Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-12
MAY GIVE WORK TO FRIENDS
COURT MAKES FIRST RULING
UNDER CHILD LABOR LAW.
No Objection to Juvenile Holding
Down Office in Owners
Absence.

Is it a violation Of the child labor law
for an Industrious boy to run errands
without pay for a woman who has be-
friended him?
That Is the question which Justice CAL
Ian. acting judge of the Juvenile Court,
is called on to decide.
This is the first case under the new law
before the District court. The defendant
is Mrs. Martha Parmelee, charged with
employing Theron Talbot, thirteen years
old. who has no permit to work.
The evidence in the case was presented
to the court yesterday afternoon. This
afternoon legal arguments by the corpo-
ration counsel and attorneys for the de-
Tense were heard.
Mrs. Parmelee. the defendant. and her
husband have befriended him for several
years, the boy in the case declared on the
stand yesterday, giving him bread when
he was hungry and a bed when he was
too tired to return home. BY the work
they gave him during the summer the
youngster has been able to pass through
all the grades of school, This summer he
hoped to save up enough money in the lit
tie iron bank his mother keeps for him
at home to enable him to buy books and
other supplies needed for his first year In
the High School.
May SCOD his AMBITIOUS.
But the child labor law and the refusal
of Judge DeLacy to give the boy per-
nit to work. his mother declared yester-
day. threaten to prevent him from at
tending the High School, as he has long
been looking forward to doing.
And the boy himself wants to know if
the law is going to prevent him from
running errands and doing other little
L ir6u for % yvh "a.
friended him to show his appreciation
and have something to keep him busy.
The case was dismissed by the court
this afternoon. Judge Cotton decided the
mitted to work regularly and received no
compensation.
He said that for business man to leave
a boy temporarily in charge of his office
for an hour or so would not be in viola
ton of the law. This boy. according to
the evidence, temporarily took charge OF
q telephone office in the McGill building
while Mrs. Parmelee, the defendant, was
busy for short periods in other parts OF
the building.
1t was brought out yesterday that
Theron is one of family of twelve. or
those. nine are his own brothers and sis
tiers and father and mother. Theron is
the oldest child. His father is employed
by the hour and makes only $40 per day
when he makes full time. His average
income of about $15 per week, 1t was testl-
fed. is used to support the nine members
of the family.
When the case was called by Clerk
Joseph Harper about . o'clock yesterday
afternoon Mrs. Parmelee pleaded not
guilty. She was represented by Attorney
Newton Donaldson.
Inspector c. c. Estes. the first witness,
testified that about July Is he found the
boy working in the telephone booth at
the McGill building. He warned Parmelee,
the janitor of the building, and the Wash
ingtOn Loan and Trust Company. agents
in charge of the structure. that the boy
could not work without permit after
August 1. A permit was requested by
the boys mother but refused.
Early in August, the inspector stated.
he visited the building and found the boy
still answering telephone calls. He ques-
toned Parmelee about the matter and
was told that Mrs. Parmelee was paid
So for tending the telephone and that
she gave the boys mother &c. as an act
of friendliness.
The boy was the next witness. being
called by the government to TESTIFY
against the woman who had been his
friend. He said that since his discharge
from regular employment. which followed
the warning given by the inspector. he
ing nearly all the time. because he liked
the Parmelees and he wanted to be busy,
but received no pay.
Had to Count Up Family.
How many children are there In your
family?'' the boy was asked.
Il don't know. I'll have to stop to
count them.'' he replied.
There are six besides you. are there
not?'
six or seven replied the boy. Be-
sides the children, he said. the family
consists of his father, mother and three
others.
John W. Stages and Policeman L. II.
Edwards also testified that the boy has
been working recently.
Mrs. Parmelee. the defendant, was the
first witness for the defense.
THE boy has never worked for me- she
stated. He worked for the Washington
Loan and Trust Company until July u.
He has not been working since. l have
not paid him one cent since then"
In response to question by Inspector
Estes as to whether or not she had ad-
mitted to him that she had employed the
boy she said:
1.-The little fellow stayed with me be-
cause he would rather stay there than
run the streets. And he often volunteered
to run errands for me. / would say that
/ was out Of bread and he would speak
up at once and say he would go after
some.
I'm the same way he may voluntarily
have answered the telephone for me. But
never asked him to after July 10.
have looked on him as my own child"
Mrs. Talbot, the boys mother, was the
next witness. After telling OF the fam
ily's financial circumstances, she spoke OF
the ambitions of the boy.
He expected to go to the High School
this fall. earning money this summer to
buy his books" she stated. But 1t is
impossible for us to buy his clothes and
books. too, with our large family