Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-29

An exceedingly sad affair was brought
Thursdays session of the municipal
court when John and Edward McCrea.
aged respectively 10 and 0 years, and
Joseph Campbell, aged 10, were charged
with the larceny of penknives from the
store of the Delaware Hardware Co.
Owing to the youth of Edward McCrea
the charge against him was not pressed,
but the other two boys had to stand
trial.
John McCrea has been before the
court on similar charges several times,
but the pleading of his mother saved
him from being punished. Campbell
Is evidently new at the business, and
il is believed that he was induced by
the other boys to take part in the rob-
berry.
John McCrea was arrested. Wednes-
day morning while trying to sell the
knives. The suspicion OF an officer
were aroused when he saw what the boy
was doing, and the lad was questioned.
He said the knives were given to him
by another boy, whose name he did
not know. -Four new knives, 45 cents
in money and a pipe and tobacco we're
found on him. As soon as McCrea 8
mother learned that her son had been
arrested she made an investigation,
and finding number of new knives
about the house she sent them to the
police station, and at the same time
gave information that implicated young
Campbell.
I Capt. Chambers went to Campbell's
house and acquainted the mother of
the lad with the facts as he had learned
them. The boy was then out, but the
mother found him, and he admitted to
Capt. Chambers that he was connected
with the robbery. He also gave infor-
nation that led to the recovery of other
stolen knives, and in municipal court
about so were offered in evidence.
A member of the Delaware Hardware
Co. identified the knives as having
come from the company's store. He
said he was not aware that the knives
had been taken until he was acquainted
with the fact by Capt. Chambers, but
when he heard of it he made an in
vestigation, which, coupled with the
confession of Campbell, and the prac-
tical admission of the older McCrea,
which was made in the court room,
left no doubt as to the guilt of the
boys.
John McCrea was committed to the
Ferris Industrial School. He cried
piteously to be allowed to 20, and
promised that he would never appear
before the court again, but he had
made the promise SO often that the
judge thought it would be useless to
release him. When the lad was taken
out of the court room he cried as if
his heart would break, but the general
opinion was that if he was not sent to
the reform school he would become
more wicked. Campbel's parents
promised to send him to farm at Har-
rington and he was discharged.
Edward and Elizabeth Godfrey, hus-
band and wife, were arrested Wednesday
by Officer Gilling at Fourth and Poplar
streets. The officer said the woman
was SO drunk she could not navigate,
Her husband was not quite so bad, but
he was noisy. They stated that they
we're going to Philadelphia, and on
promising to leave the city they were
released.
Richard Boyd, who was arrested for
drunkenness, promised to leave town
and was discharged.
Michael Kenny was charged by his
wife with being nuisance. She stated
that he abused her and she could get
along better without him than with
him. She asked that he be compelled to
keep away from her. He was required
to furnish 5000 peace obnd.