The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-29
IL SI-NnAY REpERILO

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBILo
The Boy Burglar OF San Rafaer' is the
terror of the entire county OF Marin. cali
fornia- He Is barely 10 years old. but ne
has been in jail at least once for every
Wear of his age, and has done things. which
II he were older, would have warranted his
incarceration at least twice that number
OF times. Just now he IS good; he hasn't
been In anybodys house when the faInily
was absent or sleeping; he hasn't frightened
anybody's horse into running away; ho
hasn't broken any windows or killed any
chickens or dogs: he hasn't turned any
freight cars loose to run wild and smash
each other: he hasn't chased any horses or
COWS into a collapse. and he hasn't stolen
anything for at least fortnight.
The boys name is Manuel Morris. His
father is a Portuguese well digger. who has
been in this country thirty-one years, and
who has Il record that has given the Con-
stables and police plenty of trouble. His
mother Is also Portuguese, and she. too,
has felt the heavy hand OF the law; an
older sister is married. and she has been
under arrest for various crimes and mis-
demeanors. and has. besides. committed
many offenses that did not involve her with
the law. Manuel has two younger t-others.
They are not regarded as wonders Of boy
fish rectituGe. but they are not in the same
class with Manuel They are very young
yet. however.
Manuel is a freak-mentally and morally.
/He is not Unconstitutional few OF the
neighbors will admit the absence CT VICIOUS
ness from his nature He does not steal
for food: he does not destroy property for
revenge; he IS just a wholly immoral. I'M
reasoning. uninteiligent human being. and
a crafty, eyasiye. cunning. reckless animal.
He is as agile as a cat, as feet-fOoted as
O coyote. tricky as a monkey, as sly
as fox. as slippery as an eel and as cow
ardly as whipped puppy. He is beaten
and cuffed at home by his bearlike p1-ents.
and even his smaller brothers can whip
him; he Is chased by small boys in the
neighborhood. much as q stray cur is
chased, and kicked and pounded when he
Is caught. He IS perhaps the quce-est lit
OF low humanity that psychologists have
ever had the opportunity of studying.
While Manuel has been at his tricks" ever
since he was large enough to walk. he new
er came in contact with the law until he was
years old That was ten months ago, when,
on September q. he was taken into custody
for releasing the brakes on several freight
cars at North Pacific Coast Railway Station
ct San Rafael. and letting the cars roll
CONH the IACh anu Jump mo tGCS UNIT
The boy was getting along nicely with his
amusement when the station agent caught
him. One OF the cars had been bumped upon
the main track and was standing Just where
Athe fast express. due in a short while, would
Nj 1t. This could not have failed to result
E\a wreck and possibly the death of several
persons had Manuel been left alone. But the
station agent managed to get the car back
on the switch, and then he had Manuel ar
rested.
The police considerably placed the boy IN
an outer cell of the Jail. because they did not
like to put child back in the darker places.
He behaved beautifully; nobody heard a
word from him until late THAI night when
the warden heard a rasping noise in his cell
and discovered that the little prisoner had
cut away = part of the heavy screen and
was In the act of climbing out.