Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-26
CLAIM BOYS
WERE THIEVES
FIVE ARRESTED FOR coLEeRovE
RoRBERIEs
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES MAY
TAKE A HAND
Many Stolen Articles Recovered from
Hiding Places by the Arresting.
Officers-Taken Before
Justice

A gang of juvenile robbers has, ac-
cording to the belief of the county Of
ficers, been broken up in Colegrove and
articles which have disappeared from
stores and dwelling houses in that vi
entity during the last two years have
been unearthed under cellars and
among rocky and leaf-scattered hiding
places in Shoemaker canyon. Watches
combs, tooth brushes and other things
have been discovered until the list
reaches into the hundreds.
The activity of the officers was
spurred on by the robbery of the post
office at Colegrove ON February 7, at
which time about $50 was taken. The
boys arrested are Merle McReynolds,
Eddie Escherich, Fred Escherich, Will
liam B. Coe and Howard Straw, and
their ages range from IA to 16 years.
The two first named are said to have
carried out the robbery of the post
office. and it is believed the federal
authorities will deal with their case.
The youthful prisoners were brought to
the county jail by W. G. Fry, city
marshal, and j. Eckenberg, his deputy,
of Hollywood, and appeared before
Justice Selph yesterday. Their exam
ination was set for Saturday morning
and bonds in each case were fixed at
$780,
Young Coe has been on probation,
and it is believed he will be sent to
Whittier to serve out the remainder Of
his term, eighteen months.
Leader is Fifteen Years Old
Merle McReynolds, the leader of the
gang, is Is years old. His mother is
a widow. Eddie Escherich was his
lieutenant and assisted him in PLAN
ming and executing the robberies.
Escherichs father is prominent citi-
zen of Hollywood and has resided there
for many years. According to City
Marshal Fry of Hollywood, Mercy
nolds' career of crime began about
two years ago. He says the boy con-
fessed to having stolen things at differ
ent times for the last two years.
"McReynolds had one OF the finest
lunches of skeleton keys ever saw"
said Marshal Fry. 1.-THE bunch con-
sisted of thirty-four keys-twenty-fou
of which were made by the boy him.
self In this bunch of keys were keys
to the front doors of the Godfrey
house at Palm avenue and Prospect
street, and to the Colegrove postoffice
and store. We have recovered nearly
everything the boys had stolen, al
though there was lot of the plumber
destroyed by the youthful offenders.
"The boys participated in twenty-four
burglaries. They robbed a number of
tool chests and hid the tools and some
of their goods in the attic of the Nc
Reynolds boys home. Access to this
attic was by the means of an outside
stairway, which made it possible for
the boy to carry the stolen articles to
this room without being seen by his
mother.
1.-The boys robbed the public school
libraries and also the Hollywood library
of a number of books. None of the
articles stolen were disposed of, the
boys claiming that they were afraid IF
detection. They said they were after
money.
when they could not get that they
would take anything else that suited
their fancy. We recovered tools that
are valued at over 500. Among the
many articles of plumber taken by the
young culprits We're dining table,
mattress, some pillows and quilts. The
largest haul they made was when the
Colegrove postoffice and store was
robbed. In this haul they secured ISL
in money. In this robbery a mailsack
key was stolen. This key was found
with the bunch belonging to the Nc
Reynolds boy.
II am certain there are two more
gangs operating in this section. They
arr older than the boys now in prison.
We have a clew to their Identity and
expect to catch the guilty ones in
short time"
Marshal Fry is assisted by his depu-
ties, Clark and Eckenberg. There are
also a number of deputies serving with
out pay, who are helping him in his
effort to run down the persons respOn-
sible for the numerous burglaries in
THAT district.