The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-06-18
GIRLS STEALING FLOWERS

A number of girls about town have
a disagreeable habit Of going about
raiding flower beds. Lovers of
flowers themselves, they forget that
others who raise flowers do it be-
cause they also love them. The girls
also forget or disregard the fact that
It causes more distress and more loss
to steal flowers that cost a given
amount of money plus labor and cul-
tiyation, than to steal the same value
in money or food or clothing. The
girls who do this raiding, trespassing,
swiping, pilfering, stealing, petty
larceney stunts, are quite as able to
raise flowers as the the people from
whom they steal. In fact It is in
measure their idleness and lack of
employment that leads them to go
out raiding in the evenings. People
have been studying the situation un-
til their identity is known to few
persons, and it has been determined
that they shall not be spared the hu-
initiation of arrest and prosecution If
the practice is continued.
The raiding began this spring with
the first advent of bloom, and at the
time of the May Day exercises by
the schools, many people lost flowers
from their grounds, and in addition
ito the loss of the flowers, in many
cases the bushes were split down by
simply jerking off the twigs or limbs
carrying the bloom. Some very shape
ly shrubs have been ruined in this
way, so that they will not recover
their natural beauty at all. In some
cases the flowers have been pulled up
by the roots; in others the bushes
bearing one or two flowers and null
titude of buds have been broken off,
thus destroying not only the bloom
but all the prospects. Some Of these
have been found strewn around when
they were discarded after seeing that
the buds were not out. 1t is on a
par with taking the ripe melon and
pulling up the vine so the green ones
will be wasted. Many people who
have been sacrificing money and
labor to beautify their grounds or
walks for their own benefit and the
benefit of the town, have met with
these inexcusable losses, and feel cor
respondingly disheartened.
Mrs. J M. Stevens has one of the
finest early peonies in town. They
fcome out early enough for use on
Decoration Day, and are very large
and rare. Somebody stripped them
recently. Mr.. William Thompson
had a fine array of them, and no
sooner had they began to bloom than
they were destroyed. Mrs. Byrd
Trego had a lilac bush split down
and robbed. She shipped in rho
'dodendron from the east and by
much care secured an immense
bloom. 1t is an evergreen plant and
would be beautiful the year around.
lit was probably the only one in the
Pcounty, and many people were taking
their friends to view it. 1t was strip
ped of it's bloom and the bush broken
| and split until it is ruined as an ever
green. Mrs. Hy Allen expended about
ten dollars for seeds and plants and
put in her spare moments all spring
to develop the greatest amount of
beauty possible. They have been
raided and stripped and split and
pulled up by the roots. Mrs. w. F.
Martin, who always bestows a large
and luxuriant flower garden as free
to the public as to herself, has found
her efforts thwarted by the raiders
whose aim seemed to be as much for
destruction as for flowers. Mrs. w.
F. Bergman, Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. Hes
lop, Mrs. O'Connor and many others
have had the same experience.