The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-29

Caught Youthful Thief just as He Was
| Making Off With Contents of Money
Il Drawer-One Boy Engaged Merchants
In Conversation While Other Ransacked
Stores.
Shortly after O'Clock yesterday after
noon Mr.. David Hooper was in his store
on Middle street when a boy about IL
years old came in and asked Mr.. Hooper
what time the steamer Frank Jones sailed
for Rockland.
"You are too young to go to Rookland
alone" remarked Mr.. Hooper, "Why do
you ask that question:
The boy replied that his mother had
sent him to find out and no one would
tell him. Mr.. Hooper kindly hunted up
daily paper and getting up to the light,
started to look for the Frank Jones 8
time table. The boy stood by him and
talked with him while he was looking
through the paper. He was an innocent
looking lad, and although his clothes
were none too clean, MIR. Hooper did not
think there was anything out of the way
with him.
Mr.. Hooper finally found the time table
and told the lad about the Frank Jones,
when, CHANGING to look up, he saw an
other boy about the same age as his ques-
toner, running from the Office of the
store towards the door. Dropping the
paper Mr.. Hooper ran after him and
caught the lad just as he was going
through the street door. Mr.. Hooper
questioner had in the meantime taken
leg bail and got away, but the boy whom
Mr.. Hooper had seen coming out of the
office of the store he made disgorge and
from him obtained s. in bills. 1t is need
less to say that Mr.. Hooper hung on 10
the young conspirator, who had planned
with his confederate to rob him, until
Patrolman Stuart came along and took
the boy to the police station.
When the young criminal wasssconfront-
ed by Deputy Sterling he was very re-
ticient and refused to. talk. he would not
give the name of the boy who was with
him nor would he say anything about
the case. Deputy Sterling sent Officer
Stuart out to find the young thief's con-
federate, and about 10 O'Clock sfound..him
and brought him in. He was much
cleaner and better looking boy than the
one who had been arrested at first, but
by his appearance and manner it was
plain to be Eseen that he Regarded the
whole affair as very creditable perform
ance and was rather disposed to look
upon it as joke rather than crime
In the skindest sort of way the.depu-
ty began asking the boy questions and by
the most adroit questioning soon had
the whole story Of ssthe days operations.
1t seems that John J. Sullivan, who
was the !. boy who questioned Mr.. Hooper
while his companion stoleIthe~r money,
had met Frank Leonard, the name of the
young lad who did the stealing, early in
the morning, and: the:pair had started
out to- do the merchants of the town.
They first went into the. store ofSThomas
Laughlin & Co., on Commercial street,
and selling an opportunity when all of
the employees were in another part of the
store, the precocious criminals entered
the office and went through the. money
drawer and, the safe, but found no coin.
Then they went into Stanwood's black
smith shop and went through the money
drawer here, but as far as known and
according to- their statements they OBJ
tanned no money. Moulton's shoe store
and the store of Mari Il Littlefeld were
also visited and in these places the boys
used the same gag.thatlthey tried later
on Mr.. Hooper, but without success. In
some of these places it is believed that
they went through the money drawer,
but got nothing for their pains. Later in
the day they tackled Mr.. Hooper's store
with the result that while they stuck
oil'' and they also got caught.
Frank Leonard, who seems to be by far
the most hardened young criminal that
the police have seen for many days, has
been arrested twice before for larceny.
Once he went into the store OF W. S.
Parker & Coon Congress street, watched
his opportunity and entered the Office OF
the store and stole 81 from little box
on table. The larceny was traced to
him and he was arrested, but his pareDts
settled the matter with the firm and they
dropped the case. On another occasion
young Leonard stole several dollars worth
of lead from the Portland Electric
Light company. He was caught on this
occasion, but was not prosecuted. Last
night when questioned by Deputy Ster-
ling the boy at first denied all knowledge
of the crime, but later confessed, under
the adroit questioning of the deputy
that he and the Sullivan boy had planned
the whole thing and had agreed to share
in the profits of the scheme. Sullivan
was to enter the stores and engage the
clerks and proprietors in conversation
while Leonard went through the tills.
The game that was tried by these boys
yesterday would have done credit to much
older and more experienced thieves than
| they. and such precocious young rascals
1t is doubtful if the city ever held before.
Both boys will be put before the NUM-
cipal court this morning and charged
with conspiracy to steal, and 1t is likely
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