The daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami Co., Minn.) 1903-1904, 1903-12-08
Mystery Of Recent Burglaries
Unearthed with Much
Sensational Incident.
FIVE BURGLARIES SUCCESS
Es;g,: :,II,. CCGG;sls syCCEEID 4,
Complete Confessions Made to
Local Police and All Will Prob.
ably Go to Training School.

Four small boys, the oldest not
sixteen years of age were yester-
day arrested by the police
charged with barglarizing the
store of the Bemidji Mercantile
Company, the Sims store,
O'Leary & Bowser's Department
store, I. B. Olson's confectionery
establishment and the residence
of Andrew Clavin and complete
confessions followed which re-
veal a state of affairs in Bemidji
boydom that is surprising in the
extreme.
All the burglaries occurred
last week. The first three looked
like the work Of professionals
and thepollced department secured
the town high and low and rid it
of all suspicious characters last.
Saturday. The robbery Of the
Olson store where a Iquantity OF
toys was appropriated together
with small sum of money,
gave the officers a new clue and
yesterday an investigation was
begun which resulted in the ar
rest of the boys and their confes-
sion to the different robberies.
Their stories told to the police
last night show that the burglar
les had been carefully planned
and executed with the skill of
professionals and none of the
youngsters seemed to realize that
they were committing a very seri-
GUS misdemeanor. The robbery
of the Bemid1i Mercantile Co. S
store was the first one and it Was
executed and accomplished with
so much ease and success that
the lads took on new courage.
Besides the places robbed they
tried a number Of others, where
they failed to gain admission and
the probabilities are that if it had
not been for the Investigation
conducted by the police depart
ment which resulted in their ar
rests they would have executed
thefts in the near future with
quite as good success as had at
tended their past efforts.
Officer Norman Helmer learned
yesterday that one of the boys
had been passing chewing gum
around with alavish hand atschool
and that he had presented his
sister with doll and other toys.
Chief OF Police Bailey also had
information along about the same
line and together with Officer
Cline the Investigation was be-
gun. The home of the boy who
had been giving out the gum was
visited, the boy confessed
the whole story and the other
arrests followed.
The robberies in each case &C
cording to the tale which the
youngsters tell had been com
mitted after midnight. They
had carefully planned to evade
the police in coming down town
and after this was accomplished
the rest was found easy. All
four boys we're fet implicated in
all the robberies but each was
implicated in one or more and
bound by an oath of secrecy.
Nearly all the stolen property
was discovered. The lads had
realized from their work about
eighty dollars in money and quite
d quantity of merchandise. AL
the latter has been recovered and
most OF the money.
Several of the boys come FROM
prominent families and the Pic
neer has been requested to with
hold the names. All we're ar
raigned in Judge Skinvik's cour
this morning and all will proba
bly, be sent to the reformatory.
They are Fpart of q regularly
organized gang of youngsters
who have aspired to be desperate