The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-26


year-old Brooklyn thief is probably the
most extraordinary criminal of her ago
ever turned over 20 the Children's society
She talks w.th the devil and with God, she
saws. and she steals and lies. She Is still
In checked pinafores, and she Is thief
only. But Maggie is the worst little
thief, for her age In the metropolitan dis
trict She has record.
sympathetic people are always having
their feelings torn up by stories of the
wicked father and mother who willfully
pawn the clothes from their ohildren's
backs for runC Maggie Wood Is "A vhria-
ton Twelve-yoar old Maggie steals the
clothes off her fathers back and pawns
them TO buy candy and dancing slippers
and ribbons and chewing gum for her
friends.
AS she sat ON a velvet chair in the
matron's parlor at the headquarters Of the
Brooklyn Society For the Prevention OF
Cruelty to Children her toes just touched
the floor Maggie doesn mind her APP
pearance particularly as far as soap and
water are concerned. Now she looks like
very clean, healthy sort of a child, but
for a week before she came TO the Chill
drens society her face hadn't been washed
nor her hair combed and she was u small
sample of the slums.
Eyes, ma'am, I'm a bad girl, - said this
bit of humanity. "I've been bad long
time. This is tho eighth timo I've been
here" and Maggie looked up, apparently
10 see what effect her badness had on her
listener.
"When was the first time you were badi
What did you dof''
II was years old, ma'am, and took
IS cents of my mother. 1t was on shelf,
and took it, and bought n rubber ball
for myself and ---- and --, mention
ing two ohildren's names.
Glow did you come to do that, Mag
gie?"
THE devil told me to-" This answer
came promptly, as If tho small ono had
been drilled in hell fire and birthstone
theories.
'The devilp Who is that, Maggies"
"Oh, he's bad mani You can't SEQ
him. He's all red. Ho says Take IL,
Maggie. / can hear him. Then some
one tells me not to-"
'whos thatf"
''God. But 1 take 'em, because I'm n
bad girl. When I'm alone, don't Older
folks toll me TO take things. don't want
to by myself. When I'm at the sisters lat
school sho meant, L don't do what the
devil says. do what God says. My sis
ter showed me how TO do things. Beesy's
older than me. She's bad girl. Beesys
put way. She took things when she was
years old. She stole n cabbage and car
ried IL home TO my mother, and mother car
ried il back. guess I'm as bad as Beesy
now, )" rather wearily.
II got whipped when i took the Is
cents. Then Beesy told me what to take.
and kept on taking things. l took my
fathers clothes before this time and
pawncd them and got money"
Maggie always gives most of the pro-
ceeds of her thefts away. She is very gem
crous. Tho lobes Of her ears show that.
Maggie looks on the matron S headquarters
for children as n sort of second home and
much to be preferred to all Others. Onco
she appeared TO the matron crying that she
had lost the money her mother gave her
60 buy bread and was afraid to go home
That time her stockings were stuffed with
chewing gum.
81 stole IL, said Maggie gravely. al
spent the money for ice cream for mo and
---and don't dare go home stole the
gum. don't like gum now. / had too
much that time.
''Me smoke cigarettesS No. maam.
Yes, / dance. / like IL. didn't dance
with any boys at the ball. Mamie ana
Lizzie told me I'd have a fine supper at
Il u
asked 'em for some supper, they told me
to git out or they'd smash my face.
Yes'm always say my prayers.
did you the night before you stole
your fathers overcoats'
"Yes'm; i said an act of contritlon, the
Lords Prayer and three Hail Marys
and
''You took your fathers coat the next
day."
Last summer Magges sister was soold
ed by her mother. Then Beesy took Mrs
Woods pocketbook and with Maggie went
TO Coney Island. They staid all night IN
concert hall In a merry go round. About
o'clock in the morning Beesy and Mag,
gle and some boys went out, and Beesy
tipped over the great COW at Coney, also
big can Of milk Beesy found a supply OF
ginger ale and other liquids and pies nnG
frnnkfurters. These were used to carry on
sham war. When the pair of girls were
finally brought TO the society, Maggie, who
had on a white dress was found TO have
been bombarded with n huckleberry pie
and bit full at the waist line. Then Beesy
was ''put away
Maggie says she's almost as strong as
Beesy. 81 can do lots of work. I'd rather
work. III they send me TO ST Dominiok's.
I'll run away"
''Yes, she probably win, 1" corroborated
the matron.
81 run away twice from there" said
Maggie. "It don't do me any good there
There's too many girls, and they always
tell me TO do things, and then get pun.
ished. i like 10 work best.
Asked what she would choose II she
could have just what she wanted, Maggie
ut once said:
"A place to work out. did work ont
at two places. I'm one had two babies to
take care Of In a carriage and two children
by my side. got Sl.5O week but tho
lady wanted me TO scrub floors beside TAX.
ing caro- OF the children, and Il was too
much for me, with four children to look
after only staid week. Then I worked
for Mrs. H., on Greene avenue. shined
tho silver and scrubbed the floor and
washed the dishes and I cleaned the sink.
Sho never lad her sink clean before coue