The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-21

Fifteen Year Old Girl Creates
Much Excitement.
Arrested by Police VIII lie
Fighting Drunk"
THEN MAKES ESCAPE.
Disappears While in Charge of
Mrs. Thorpe.
City Is Reaping a Rich Harvest
From Crime.
THEN MAKES ESCAPE.

Mabel Porter. the 15-year-old COL
ored girl who was arrested Sunday
night for being crazy drunk and who
was paroled by Judge Hayden in the
probate court Tuesday. escaped from
Mrs. Thorpe. the police matron, and
Mrs. Malone, of. the Crittenton home,
Tuesday afternoon while being re-
turned to the city Jail.
The case was a strange one. Mabel
Porter has bad reputation In the
bottoms and she was arrested Sunday
night by the police. Nearly all of her
clothes were torn off and she was
minus her shoes when arrested. She
had been the hostess to IA party of
three of her friends and they did not
treat her as guests generally do. Ma
bel hired Il hack In the early evening
and took her three friends on a beer
and whisky picnic. Things went along
smoothly until the whisky took effect
and then the hack was much too small
Tor the crowd. They hung oat all the
WINDOWS and on THE sides until the
police took charge of the hack and
made patrol wagon out of It.
When Mabel was brought to the
police station 1t was discovered that
she was only Is years old and she was
tha proud posseSSor OF an infant child
She was taken to the probate court
at once and given a hearing before
Judge Hayden; Contrary TO the
Amt it awful" story III the morning
paper. Judge Hayden decided that the
only place for Mable was the Indus
trial school.
The case was dismissed, and Mrs
Thorpe accompanied by Mrs. Malone.
started with the Porter girl for the
city prison. Now Mabel had been de-
feated twice in attempts to escape
from Mrs Thorpe and the police ma
iron called an officer to go with her
to the probate court. After the trial
no officer being available Mrs Thorpe
and Mrs. Malone decided to take Ma
bel back to the city Jail alone. Every
thing went along smoothly until the
young girl spied Johanne Dupree
(Adams) and her crowd out in front
sign of escape to Mabel and with a
quick wrench she jerked loose from
Mrs. Malone and darted like lightning
down Van Buren, street This hap
pened at the corner of Fifth and Van
Buren,. Mrs. Thorpe ran into the
sherifffs house and clear through the
county Jail without finding an officer
except Jailer Baylis, who did not have
man to send. Before the police
could be notified the Porter girl had
gone out of sight and was hidden in
a shack in the bottoms near the Rock
Island yards. Officers have beaten the
brush, but 1t is like hunting for horse
blankets-and Mabel Porter is a lost
sheep.
JuSe De1ore. the stores, closed last
night a gang of kids gathered in the
alley behind the Crosby brothers store
and began peppering the windows with
rocks and broken bricks They did
not have any excuse for the act-ex-
cept to cause little excitement. The
police were called and before they could
BLOCK the alley the youngsters had dis
appeared. They did not cause very
much damage as their excitement spoil
ed their aim. 1t is thought that they
had II in" for a little carrier who
works in the store and wanted to hurt
his business.
A gang of six prisoners was put to
work on the outside And inside of the
police station today and every window.
piece of woodwork and floor in the
building has been Thoroughly washed
and scrubbed Whenever the jailer runs
out of hammers for the prisoners and
the rocks run low the prisoners are
used to clean up the station. For the
first time In many years 1t is possible
to see out of the police station windows
and natural light is used in the day.
time instead of electricity. If col. .
Hughes could only see the Jail now he
would change his mind about a new
building.
The city is making money out of
crime this month Before the month
is over the police will have made
enough to cover their salaries. Over