The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-29
-YEAROLD BOY THE TERROR OF COUNTY ~~~~~~9
esses That Make Him Interesting Study for Psychologists

In an adjoining yard whispered: Look out
Tor the gum" At a rap on the easement Of
a rear basement door an apparition seemed
TO rise. There on the dc,rsill stool funny,
squint-eyed. barefoot boy. with a big straw
hat on his closely cropped head. 1t was
the boy burglar. But where he had sprung
from was n mystery. He had thrust him.
self up like some Jack -in-the-box. At the
same time two small children a little black
haired girl and little boy. appeared at
the top of a ladder-like outer stairway and
called innocently enough: Yves eatin' pea
see?" And then. suddenly changing the
subject one OF them pointed down siynif-
cantly and said: THAT boy there's been in
jail. IN the dark place" But before any
moro admissions could be made by the
frankness OF youth. a burly woman pro-
jected her bulk upon the balcony. and with
a washerwo1nar-like ugh. Whatty-wanta?
took the stage and became chief nterIocu-
tor az once. She ambled down the steep
steps 20 be nearer. and then she replied,
Mister Morreese be back right Il way. He
been up tn station" And while she was
speaking one of the children called. "Heuh
come papa" Papa was entering at the gate.
He was a bearded Portuguese of medium
stature.
After some hesitation during which 1t
developed that the illiterate well-digger adj
:,lired the art Of writing and longed to See
his words taken down on paper, the man
dictated this statement:
Manuel Morris live in Marion County
thirty-three year. His neighbors they don't
like him. They no can get even to him and
his wife, but see if they can bother the
childrens. but it's time lost for nothinGs.
The man to whom Manuel Morris work say
he's a good. fair man. He has never been
arrest or mis- wife. After supper he stop
In his house go to bed. never make trouble
nobody. / don't can write my name
maka tn cross. But l vota. l been vota
too many year now. He don't can stop me
vota. get tn samp ballot. 1 taxa home.
My chil1ren's read for me. an tell TO him
which one / like vota for, an he maka
tn cross. Lection day 1 taxa tn pape.
gone in bootha. ope. spread 'longsida other
one. an maka botha justa same. / stampa
same othar mans.
My mothar he die in my house here.
So years old. with his teetha all in his
mouth. He not be sick, all sound. just
geta heart disease: kill him.
The parents love their offspring in a crude
animal way. but they rebuke them with the
violence of a mother bear. The little boy
but moved bit toward the band of after
noon light that came into the basement
and with pugilistic swing in the powerful
mother nearly feiled him to the ground.
uttering an oath of warning for him not to
interfere with the man who pretended to
be writing the fathers words. A few sec
onds later another little child ventu-ed to
remark something and the fathers callous-
ed palm whacked the boy on the side OF
the head with such violence that the young
stsr was sent Keeling several feet away.
though he never whimpered nor uttered
sound. The father swore. The mother
swore The children distinctly uttered oaths
as they cursed each other. The boy burglar
shrunk toward his father at a me1acing
gesture from his younger brother. AMI then
the father explained that the little fellow
could lick the bigger child; that ell the
neighborhood kids could whip Manuel; he
was kind Of simple-ninded. anyway.