Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-02
LIKES TRAVEL.
William Cook, a Youth, Steals to En-.
Joy It.

new YORK, July lone of the most
remarkable prisoners ever arraigncd
III the children's court is William Cook,
Ia years old, Of 600 9th avenue who was
convicted, Yesterday. of stealing $l27. 10
from eth avenue department store.
me story of how the boy got away
with the money and Of his Journey OF
more than 10000 miles i'm parlor and
irelSnt cars nearly took Justice Nc
kean's breath away.
Inc Doy SAID he once played with An
drew Mack and would have gone with
nm, last season, had he not grown too
last. lie weighs 100 pounds and has an
unusually handsome face. He stole be-
cause he loved to travel" and accord
ing to an officer of the Children's So
ciety, the boy has been stealing and
travelling since he was 10 years old.
Cook got work on May 5. as Il cash
boy in the 9Th avenue store and one H..
evening of May I. he disappeared with
the $l21.1?, which had been given to
nm to take 10 the cashier. Three days,
according to his story, was a long time
for him to work in one place. He had
heard that IA train left for Chicago at
q O'Clock, and hatless he made n living
trip to the Grand Central station.
catching it just as it pulled out,
Next day Magistrate Moss issued a
bench warrant for his arrest. Cook
reached Chicago and began to spend
the money. After two weeks he moved
on to st. Louis, where he got into
trouble, the nature of which he refused
to state, and had to leave. He went to
work on a farm 80 miles south of st.
Louis and Il few days later he moved
West by freight train and settled on a
ranch in Idaho.
The boy next went to IndianapOlis
and Cleveland. where he worked six
days in Il restaurant, leaving because
of some trouble over money matters"
In Chicago he became ill., and told the
police he was Il boy actor and wanted
to get back to New York. They learned
that be was wanted here for grand lar
ceny. But he fooled them by his pre-
tended cagcrncss to get back, and one
night two weeks ago, when everybody
in police headquarters was asleep, he
Slipped out of Il window. In the stock
yards he got permission to work his
way to Buffalo on a cattle train. But
Buffalo was too slow for Cook, and on
1lclSnt ana passenger trains he Slipped
through to New York.
Cook reached the Grand Central sta
tion five days ago with 10 cents. He
went to Coney Island and got work at
a bathing pavilion. An employee of the
6tn avenue store saw him there, but he
had vanished when DETECTIVES 'Scrgt.
Downing went for him. "Wednesday
morning, he was arrested as he was
about to enter his home after an alb
scncc of over two months.
Nothing like travelling, ma" he said
to his mother in court, today. Beats
staying ut home all hollow. | didn't
steal for the sake of stealing. l just
wanted to travel. It's so Gentlemanly
to travel. | liked Idaho better than
Missouri. Wait till l get out of this,
I'm going back there"
The boy asked to be sent to the Cath
ole protCctory, because he once knew
Il boy who got out after he had been
there only three months.
I'VE will send you to the juvenile
asylum" said Justice Mexican. ''and |
guess it will be some time before you
travel at the expense of somebody else"