Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-05
THEY TAKE GOOD CARE OF
HORSE THEY STOLE
Counterpart of a klpling Story Is
Found In a Pair of Gamins Now
Doing Penance in De-
tention Home

Like Kipling's story of "Jakin and
Lew" in the tale of the Drums Of
| the Fore and Aft" is the story of the
adventures of two bad little youngsters
who are now doing penance in the de-
tention home and the county hospital
awaiting the time when they will be
hailed before Judge Wilbur to answer
the charge of horse stealing.
Never in the annals of the detention
home has there been such visitors as
Herbert Ensign and Royal James, botn
thirteen years of age. The boys are
peculiar, with love of adventure stick
ing out all over them and with the ster-
ling qualities of gameness predominant
ing their bad actions.
The boys stole a horse and buggy
from Henry Kelley, a wealthy property
owner of Hollywood. The theft oc-
Cured several weeks ago and the lads
disappeared as though swallowed up
in an earthquake and had it not been
for a quarrel between them they would
never have been tracked.
Care for the Horse
AS it was they travelled through the
Toluca region and finally landed in the
Santa Ana canyon, where they went to
work. and they cared for their stolen
property with such regularity that the
horse is now in better condition than
when it was taken away. Ranchers OF
the neighborhood where the boys stop
ped state that they worked hard all
day in the blistering sun to earn money
to have the horse properly fitted out
with shoes and that they refused to
even consider an offer of SIS for their
horse.
But evil was the day when they fell
out, and Ensign, too small to fight with
his larger companion, whacked the
reckless Royal over the head with a
hatchet.
That caused the discovery of the
lads, for Ensign told the story of the
theft and James went to the hospital
hand Officer Sepulveda of the local
sheriff's office went north and brought
both boys to Los Angeles, where En-
sign was sent to the detention home
and James to the county hospital.
Swear, Then Shake Hands
Yesterday morning for the first time
since the fight they met at the county
hospital and under the coaching of the
officers they were induced to shake
hands and make up and combine fol-
| the fight against the law.
Ensign marched into the ward where
his former pal sat in an invalids chail
and looked weary with the world.
The boys looked fiercely at each other
and then they pretended not to see
one another. Finally they were pur-
suaded to break the silence by speak
ing at the same time.
"Yuh d-n tattletale," said one.
Jaw, shut yer trap or I'll smear yol
in der sneezer" came the reply.
Then both boys shook hands ano
grinned.
Gee! yuh look like some ole gram
mudder," remarked the pugnacious En-
sign, as he surveyed the forlorn look
ing James, whose feet rested on thu
edge of the invalid's chair and whose
head was swathed in bandages.
Ensign Tells the Story
well, youse has got to hear abou
| this stealing game, so I'm goin' to d'
my shoutin' right here" said Ensign.
1--WE, me and me pal, says we arr
Roin' to Frisco and dig up things n
l the rooms, so we started out and goel
\ down the road. When we came to tn
church on Temple street there stooC
a gray horse hitehed up to a buggy
! That Is, the south end Of the hors
was hitched TO the buggy while TIN
north end was tied TO a post.
''Well, some how dat idea abou
Frisco went out OF my head and
Just looked at that old gray horse am
began 10 think That Calabasas coun
try is fine In the summer, and prett,
soon looked up and saw the old mool