The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-17
Acted as SIeuth at Garfield
Park Sunday.
NOW HE Is CONTRITE.
Shed Copious Flood of Tears Al
ter Fine Is Assessed.
May Be Permitted to go Back
to Farm"

gushing in Jail today all on account
of reading Old Sleuth detective novels
and listening to the Establishments OF
the detective agencies for ambitious
amateurs. There is no more harm in
this country youth than a rabbit. He
had merely filled the vacant space in
his head with lot of dope about the
bloody thumb prints the human
bloodhound the clew, the exciting
battle with the safe blowers, the re-
ward for the brave detective, and so
forth.
Roy was arrested on charge of inn
personating an officer, grave onense.
and is In Jail with SIS fine hanging
over him. He went over to GARFIELD
park in North Topeka Sunday TO at
tend the encampment and sessions or
the Young Peoples Evangelical Al
lance there and met Frank Fisher.
Walter Whitehead, A. B. Burse and
Beverly Tanner all North Topeka
boys The evidence of these boys IN
police court this morning was to the
effect that Roy Stovall had held them
up with club for a weapon, alleging
that he was a detective and In the EN-
ploy of Sheriff Wilkerson as deputy
on a salary of $50 per month. He
''trailed'' each boy around behind the
tents in the park. and having "clew
that suggested intended robbery of the
tents by these boys, forced them to
hold ND their hands while he searched
them. The boys complained to the
policeman on the grounds and as
Chief Eaton happened to be there,
too, Sherlock Holmes of America was
taken away to the city prison.
This detective, with nerves of ice,
thevs of steel, and the cunning OF a
fox broke down and wept in Jail this
morning as he told the reporter the
story of his brief career. He whlm-
pered liked a whipped school boy
when he came to tell of this. his first
experience behind the bars. II didn't
mean no HARM" he said. Il was only
playing with those boys, and they
knew II, too. l was born and raised
at Peabody, Kan, and left there six
months ago because my rather was
mean to me. have been working
here az a laborer for five months and
I don't mean no harm to nobody. l
never did a bad thing in my life to
60 to iail for. I didn't know II was
against the law to play like l was an
OFFICER I've got job with a FARMER
at Elmont. and if they'll let me out l
will go down there right away ana
work hard and pay every cent OF my
fine. Tell the judge about IT, won't
YOU and get him to let me go away
from this awful cell" The boy at TINS
point broke down and cried 80 hard
that he could not finish his story
Judge JTrmy and Chief Eaton feel sor-
~ for him and believe that he meant
no harm, but that IL is merely case
of too much dime novel and detective
agency The boy admitted that ne
was an admirer of the classics or de-
tective fiction and that mis- natural tall
ents had been encouraged by detec-
tive abenctes-
There were seven boisterous negroes
in the city Sunday and they just had
TO cut up a little in order TO SHOW now
bad they really were. They are sood
darkies today, but their penltence had
a suspicious look and Judge Urmy fined
them just the same. Their detenses
ranged from plain drunk to a drunk
with all the trimmings. including dis
orderly conduct fighting and resisting
an officer.
Detective Hopkins picked up a vag
on suspicion Of being the man who
stole suit of clothes and suit case
from a gardener named OBrien, liv-
ing at the east edge of the city, and
after a visit to a local pawnshop found
the evidence necessary to convict.
Charles Smith, the prisoner, had pawn
ed the stolen goods at the shop.
; G. w. Brown, a farmer, who was ar
rested for fast driving Sunday. put up
a cash bond and forfeited the money
by his failure to face the city authori-
ties in police court this morning.
Pete" Connors. in Jail today on a
charge of vagrancy, talked to the po-
lice judge this morning with all the
fluency and modern phraseology of his
noted namesake Chuck Connors of
Bowery fame. Actually. this fellow
spoke a different language. He talked
five minutes in English las she is
spoke" on the Bowery and never used
a word that could be found in Web
ster's dictionary. Webster was q
pretty good Indian, but he was away
behind the times and failed utterly to
grasp or comprehend the possibilities
Of the language which he studied so
hard and arrayed as a guide for man.
kind. Connors' fiuency and diction did
hot take one penny from the sum total
of his fine.
Maude Lawson and Jim. her hus-
band, and Frank Harris and George
Wilkerson were all arrested on charge
of keeping and being found in a disor-
derby house in the bottoms. They gave
bond. The trouble arose at O'clock
Sunday night and three plain clothes
men responded in the patrol wagon.
Did you ever see the Black Maria como
in from raid in the bottoms? II is :
interesting as run by the fire laddies.
The police have regular fire station
equipment In the way of harness for
the horses on the patrol wagon and are
some pumpkins themselves when it
comes TO making a quick get away 1t
was hot as brick kiln Sunday night
when the wagon came in from the raid
Jailer Lawson came to the door to well
come his guests. Maude Lawson is
fair and fat. weighing 200 at least. She
was In moderately good humor, but
the men were sore. They kept their
crouch until they were shown to the
parlor bedroom In the bullpen. Quite a
crowd had gathered In front of the jail
when the Black Maria pulled up with
a flourish. Sergeant Jenkins dropped
off the back steps of the wagon and his
four prisoners tumbled down after
him. The crowd formed lane to the
door and 1t was Louis XIV procession
70 the palace at Fontainbleau sor-
rier sight. or one better calculated to