Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-23
200 LADS ROUNDED UP
IN JUVENILE COURT
Youngsters Given Surprise of Their Lives When
Each Is Handed Box of Christmas Candy
Get Kind Words From Judge Wilbur

Il There were two hundred of them and
they sat restlessly in the stiff backed
pews Of the Broadway Christian church
yesterday afternoon and listened impa-
tiently while Judge Wilbur of depart
| ment eight Of the superior court told
them what good little and big boys he
expected them to be, In the future.
1t was the annual roundup of the
boys, who have been under the eye
of the probation officer during the past
year. and although the girls of the
same class were expected to be pres
ent they were spared that humiliation
and were allowed to remain at home
during the Christmas holidays without
first coming and reporting.
But II was strange throng that be-
gan tu fill the church carly I'm the after
noon and the stald old walls of the
building trained by years of expert
ence to hear nothing but that which
was highly proper, raised their fig.
urative hands in mild eXpostulation at
some of the stories told by the restless
Youngsters as they bobbed their heads
! together and discussed what they in
tended to do during the Christmas hol-
| idays.
At 1870 o'clock the lecture fest started
| and every boy was in place with the
exception of half dozen who were
excused because of ailments peculiar
| to boys.
Worst in Front
The worst boys Of the outfit, II such
"a distinction could be made, We're
seated in the front rows nearest the
pulpit, while the parents and relatives
of the other lads were grouped around
ir various parts of the church, each
solicitous for the welfare of his or her
particularly bad offspring. Tall boys,
short boys, lean boys, freckled boys,
pale boys, fat boys, white, black ana
yellow. all extensively clean with the
soap shining forth from their eager
countenances and their hair glued to-
gether in splotches from the free appl-
cation of much water.
And the manner in which their hair
was brushed would have caused ton
sorial artist" to fall dead with despair
In most cases the hair brush. like the
hand that welded it, failed to go
straight and the hair was parted III
straight and narrow path for about an
! inch before the channel would be lost
| entirely, only to start up from the
scalp about a half of an inch to the
right or left. The part terminated IN
a bunch of hair at the top of the head
rointing directly skyward.
Gee" said one lad meditatively, as
he removed his hat and came ambling
down the aisle to one of the peWs,
dis is just like de niger heavun OIL
de theayter, an here's where we git
in on de front seat widout no eXtry
cost. Gee. 1 feel just like / was home
butcher shuvin', kid, or I'll sprain dat
map NV Ireland on yer mug. see?'
Down they went, scrambling for the
! best seats. where they proceeded to
lounge comfortably about and make re"
marks about the other boys mothers
| and fathers.
say" drawled out the wit of a small
group. would yer just pipe Bills ole
man. No wonder Bill can't fight much
wild a boss dat looks like o'clock.
Say, he's straight up and down.
"Bouncer" Gets Him
II don't see de bouncer anywhere,
so | guess I'll JUS ditch dis aggrega-
| ton and skiddoo," said an oVergroWp
lad as he sneaked quietly for the door,
but the bouncer was on hand and be-
fore the lad could gain his freedom
Railiff George Conart had overtaken
him and he was dragged back to
| church.
The first group of lads was then
called before Judge Wilbur and they
stood up straight and answered the
question put to them with a cherub-
like expression on their faces and they
kicked their dusty feet together ana
tried to look as though they We're not
becoming ill from the good behavior
! they had been guilty of for Few
weeks past
Many of the mothers We're only too
| anxious to give good reports OF their
boys in order to have the youngsters
at home for the holidays, but some OF
the women had found that their boys
managed TO get along all right within
the walls of the detention home and
several of them stated that their boys
had been behaving very badly and
ought not be allowed to have any holi-
day.
Then came the surprise of the day.
Since the first moment of their arrival
more than half the boys who had never
been inside church before had been
carefully looking over the furniture
of the building. Yes. they knew what
that thing was that Judge Wilbur was
leaning on. That was the Bible stand,
and those chairs with the high backs
on the pulpit We're for the board of eX-
aminers. and, as Sweet-faced lad
, remarked, "They looked like queens
chairs" and women good enough for
rulers of any nation occupied them.
Get Christmas Candy
But the boys We're unable to determine
the use of a stack of pretty boxes,
gayly decked with ribbons and piled
suggestively near Probation Officer
Dodge. They We're not allowed to re-
main uneasy, for, long as the first
row of boys was, each was presented
with package as they filed back to
their seats. They soon discovered that
each package contained a pound OF
good candy, not the disreputable sort
generally dealt out on such occasions.
but delicate looking chocolates and
dainty peppermints, provided by the
kind-hearted women of the committee
of the Juveniles. For many of the boys
the candy was the only Christmas pres
ent they will receive and their faces
beamed with happiness as they hugged
their boxes and departed one by one
for their homes to spend the holidays
Needless to say, not one of the boys,
large or small, considered himself too
, dignified to accept the parcel.
But although nearly all the lads We're
happy, there was much sorrow and the
tragedy of great suffering and grief
was written plainly on the honest face
, of a country lad who stood up before
Judge Wilbur and cried like a man,
without shame of his sorrow. The boy
was Carl Myers, and he was brought
fItI hu h fathAr wi Nt,oc