The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-11
JUVENILE BURGLARS
ROBBED PALMER HARDWARE COM
PANY IN DAYLIGHT.
SHADOWED BY DETECTIVES
TRYING TO ENTER ANOTHER STORE
WHEN ARRESTED.

John Egense, Dave Stanley, L. Purdy
and Jim EEense, Charged With the
BurEIaries-The Oldest Boy Is 13
and the Youngest 6-Broke Glass
and CrawIed Through window in
Hardware StOre-POcket Knives
and Money Taken-Trying to Get
in McLaughIin's Auction House
When Arrested-Stanley Has
Charge of Larceny to Answer Now.
Elder Egense and Purdy Admit
Guilt, but Say Young Egense Was
Not Present-Stanley Says He Took
Ne Part in RObbery-PrisOners De-
ny That They Have Committed
other RObberies.
John Egense, age 10. Dave Stanley, age
Il, l.. Purdy age Il, and Jim Egense, age
6, were arrested yesterday afternoon by
Detectives Murphy and Wall and are held
at the police station on a charge of bur
glary.
The boys were arrested for attempting
to burglarize the auction house of ]. Nc
Laughlin, No. II Congress street, west,
IL
taken to headquarters that they had al
ready burglarized a store just a short
while before their arrest. The warehouse
of the Palmer Hardware Company, at
Bay and Jefferson streets, had been
broken into, and thirteen knives, and
$l424, that had been taken, were found on
the youthful prisoners. 1t was then that
the charge of attempted burglary was
changed to that of the actual crime.
The officers say that they knew that a
number of the burglaries committed re-
Gently were the acts of juveniles and the
Egense boys were under suspicion. The
detectives noticed the four boys down
town and decided that it might be well
to shadow them. They recalled that not
a few of the robberies had been commit
| ted on Sunday afternoons and kept their
eyes on the quartette. The boys tried
| several doors in Congress street lane and
were placed in custody while trying to
break in the rear door of Mr.. McLaugh-
Inns place. Detective Murphy entered
| Congress street lane at Bull street and
Detective Wan at Whitaker street. The
boys were completely taken by surprise
and every avenue of escape was cut off.
When searched at police headquarters, the
knives and money were found and for the
first time the officers learned of the
| Palmer robbery.
The hardware store was burglarized in
the same way that the De Soto Pharmacy
was entered early Saturday morning A
| glass was broken in the window on JEFF
! ferson and Williamson streets and the
| boys crawled through the space above the
| iron window grating. Because of the sim
| ilarity of the two robberes, the detec-
tives are of the opinion that both jobs
| were done by the same youngsters. The
| boys. however deny that they have been
| guilty of any other crimes and deny al
knowledge of the De Soto Pharmacy bur
glary. While four dozen pocketknives
were taken from the hardware store, only
thirteen were found on the prisoners, and
the officers are at a loss to know what
became of the other articles. 1t is not
known how much money was taken from
the place. The detectives also found a
bunch of fourteen keys and broken lock
on the boys, and those persons who have
recently been visited by burglars are re-
quested to call at headquarters and look
over the property.
The officers say that the elder Egense
was the leader of the party and that he
took the lions share of the plumber
Egense admits his guilt, but declares that
| his little brother took no part in the
| burglary, and was not even present wher
the store was entered He denies thai
he entered any other places, and declares
that it was his first offense. Stanley anC
Purdy entered the place with him, ht
| SAYS but his brother did not join he
crowd until the plumber was being divid
| ed Egense has been under arrest a mum
Der of times but has never been convicted
of any crime. The police give him a bat
name and he is a particularly shrewC
| youngster He realizes now that the of
| ficers have the dead wood on him and
sees the uselessness of denying his guilt
Purdy admits that he entered the
Palmer place, but says that 1t is his
first crime. He too, says that the young
er Egense was not in the party, anc
| that the robbery was only committed by
three Purdy lives in the southern sec.
ton of the city with his parents, anc
is unknown to the police. Like the other
members of the auartette, he is small
| of stature.
Dave Stanley denies that he entered
the hardware store, even in the face OF
the avowals of his companions, lie says
| that he Joined the boys when the plum
der was being distributed, and that the
| younger Egense was present al that
time. On Jan % last, Stanley was ar
rested for the larceny of eggs and milk
from a house in the vicinity of Lincoln
and Gwinnett streets. He was given a
preliminary examination by Recorder
Myrick in Police Court, and was remand
ed for trial in the City Court. Bail
was furnished for mis- appearance. and
the case has not yet been called against
| him.
Jim Egense claims to know nothing
of yesterdays burglary, and denies that
he took part i'm any of the recent rob-
berries that were credited to juveniles by
| the detectives. He was arrested with
Stanley last month for the larceny OF
eggs and milk. but on account of his
age was dismissed by Recorder Myrick.
He is years of ago. and a mere tot.
The youthful prisoners will be given a
preliminary examination by Recorder
Myrick in Police Court this morning.
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