Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-09-22
INDECISINt PROCEEDINGS
OF THE JUVENILE COURT
Judge Kent Sends the Boys to Their
Homes With Instructions to Parents
to Confer With Him.

The prospective matriculants for the
reform school who have accumulated
in the county Jail during the last TWO
months were before Judge Kent yes
terday morning in juvenile court pro-
ceedings. None of the cases were very
aggravated and final action was not
taken. The boys were sent to their
homes with an injunction TO their par
ents or guardians to come to the judge
and talk the matter over when some
arrangement for the betterment of the
morals of the boys will be made.
The most interesting OF the. lot is
little Primitive Moline who was caught
robbing the house Of Beverly Cox on
the instaliment plan and selling the
furniture 10 Il second hand store.
Primitive is a particularly brilliant
lad not naturally bad but who has been
allowed to run to waste. He is obe-
dent and warm hearted but he has
developed a peculiar cunning in the
appropriation of other peoples prop
erty.
When he was first taken into GUS
tody, he so worked upon the affections
of the people about the sheriffs office
that ne was given the run of the cor
ridor and after that the run of the
town with instructions to report at
brief intervals. One day he brought
in silver watch for the possession
of which he accounted in a most un-
satisfactory manner. Under the sweat
ing process he admitted that he
lifted il from a man sleeping on
bench in the very shadow of the Jail.
The man had gone by this time and the
watch is still in the sheriff's office.
Soon after that the boy brought in a
gold ring which could never be traced
to its proper owner.
He became messenger for the kan
CARGO court. in buying supplies with
the court fund. He always held out "A
part Of the fund so that when he re-
turned from a purchase trip it was
necessary to hold him upside down and
shake him.
One day Deputy Sheriff Adams sent
him out after a ten-cent cigar. The
boy returned with one which nearly
poisoned the officer. An investigation
disclosed that it was a twO-fer. The
rest of the money had gone for candy.
Usually after these lapses from strict
integrity he was locked up in the wo-
mems cell but his weeping disturbed
the seighborhood and he was given
another chance.
His crowning performance was the
burglary of the office Of the county
treasurer. from which episode he got
the nickname of assistant county
treasurer OF Maricopa county. one
morning Deputy Davis released him
from his cell and lay down on cot
to take another nap. He was suddenly
alarmed by the fierce sound of the
bell which is intended to apprise the
sherifrs office that the treasury is be-
ing robbed. The deputy seized a re-
voIver and hurried to the door of the
office. 1t was locked and then it oc-
CURED to the deputy that nobody
would be robbing the. office at that
time of day. He went outside TO see
what he could see through the win
dow. He found the boy standing on
the ground nearby and he raised him
to the window. Primitive reported
that all was right inside. He gave
himself away by telling the officer
that there was nothing there to steal
anyhow; there was no money in any
of the drawers
He later admitted that he knew what
he was talking about for within five
minutes after he had been turned out
of his cell he had crawled along a
ledge to the window, opened it and
entered. One drawer he found locked
and seeing a push button he surmised
that that had something to do with
the opening of the drawer. He pushed
il. That was what had alarmed the
officer. When Primitive heard him at
the door he evaporated through the
window to the ground where the Of
ficer found him.
He had been noticed at different
times during the day, usually after
office hours, climbing around the en-
tire building on the ledge. in itself
something of feat. He said he was
trying the windows. One morning
County School Superintendent Fulton
found that some one had been there in
his absence and had paved his care
fully arranged papers over. Primitive
when pinned down admitted that he
had been in the office.