The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-24
IS A YOUNG DEGENERATE
Vadnais Is an Adept in the
Criminal Line.
GOODSTART IN HIS CAREER
Stole Four Miles OF Trolley Wire With
the Aid of the Rest OF His Gang
Of Toughs-He Has Jumped
His Bail.

witch the case VI grand larceny
against young Theodore Vadnais comes
up for trial in the district court on the
9th, County Attorney Connolly will
have occasion to either ask for a con-
tinuance or a dismissal, and unless the
young degenerate's bondsmen do not
feel as do the police that it is a case of
good riddance and should ask to have
him brought back, he will in all proba :
bility escape punishment for one of
the most unique thieving operations
and gigantic in it's way-that has ever
come to the attention of the authorities
of Butte.
There was not much that young Vad-
nais would not steal in a petit larceny
way, and there was nothing very un-
common about his methods till he con-
ceived a scheme one day last summer
to make quite a bunch unlawfully. This
was quite unusual, and was just as
audacious as it was out of the ordinary.
The street railroad company started
in early last spring to build a new line
to columbia gardens. 1t required a
large amount of copper trolley wire,
and young Vadnais on his daily peregri-
nations about the city to see what was
loose. that might be turned to his prof
it, If he could get away with it, tumbled
to the idea that there would be a lot
of money in that trolley wire if he
could get hold of it to SELL 1t did not
take the young rascal long to form
his plans, and one morning Manager
Wharton of the street railway compa-
ny woke up to be told that the trolley
wire of the entire Columbia gardens
line, reaching from the point where the
tracks leave the Meaderville lines to
cross the flats to the gardens and back
around by way of the race track. as
far as the county road, between three
and four miles, had disappeared. Not
foot of wire was left, and the COM
pany had to delay the opening of the
gardens till more wire could be strung.
The police were informed of the job,
and set to work to discover who was
responsible. 1t was not long before it
was pretty certain that young Vadnais
was the ringleader of a gang of touShs
who had torn down the wire and made
away with it. In few days a coil of
wire was found buried on the banks Of
the Parrot pond. and later two barrels
of wire that had been cut up in pieces
and some of it melted down were found
at the yard of junk-dealer. The job
was traced directly to Vadnais and his
gang and several of them We're arrest
ed.
Vadnais was charged with grand lar
ceny and bound over to the district
court for trial. He, got out On $500
bonds, and not Sc much was heard of
him as formerly tillsa short time ag0
when he was arrested. with another boy
for committing an nhprovoked assault
on Chinaman. With four other young
seoundrels Vadnais was being taken to
the county Jail. when he made a break
for liberty and got away The police
made no very determined effort to re-
capture the boy, as they had always
been able to go and get him when they
wanted him, and had no thought of his
skipping the country. Yesterday, how
ever. the police received undoubted in
formation that friends of the Vadnais
family had furnished the money for him
to go on, and that he had successfully
made his exit to Canada.
The boy is only about Is years old
but is an adept in the criminal line, ana
has on innumerable occasions been
charged with crimes ranging from the
very petty to the serious. The police
and other authorities regard his going
as good radiance instead. but whether
his bondsmen will feel the same way
or will undertake to have him brought
back for trial is not known