Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-25
NINE-YEAR-0LD GIRL
ADMITS MANY THEFTS
SAYS WOMAN TAUGHT HER TO
STEAL
Leads Police to the House OF Mrs.
Campbell, Whom She Accuses
of Being Female
Fagin
AUG. EBSEN, Prop.
149-153 North Spring Street. Next Door to
Hamburgers

NEW YORK, July Blocked up in
the Children's society rooms in Scher-
merhorn street, Brooklyn, is a 9-year-
old girl who. Capt. Cruise of the Cly7
mer street police station says, is the
most remarkable criminal of her years
he has ever encountered. The charge
against the child is grand larceny, and
according to Capt. Cruise the little one
confessed that she alone was respon-
sible for more than forty robberies in
Williamsburg recently.
Although declaring that she had er-
fected the thefts unaided, the child I'M
plicated in her story woman, married,
and with child of her own, and later
the little girl led Capt. Cruise and some
detectives to the woman's house. she
is Mrs. Julia Campbell. of $40 Flushing
avenue. She denied the charges OF the
child, but was locked up.
The little girl said at first that she
was Annie Reilly. Later she said that
Reilly was her mothers maiden name,
but that her fathers name was Wilson.
Throughout her remarkable confession
the child seemed not to realize that
what she was telling was unusual. she
was calm and self-possessed, and once
having decided to answer Capt. Cruise
questions she apparently tried hard TO
A@-NN-
to answer truthfully.
Many Robberies Reported
Many reports have reached the Cly-
mer street station from residents OF
the eastern district residence section
that the appearance of the little girl,
always pushing a dolls carriage. mas
been followed invariably by the dis
appearance of ValuableS from some
house, but the police never happened
on the child until yesterday, when De-
tectives Miller and Robinson notlceu
her struggling in the grasp OF MRS.
Mary Walden of 236 Hewes street IN
Marcy avenue, near Hewes street.
81 want this child arrested" said
Mrs. Walden. when she learned VINO
the detectives were. Il am perfectly
certain that it was she who stole sew
eral hats and coats from my nome
few DAYS ago. A little girl called there
and said she was looking for a Mrs.
Reilly. / let her go away, but discov-
cred the loss of the clothing almost as
soon as she was out of the door. When
1 looked for her 1 did not find her, but
l am sure this is the child"
The little girl, still trundling her doll
carriage, was taken to the Clymer
street station, and the detectives no.
ticed for the first time that the car
rage was packed with something. They
examined it and found in 1t a gold
watch and chain, two hats, a child's
coat, two children's hats, two children's
dresses, a gold chain with locket and
gold crucitix.
The little girl admitted that she had
stolen the things. She said that a
woman whose name she said she did
not know had taught her to steal, and
was accustomed to walk the streets
with her until she saw a basement
door open. Then. said the child. the
woman would tell her to go inside and
take whatever she could get, caution
ing her, the child said:
Asked for Mrs. Reilly
"If you are caught just tell the peo-
pie that you came in to look for Mrs.
Reilly"
"She told me to say Reilly" added
the child, because that is my name,
and so l shouldn't be likely to forget
it. | stole til. watch this morning
from a house in Washington avenue.
The woman was with me and pointed
the place out. to me-"
The little girl said she always took
her loot home and went with 1t the
next morning to the home of the wom-
an, after which they started out on
another tour The child said she had
been able to take the stuff home with
out fear of discovery because her
mother was in the hospital. ana she
lived alone with a 6-year-old sister IN
three rooms at 1888 Hewes street.
Papa is a boatman,' iisped the
child, land he can't get home nights,
so neighbors take care of us"
The child insisted that she could
not remember the name or address OF
the woman whom she accused or being
a female Fagin, but at last said she
thought she could so to the woman's