The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-07-29
Lads Who Persist in Mischief
Are CorraIIed by the
Police.
ABUSED WHITE WOMAN.
YELL "NlGGER, NIGER" AT HER
AS SHE PASSES COURT HOUSE
PARK, THE RENDEZVOUS OF
THE YOUTHFUL LAWRREAKERs

Repeated demonstrations OF rowdy-
ism and constant repetition of COM
plants against the misbehavior of
crowd of boys known as the court
house gang" has resulted in the ar
rest of eight members. "Nigger, mig
GER" yelled one or more of the boys as
Mrs. A. c. Kean, a white woman, pass
ed by the group last evening. She
reported the affair to the police and
Glen Newton was arrested by Officer
Roberts. Newton supplied the police
with the names Of other members Of
the crowd and an attempt will be made
to prosecute Newton, Leroy Hart, Ell
mer Clark, Otis Cromer, Frank Lau-
gle, Charles LOTUS, James Gee and
Nelson Nolan. A charge of lettering
probably will be placed against each.
City Attorney Study is making an in
vestigation of the affair assisted by
the police.
This group Of boys and their COM
panions have been the source of great
er trouble to the police department
hardened criminals ever arrested. The
lads range in age from fourteen to
nineteen years. Several have been
arrested before. If not prosecuted
they have been bound over to the jul
venile court only to be released upon
promises of good behavior and to
break this promise at the first oppor-
tunity. Leroy Hart and Frank Town
send, who has just been paroled after
term at the Plainf1eld reform school.
are credited by Supt. Bailey with the
neatest job Of burglary perpetrated in
this city in the last five years. Hart
has been a ward of the Juvenile court
ever since its creation. Every other
member of the gang has been arrested
on some charge or the other.
The police department has been
hampered in its attempts to put a stop
to the practices. The youngsters
| have been arrested SO often and in
each instance permitted to go unpun-
ished, that they have assumed spirit
of dauntless courage and respect Meth
/ er the police nor the law. The express
sion of one of the youngest lads at po-
lice headquarters this morning Is char
acteristic: Dan McManus, o -, he
couldn't catch me-" He referred to
the first sergeant Of the police. This
same boy, Charles LOTUS, has COM
| United numerous depredations with
absolute abandon and never once caus-
ed to suffer punishment. He has
been saved by his few years.
Other members of the crowd have
had experiences of a kind that would
form material for a story more thrill
ing than any Diamond Dick or Frank
| Merriwell novel of the yellowest back
and contents. These boys refuse no
undertaking because of fear of arrest
or any danger that may lie in their
path. They hold themselves immune
and confident in their escape from
punishment they continue in their
course uninterruptedly.
Time and again they have been TAX
en- to police headquarters or ordered
to report and invariably they have
promised to mend their ways or been
held to the Juvenile court. Hart, who
is commonly called Cracker" has
seen the inside walls of the courts
private office SO often they hold no
| fear for him. He has been there time
and again and always by promising to
be good, has been spared a sentence
to the reform school.
| The lawn about the court house Is
the rendezvous for the gang. They lie
about the yard at all hours Of the day
and far into the night, except when en-
gagged in some mischief The Hart
boy distributes newspapers and is
thrifty about his work, but mischief
breeds in his many leisure hours. The
county commissioners have been told
of the habits of the boys and have in
structed the sheriff to keep them out
of the yard or make them behave
when present. The sheriff. his turn
key and the city police have found 1t
impossible to be on hand every minute
and thus prevent discord. City At
torney Study said this morning he will
ask the commissioners II they can not
devise some method for controlling
the park about the court house. The
lads indulge in noisy games, play ball
and delight in abusing old men and
children who seek the benches in the
cooling shade for rest.