The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-06-29
THEIR BOY
RELEASED
Baby FlauCon Saved
From Reformatory.
JOY OF HIS PARENTS
Eight-Year-0ld Condemned 10 Two
Years in Prison for Trivial
0fense.

To right the wrong inflicted upon
Johnny Flaucon by a native Judge of "A
rural district of dawaii. a half dozen
prominent officers OF the Territory We're
kept busy yesterday. The end of IL all
was the release of the youngster from
the reformatory, whittier he had been
sent for a two year term for alleged
malicious mischief, and his restoration
to the parents who had followed him
to Honolulu.
The case is one of the most pitiful
that has been brought to public atten-
ton in the Islands for some time. A
week or more ago Johnny Flaucon,
little Galician lad who has just turned
eight years of age, went with party
of his school fellows to the school house
after hours. and in a spirit of mischief
they took therefrom a Few books.
Johnny Fiaucon was Immediately ar
rested for malicious mischief and taken
before Judge Waipulani. Despite his
extreme youth, the judge treated him
with the utmost severity and sentenc-
ed him to serve two years in the re-
formatory.
The boys parents were heartbroken.
They are employed on the Pahala plan
tation, and when they learned that
their boy must come to Honolulu they
decided to come to this city that they
might be with him or near him during
his term of imprisonment. Much feel
ing was stirred up over the case at
Kau and a petition signed by large
number of the residents of the district
of Kau was addressed to the Board of
Education, asking that it take action in
his case.
The little fellow was brought to this
city on the Kinau on Saturday and as
there was no defect in the papers COM
hitting him to the reformatory. he was
taken Immediately to that institution.
But the boys parents came with him,
and they set at work at once to secure
his release.
High Sheriff Brown took an fmmedi
ate interest in the boys case. His eX-
IRENE youth and the fact that the of
Tense with which he had been charged
was one due more to a spirit of boyish
mischief than any criminal intent, ap-
pealed to him, and he was reluctant to
even send him to the reformatory with
out first investigating the matter.
+. A. Schaefer, the Austrian Consul,
of which government the parents of the
boy are subjects. became interested in
the case and both he and High Sheriff
Brown signed the petition for his re-
lease that his parents had brought
with them.
This document was presented to the
Board of Education by Mrs. Flaucon. 1t
sets forth that the boy had always been
well behaved anu had never given his
parents any trouble up to the time this
matter came up. AS soon as it was
known that he hau papers in his pos
session that had been taken from the
school his mother caused them to be
returned, and made every restitution
possible. Both of his parents, the pc
tition says, are perfectly able to care
for him, and they believe that If he
were kept in the reform school for two
years that it would do much to injure
his character and prove a bad influence
upon his after life.
The matter was taken up at once by
the Board of Education. AS soon as he
received the petition Superintendent
Atkinson sent it to the other members
of the Board Commissioners IL. A.
Mott-Smith, e. Van c. Hall. A. c. Jor
dan and II. M. Won Holt all sgnifed
their Willingness to have the boy re-
leased, ana Superintendent Atkinson
sent an order to w. G. Needham, SUI
perntendent of the reform school, COM
manding that he be freed in accordance
with the powers granted the Board in
cases of the kind.
So it turned out that after but a lit
tie over two days in the reform school
Johnny Flaucon was restored to his
parents. Within a few moments after
the word had been received at the re-
formatory ordering him released he had
been inf, med of the good news and be-
fore an hour had passed he was on his
way down town to the office of High
Sheriff Brown. There he sat for some
little time, the observed of all who came
into the place, until his mother ar
rived. Then there was a joyful reunion
and the two Went away together happy.
The F'laucons will not return to Ha-
wall, but intend to make their home in
Honolulu henceforth.