, occupation, service or pur-
pose OF singing, playing on musical instru-
ments. rope or wire waking, dancing, begging
or peddilng, or as d gynludst, acrobat, coutor-
or IN any obscene, indecent, or immoral pur-
pose, exhibition, OF practice whatsoever; or for
OF In any meudcaDt or wandering busin SIS
whatsoever; or for or IN auy busi-
the health, or dangerous 10 tue life or
limb OF such child; OF who sh II cause, pro-
cure. or encourage any such child TO engage
| therein, Shall be gully of misdemeanor, and
| upon conviction thereof shall be punished by
hne OF not less ihan fifty nor more Than Two
! hundred aud fifty dollars or Dy imprisonment
| ID a
months, or by both such fine aud imprIsou-
ment; provided, that nothing in this section
contained shall apply 10 or affect the employ
nent or use of any such child as singer or
musician In any church, school or academy, or
the teaching or learning the science or practice
| OF music; or the employment of any child as a
| musician at any concert or oGheT musical ent T.
talnmenI on the written consent of the Mayor
OF tile city or president of tile Board of Trustees
| of lie town where such coucerL or entertain
ment shall take place.
I. b. HolDrook, secretary of the society,
said to CALL reporter yesterday that the
crusade would De carried on vigorously.
1T is well-knOwn fact" he said, THAT
large number OF peddlerS use tile boys
not merely to assist thep in their bus-
ness but TO steal. Many a thief turns
peddler because it enables him to eyade
the vagrancy laws and to find opportuu-
ties of committing petty thefts. They go
to house and II the inmates are out they
enter from the rear and steal anything
they can lay their bands on. Even shou d
the inmates happen 10 be in the front part
| Of the house when the pedder goes to the
rear he will sneak in and commit petty
theft. Is this not terrible example for
the small boys they employ?
Il am not saying they are all bad, as
there are honest men among them and
honest boys, and the trouble We have is to
silt the good from the BAD.
| Last year we made many arrests. and
| we found 1t hard TO obtain conviction, as
the parents OF the boys came forward
pleaing poverty, and in other ways sue
ceeded in having leniency dealt out to their
offspring.
But although it may entail hardship to
some that Will not prevent us now from
breaking up the system of peddlers employ
| Ing boys under age.
1--WE are constantly receiving complaints
OF these boys getting dollar or titty-cent
piece in payment of small purchase and
never taking back The change. That is
nothing but stealing, and the buys are
taught to do it.
The peddlers get the boys services
for little or nothing, and soMe Of them en-
ply two or three regularly.
There is another class of boys that we
are also determined to suppress. They
are not regular newsboyS, but are sent TO
the theaters with paper TO wait till the
performance is over, and then they tell Il
ptiful tale that it is the last paper left.
and they must sell it or their parents will
beat them. The man appealed to will in
nine cases out of ten give the boy nickel
and tell him to keep his paper, and he may
get several Dickels each night in this way.
| The money is given to his parents to be
spent in drink.
ION Sunday night last we took lot of
these boys TO their homes. We took down
the names and addresses of the parents
and warned them if they did not keep
their boys at home ut nights we would al
rest them. The houses in most instances
were pictures OF squalor and wretchedness,
but some of them were ciean and tidy, ami
the parents had no idea that their boys
were doing such thing. | can tell you
that lots of parents do not know what
their boys are doing at nights. 1t Is a
growing and terrible evil"