South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-04
Arthur Raj, Arrested When
Boys Give Police Clue, Tells
Amazing Story of TheftS
Committed During Month.

A boy OF Il years has been arrested
and. according TO the police, has con-
fessed TO practically every petty rob
berry and theft in the long list that
baffed the police department for so
many weeks He is Arthur Raj los
y. Walnut St, son OF Mr.. and Mrs.
Samuel Raj. who conduct "A grocery
store at their residence.
Although In many cases the clues
left by the robber led the police and
detective force TO believe that the af-
fairs were the work Of a youth. they
We're astonished Tuesday morning
when boys who live in the vicinity Of
the home OF r. o. BrOwnen. 632 y.
Main ST, provided a description of a
boy they alleged they had seen com
ing out OF the house. They gave the
police department the description af-
ter BrOwnell had reported the theft of
80 cents from a pocketbook in which
there was much larger amount of
money.
Boys Give Clue.
The police say that the name, even,
was given by the boys VINO saw young
Raj come from the Brownell resi-
dence With that much information
10 work with, Detectives Diver and
Lane we're sent Thursday afternoon to
the Raj residence. the only Raj family
! listed in the directory and arrested
/
ed with several other descriptions
which had been furnished the depart
ment.
Young Raj was taken to the police
station and was questioned by Chief
Kuespert and Capt. Bunker. In a
spirit of bravado, il is said. the boy
told Of "a list of depredatiOns which
would have done credit 10 a crook of
years experience.
Raz's method was unique. He had
fashioned a tool with which he would
punch a hole in a screen. door and
raise the fastened latch. The tool
was a marvel of simplicity, but in no
case had it failed TO work lit was
found by the police two weeks ago at
the home of r. =. Louis, 529 s. Car
roll St. where il is thought the young
burglar had dropped il when sudden
ly surprised at work by the return OF
the family.
That the youthful robber was as
resOurceful in tight pinches as ne was
ingenious in planning his depredations
was indicated by his recital of an in
cident which occurred after he had
pulled off, a job on :. Carroll st.
He didn't remember the exact place.
AS he was leaving he home after
having ransacked it he met a man,
evidently the master of the house, on
the porch.
boy" queried the man, surprised at
the youths appearance.
"Oh. I'm just working for the lady
ne replied nOnchaiantly and sped on
without further hesitation.
Worked Over a Month.
The boy said that he had operated
/ in the city for over a month, but never
until recent crimes had he even APP
preached being detected. His jobs,
according TO his own story, were not
confined to any one portion of the city.
He was shrewd in that after pulling
a job in one section, he moved his
operations to the other side of the
town. Never. said he, did he rob two
! places that were in the same COM
munity.
He could not tell the police where
or how he became obsessed with the
! desire to steal. While his parents are
not in the best of financial circum-
stances they are not poor enough for
there to be any incentive from that
quarter. Chief Kuespert is inclined
I to believe that the lad is a klepto-
maniac. and can no more help taking
what does not belong to him than the
most sophisticated of yeggs.
The loss of his operative tool is
| thought by the police to have lessened
the boys ardOr. The BrOwnen job
/ was the first TO be reported TO the pO-
4 lice since last saturday morning.
Denies Taking Jewelry.
Il will not and never did take jew
elry." cried the boy to the police Of
I fcialS when questioned about certain
4 jewel thefts He emphatically de-
MED every robbery that entailed the
/ loss of any sort of jewelry. The prob
ability that ne was telling the truth
4 is borne out by the fact that in every
| case in which entrance to a home had
! been gained through a rear door, there
was no jewelry missing.
! Young Raj has been turned over
/ IN Juvenile Officer Miller He is at