The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-28
TOUGH LOT OF BOYS.
Mr.. Robinson, the Colored Minister,
Complains of Them.

Complains of Them.
All the Parties In the Police Court Last
Night-The Boys Took Off Blinds, Dis
turbed Religious Meetings. Rang the
Door Bell, etc.-The Scene in the Police
Station Described
Rev. S. E. Robinson (colored) pastor .of
Zions Methodist church complained last
evening that he had been bothered at his
home on the corner of Lincoln and Ander-
son streets, by boys and young men till he
could stand it no longer, and must have
police protection. Last evening during
religious meeting in the house, these young
toughs pounded at his door SO much as to
seriously disturb the meeting. Last Wednes-
day evening, during similar meeting they
took off two blinds from the windows. They
have also tried to do the same thing on an
other occasion without success. They at
taohed ball of Irvine to his door bell
handle in such a way that as they ran off
with the line the bell rang violently. They
have broken his windows, called his wife
and children monkeys and other names
and have generally prosecuted him till he
could stand it no longer.
Deputy Sterling sent orders Immediately
to the officers down there to look out for
the sroughs and see. that no more such
mischief occurs.
An half hour after Mr.. Robinson made his
complaint, two of the boys appeared at the
police station with their father. Their
names are Ernest and Clarence Hepburn.
Deputy Sterling held an informal court.
Mr.. Robinson made his complaint and Mr..
Hepburn retorted that the colored
minister's boys were the freshest boys''
he'd ever seen there, and he'd lived their
twenty years. If there was going to be a
complaint he'd make it mutual. Questioned
courteously by Mr.. Robinson, he said that
the two colored boys bothered him by open
ing the door of his store and one stole some
of his crackers. That was all he could COM
plain of. 'sYou will do me favor" said
Mr. Robinson, ''to take cowhide and whip
them the next time they bother you. l can
make my boys mind.'' The two boys at
tempted to deny the charges against them,
but were questioned SO sharply by Deputy
Sterling as to make their guilt manifest.
They admitted playing ball yesterday in
front of Mr.. Robinson's house. In a few
minutes in came the officers with five or six
OGu0T DOyS anu SEVERAL VI GuClT T0ldtlV6S.
Four otherb.oys were picked out of the num-
Der as members of the gang. Two brothers
named Farr, stout young fellows, about
fifteen years old, had been brought to the
station before. A boy named Oleson and
another named Tracey, the latter as large
as man, also admitted that they were of
the gang who had bothered Mr.. Robinson.
The boys are a tough lot. There's no
IL LS1l
them so, and said he'd have them all in Jail
if they kept on.
Mr. Hepburn talked to Mr. Robinson very
earnestly, to speak mildly, and declared
that he thought his boys just as good as the
colored boys.e That the latter had stolen in
his store within a week, and if there was
going to be any prosecuting going he'd take
hand in it too. Mr.. Robinson-replied that
if his boys had ever done anything that
deserved it, he wanted them prosecuted.
Mr.. Hepburn kept declaring that the colored
boys were the sauciest boys in the neighbor-
hood and were the cause of all the trouble.
But Deputy Sterling seemed to think that
the boys in the station were the right boys.
The reputation of some of them was bad,
and the officers knew pretty well what they
were and what they have done.
oOPuty obCIl1lS 1Clb ~ WILL IuIs IlUuluSOn
whether the boys should appear in the police
court or not this morning. He assured him
that he should be troubled no more by those
boys, if it took the whole police force to
keep them quiet.
Mr.. Robinson said, that he didn't wish to
have them up in court. He wanted them
known and wanted them to understand that
they m ust leave him alone. He expressed in
no uncertain language the fact that it was
because of his color that he was SO
harrassed.
The boys were allowed to go, but they
have been given warning that they'll
probably not forget. If they do forget it,
they will get more than a warning next
time.
. Mr.. Robinson could not positively identify
any one of the boys as having taken off the
blinds or do one other acts of malicious
mischief, otherwise they would have sbeen
held on that change. The opportunity will
surely be taken advantage of to make any
example of some one or more of these young
fellows, if occasion demands it.
Mr.. Robinson has been bothered by these
boys for year. 1t has been case of pretty
serious persecution.