The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-23
TURNED THE BOYS LOOSE.
Detectives Charged with Intimidat-
ing CIeIand and Keith Lads.

The two lads. Robin Cieiand and Allen
Keith, who were arrested by Detectives
Clarity and Stark, for the Gillespie and
Miscally house hurglsries. were discharg-
ed by the Recorder yesterday. without a
hearing. on account OF their tender ages.
Both Mrs. Cleand, mother OF the Cleland
boy. and Mr.. Keith, said after the hearing
that no plea of infancy was urged or coun-
tenanced by them. and believing their
children innocent. they feel wrong and
injury has been committed. The parents
Of both boys wanted a fun hearing Of
the charges they said. They were ad-
vised that they have no redress in the
courts, and can do no more than to ask
the public to consider the tender age OF
the boys, and their natural
terror under arrest to account
for the confession made to
the detectives. No corrobora tive evidence
they say was obtained by the officers,
and the charge was based solely, the
parents claim, upon the determinations
of the little prisoners under threats Of
the chain-gang which both declare were
made to them by the detectives.
Mrs. ICELAND said II at she was lying
down in her room Iuezday morning
and was aroused by hearing
conversation between Detective
Garity and her son in the yard. She
said Mr.. Clarity told her son he knew he
entered the houses and took he pistol
as Allen Keith had conf ssed and had
told everything Robin denied the accu-
sation even when she entreated him to
tel the truth The Diet. ctive took the
boy to the barracks where she said she
was refused permission to see
him until the arrival of Supt. Screven,
when the children were brought before her
in the superintendent Office, and accused
each other alternately of leadership in
the crime. Supt. Screven allowed the boys
to go with their parents under promise
to appear when wanted Before the Gle
land lad had gone block from the bar
racks he told his mother, she
said, that what he had said before
the superintendent was untrue. and that
he had been frightened into saying that
he was guilty by the threats of the de
tectives, and that Allen had been treated
the same way.
Mr.. Keith made substantially the same
statement in regard to his SON. and both
he and Mrs. Cleland say they had wit
nesses present to prove that their chill
dren were at home when The burglaries
were committed.
Clarity and Stark, the detectives who
investigated the burglaries and arrested
the boys, said last night that the state
ment they were in any way intim-
deted is absurd in the light of the boys
Confessions made in the presence of Mrs
Miscally and Mrs. Cleland in Mrs. Mis-
cally's house. When the boys were first
secured, the detectives said, they were
taken to the house of Mr.. Miscally. There
Mrs Cleland, with Mrs. Miscally, heard
all the questions asked and the answers
that were given.
AS to the boys treatment the detectives
say they are at a loss to know in what
way they can be chi ici ed. The boys were
really, they say, not arrested. They were
not taken to the barracks in the patrol
wagon, and even after being taken to
the barracks were not locked up.
AS to the hearing before Re
corder Hartridge and the I'M
satisfactory way in which it terminated
to the parents. the detectives say that
the Recorder asked counsel if they were
willing to weive the question Of the boys
ages and have the case tried on its mer-
its and that counsel, or at least the at
orney for young Keith, refused the pro-
position. Had the attorney for young Gle
land so desired. he could have waived the
claim of youth and secured a trial