Evening journal., 1914-07-30
REFORNATORY FOR
HOLD-UP Youth
Juvenile Court Commits
Benson and Remands Arch
er for Trial in City Court
FIGURED IN THE
STANIAR ASSAULT

For the past few weeks the Juvenile
Court has been holding unusually
long sessions, and the session yester-
day afternoon was no exception to
the rule. Five cases. involving IA
children, were before Judge Lattomus.
The most important cases were those
of the two negro youths. John Benson
and Lewis Archer, who were arraign-
ed on the charge of assaulting Will
liam Staniar. near Twentieth street,
and the Boulevard last Thursday
night, with intent to commit robbery.
Benson was committed to the Ferris
Industrial School pnd Judge Latto-
mos declined to heat- the case against
Archer, holding that the Juvenile
Court had no jurisdiction in his case.
William Staniar identified Benson
as one Of the three negroes who had
attacked him, and gave the details Of
the assault, which have already been
published. Benson testified that on
the night of the assault he was at the
home OF Barrett, playing cards. when
one of the other two asked him il he
wanted to make some money. and on
his replying in the affirmative, they
led him from the house out on the
street There, ne said it was explain
ed that they were to hold up a man.
and while the other two held the man
down, he was TO go through his peck
-ets ana secure his money and val
uables
Benson said that they had stationed
themselves near Twentieth street and
the Boulevard and were waiting for
someone TO leave the cars and walk
up the street to where they were con
cealed. He declared that a man had
descended from a street car and had
passed near where they were. but
that of the three said. mo. we don't
want him. He is too big. Let's wait
Tor little man He then told of the
approach of Staniar and the attack
upon him, relating the story exactly
as told by Mr. Staniar.
Judge Lattomus, after hearing the
testimony, committed the negro 10 the
Ferris Industrial School. with the warn
ING that the length of his stay there
would depend upon his behavior
( When Lewis Archer was arraigned. ne
said ne was rs years of aye. and his
father also said he was 10. but contra
dicted this statement bv declaring that
he had been born i'm May, 1896. This
was further contradicted when the Ar
cher family Bible was produced in which
1t was entered that Archer had been
born in November. 1896. Records of n
former charge against the youth in the
Juvenile Court were produced and il was
finally established that he was really
past IL years of age. and therefore out
or the jurisdiction of the court. so the
Judge declined TO hear the evidence
Judge Lattomus, in making this deci.
sion, said:
"Ihe Juvenile Court has no iurisdic.
tion over eases where the defendant.
are over the age of II years. The Jnve.
nile Court should have jurisdiction in
eases of boys II years of age or under
and we think that after the bov has
passed his seventeenth birthday we
shall decline to hear the case We have
however. heard some few. but il has
been done reluctantly. We decline ia
hear cases sent up from the Municipal
Court over the age of IL years"
Archer was then turned over TO The
police
Other cases before the court we're
Two white boys, 16 and II years OF
age, were arraigned charged by Miss
Sarah Pyle, OF the Peoples Settle
ment, with throwing stones into a
crowd of little children playing al
the Settlement The 16-year-old boy
was placed on probation and ordered
to pay the costs in the case. The IL
year-old boy was allowed to 30, on
the statement Of his mother that she
had rented a house in Camden, Della
ware, and intended to move there,
taking the boy with her
Three children, five. seven and nine
years of age, who were before the
court on June 80 as dependent chill
dren, and whose case was held up for
one month to allow the parents an
opportunity to provide a proper home
Tor the children, were brought before
the court and committed to the Chill