Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-07-26
YOUTHFUL
OUTLAWS
FOUR BOYS WHO EMULATE VAN
DIMES GANG CAPTURED
IN CHICAGO.
ADMIT MANY CRIMES
Youngsters Smoke Cigarettes and
Joke as They Tell Of Committing a
Murder and Six Hold-Ups-Deny
They Copy From carbarn Bandits.

Chicago, ILL.,, July rs. - Confessing
to murder and. long career Of hold
Ups four boys calmly smoked cigar
cites and joked of their crimes at the
Harrison street station last night. The
youngest of these emulators of Van
Dine. Marx and Niedermyer is but 16
years old, while the eldest has not yet
reached his majority.
With the gallows staring them in
the face they joked about the man they
killed and boasted that they had in
creased their skill with the revolver
by practicing in a shooting gallery
within two blocks Of the Harrison
street police station. The crimes
committed by the youths were all on
the North Side. A clear and concise
statement in writing has been obtain
ed by. the police and each Of the boys
proudly testified to its truth.
Talks Boldly Of Grimes.
The boys under arrest are Peter,
Dulfer a youth Of II, who is said to
be the leader Of the gang; James
Farnby, 18 years old and said to pos
sess deadly skill with revolver; VIM.
Farnby 20 years old, a brother of
James, and David Kelly, 16 years old,
who, despite his youth is said to have
been as daring as any of his com
panions.
Did Not "copy."
One of the curious features regard
ing the boy bandits is the fact that
they resented any allusion to the fact
that they were trying to copy the deeds
Of the car barn bandits. 1--WE did not
copy anybody" said Dulfer while max.
ing his confession. I'VE needed the
money, and we went cut and got It.
Any time we copy anybody we would
like to, know about 1t. We planned the
holdups and we carried them out. II
was easy meat"
The arrest of the youthful murderers
was brought about In curious fashion
and was due to a trifing incident
which attracted the attention of a
sharp-eyed police officer. Three of the
boys were walking down Custom
House court when one of them stopped
over to brush off his shoes. Policeman
Klaman saw him and stopped mo.
ment. When the boy bent over the
butt end of revolver peeped out from
HIS UP pOChcC. AC SAiolOiAAh6 VI e1A~
weapon caught Klaman's eye and he
approached the trio.
TrIfle Leads to Capture.
When he got opposite them he sud.
denly reached out and caught the boy
who afterward proved to be Peter Dull
fer, by the coat collar. buffers com
panions started to run, but Klaman
drew his revolver and threatened tt
shoot them If they, did not halt, and
they quickly came to a stop. One oi
them made quick motion toward his
hip pocket as If to draw weapon
but Klaman made him elevate his
hands on threat Of being shot, and the
boy sullenly obeyed. Then with his
revolver still drawn, the policeman
marched the trio to the Harrison
street police station.
| A search showed that each Of the
boys was armed with cheap revol
yer, and the police realized that they
had gang Of youthful criminals tt
| deal with. 1t was not until the boys
began the stories of their crimes, how
ever, that the police suspected thai
they were murderers. All Of the pris
oners were fairly well dressed and
showed no marks of crime, and the
tales they told were hardly believed
until each in his turn had fully cor
roborated every fact.