The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-04-30
FLOYD WAS A
VERY GAY BOY
REMARKABLE CAREER OF A 16
YEAR OLD YOUTH.
Young Coglizer Has Been SYSTEM
atically Stealing from Mcconnell
and Company and Turning Over
the Stuff to His Sweetheart, an In
mate Of a Disorderly House, and
the Proprietoress of the Place, Mrs.
Phelan, Who Had a Mysterious
Control Over Him.

Floyd Coglizer, a 16 year-old lad who
is now locked up in the central police
station, has certainly led about as wild
and amazingly rapid Il career in the
last few months as any chap of his age
in these broad United States Indeed
the police say that they cannot recall
of an instance in the history OF the
local department. where Il boy of his
age has confessed with such apparent
unconcern to having led the life of an
old and practised rounder and to having
piled the trade of a thief with so
much success.
The specific charge on which the boy
Is locked up is>that of larceny preferred
by the firm of Mcconnell and company
of Lackawanna avenue by whom he
was employed up to the time of his
arrest. Ever since this firm started in
business some two months ago there
have been considerable quantities OF
goods of various kinds missed at fire.
quSnt intervals
The finger of suspicion pointed at q
number of the employees but the MEM
bers of the firm by process of elm
mating the possibilities and considering
only the probabilities finally got the
thing sifted down to young Coglizer,
who was employed as shipping clerk
and who was to all outVbrd appear
ances a real nice sort of asboy. He was
carefully watched and evidence to war
rant his arrest was secured.
MADE A CONFESSION.
He was taken into custody on Mon
day evening by the police and when
locked up in the police station he
made a full and free confession to
Superintendent Day with a sort of airy
nonchalance as if he did not fully APP
preciate the gravity of his offenses.
The boy said that some months ago
he became enamoured with the charms
of a girl of the street known as Mamie
Kenyon who was at that time an in
mate of a questionable resort on Penn
avenue conducted by Mrs. Phelan. He
was a frequent visitor at the house, he
said, in fact he spent nearly all his
spare time there. After he secured
position in the Mcconnell store he
thought it would be the proper thing
for him to make a present to Mamie
and as he had no money to purchase
jewery in the store.
He managed to do this one morning
before the clerks arrived and when he
was practically alone in the store.
Mamie was so pleased that he stole a
ring for her a few days afterwards
and then some more rings. all of them
rather valuable being worth about So
each. 1t is at this point that the per-
sonality Of Mrs. Phelan obtrudes into
the story.
Young Coglizer claims that the Phe-
Ian woman learned of his thievings and
decided that she as well as Mamie
should profit by them. He stoutly
maintains she threatened to expose him
if he failed to do what she wanted him
to and that at her bidding he stole
Just what she asked him to. She used
to stroll through the store in the day
time, he says, and look over the stock.
GAVE HER ORDERS.
At night when he went to the house
she'd say:
Nov, Floyd, I want two pairs of
those S1.25 black gloves, one OF those
satin finished corsets, 36 size, remem-
ber. and let me see-oh, yes. and
couple of pairs of those striped stock
ings in the showcase on the right of
the middle aisle"
Within the next day or two Floyd
would secure the gloves. the stockings
and the corset. He would do them up
in bundle, and in the boldest way
imaginable would address them to Mrs.
Phelan and send them to her in the
firms delivery wagon. This continued
for several weeks. until Mrs. Phelan de-
cided to fold her tent and move to.
Binghamton. The Kenyon girl went
with her, but came back in a day or
two and took up residence at the
house on Vine street conducted by
RED Annie" Wilson.
For the past few weeks, up to the
time of his arrest, Floyd made "An-
nies' place his stamping ground. and
kept up his pilferngs from the store.
He was voted the most popular habitue
of the place, because of the lavish man
ner in which he distributed presents,