Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-12
CLAIM YOUTHS
STEAL AUTOS
POLICE ARREST FOUR BOYS
ON CHARGE
Officers Believe Youngsters Are Guilty
Of Thefts Of Many Valuable
Maohlnes-Are Accused
Of other Grimes

BY the arrest of Jay Powers, j. Nc
Farland, Joseph Lienen and Ernest
Depew, lads ranging in years from
Is to 90 last evening, Special officer
Charles Foster and Detectives Jones
and Mcnamara believe that they have
captured and broken up one OF the most
troublesome gang of automobile thieves
that has ever worked in Los Angeles.
Owners of ten large and costly ma
chimes in the Bonnie Brae district have
sustained losses to their motors that
will aggregate over $1,000 through the
instrumentality of boy thieves. Bur-
glaries and thefts that have occurred
all over the city, the police say, are
being traced to this gang.
When confronted with the evidence
of their guilt the officers say the lads
confessed to their crimes and gave In
formation to the police which led to the
recovery of many articles that had been
stolen. Tools and articles left in ma
chimes, said to have been stolen by
these boys, were the principal articles
recovered last evening.
Though tip from servant girl
who recognized Powers, Foster suc-
ceeded in running the gang to ground
and effecting their capture Thursday
evening While standing In drug
store on Pico street Powers and his
pal were pointed out by the girl to
Foster.
Domestic Aids officer
= Detectives steel and Craig were de-
tailed on the case and after making a
thorough investigation found that the
two lads were suspected of passing
worthless paper money. Powers pal
was retained by the police but
Powers was allowed to go having as
serted that he would locate a confed-
crate.
Powers was then traced by officer
Foster and late yesterday afternoon he
was located at his home, 719 East
Twenty-fifth street. Sufficient informa-
tion had then been received by the
police to enable them to confront him
with considerable evidence.
The officers told him that he had
been identified by a maid in the en-
ploye OF w. Cavey at Westlake and
Orange avenues, whose machine the
gang had attempted to steal from the
barn at the rear of the house but did
not succeed because OF dead engine
Powers confessed and considerab BILE
information was received, enabling the
officers to proceed rapidly with their
arrests. 1t was found that Joseph
Leinen, the oldest of the gang, had
taught the lads to run autos early in
the fall. Leinen is a good chauffeur
and proved a good teacher.
According to the information received
by the police and the records of auto
mobile thefts in the police department
1t is found that the lads picked up a
machine and run 1t for some time but
when they thought they were about to
be caught they would leave the ma
chine crippled in an out Of the way
place.
Deserted Damaged Machine
In running the machines on long
trips the boys would damage the en-
gines and motors of the cars, leaving
them In badly broken down conditions
When through with the machines the
boys took all of the tools and any
articles of value. The Powers home
things.
A complete list of the victims of the
gang as given out by the police is:
Dr. C. l.. Taggart, 1916 South Grand
avenue; ]. M. Hollingsworth, $40 Mil
lard street; w. C. Norman, 913 Va
lencia street; George Weaver, 927 Bur-
lington avenue; DR.. L. Huff, 1924
South F'igueroa street; H. l.. Alexander,
1923 Union avenue; George Snyder, 1121
San Pedro street; w. F. Nordholdt of
Ocean Park; the Southwestern Gar
age company, and Arthur Hawes, 9141
Burlington avenue.
In all Of the above cases the machines
were gone from three days to a week
and when found the autos showed hard
usage. The period over which these
depredations extended was from Sep
tember until the attempt at the Carey
residence few days ago.
The daring displayed by the lads
was shown when they stole machines
from barns and in front of offices and
residences in daylight.
After Powers arrest the officers
found the other lads in various parts
of the city on the street and when all
were in the tolls 1T was decided to place
a charge of burglary against them.
Up to late hour in the evening the
parents of some of the gang were not
located by the police, who desire to in
form them of the arrests.