The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-23
Trap Was Set For Lad and He
Fell Into 1t Easily
c0NFESsEDTO ROBBERIES
Thirteen Year old Boy Was
Brought to the Police
Station
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
BY a piece of amateur detective
work, Ervie Smith, thirteen years
old was caught last night between
six and seven o'clock, in the act of
cleaning the money out of the draw
er in the office of the Perrin garage.
With one hand full of silver coins
and the other full of paper money he
was caught by Tommy Roberts. The
latter had laid concealed in car
near the office. The trap had been
carefully laid by employees of the
place. The boy had asked if he could
go in and use the telephone. He was
granted the permission and thought
opened the cash drawer as he had
done many times before and proceeded
to help himself with two liberal hands
working at the same time.
Money has been missed from time
to time from the Perrin office since
Decoration day last. This boy ad-'
mitted to Chief Klugherz at the police
station this morning that the steal
ing was done by him. On Decoration
day the clerks missed about S25
from the cash drawer. On the very
next day this lad was seen hanging
about the office, where he was wait
ing for a chance to get into the
money drawer again. Harry H. Per-.
rim, the proprietor, wished to go fish
ing, and the lad was engaged to go
and get him some frogs. The lad
asked whether he was to get the
frogs or frog. legs, and he was told
to get the frogs, and they 'were want
ed for fishing. A little while after
wards, he was noticed still hanging
around the office. He again asked
the same question of another man,
whether it was frogs or frog legs that
were wanted. He had been told very
clearly before what was wanted, but
he wished an excuse for staying
around the office. The finger of sus-
picion was already pointing at him,
nothing was said to him about it at
the time.
Cash Drawer Again Short.
The very next day the cash drawer
was against shortaThis time 500 was
gone. A few days later 81. 55 was
missed and the next day, $15.45. All
of this made total of $65.10.
The boy lives with his mother and
grown sister on Cherry street in the
place that was once a photograph
gallery, not far from Front: His
father, Jasper Smith, day laborer
has gone to Duluth in the hope Of
hof oil of a c
the man is suffering with asthma.
The boys father had been unable to
work steadily, on account of that di
sease The mother does dressmak
ing. The sister does domestic serv-
ice There is also an older sister
who is married.
The boy admitted this morning that
he had been doing more or less
stealing, ever since he came to Man
kato about year ago from his form
er home at Eagle Lake. He admitted
stealing at various times from the
Hayes-Lucus lumber office, from
Cashier O'Brien at the baseball
grounds and from George P. Laven's
garage on Second street. He has
been caught before, but the robbed
people have not prosecuted him. They
gave him another chance to reform
and this gave him another chance
to steal.
Had Hired Livery Rigs.
Young Smith was closely ques-
toned as to what he did with the
money he had been stealing from Per-
rims garage. He accounted for part
of it by saying that he had been hir-
ing livery rigs, and taking drives with
other boys to MinneOpa. and elsewhere.
He told of putting about SIT in a
pipe that lay with other pipes. out
side near his home, and later finding
that the money was gone. He sus-
pected that it had been taken by
one of the other boys who had been
going with him. He said other boys
had been putting him up to stealing,
so that he could take them on the
buggy rides. He gave some names
to Chief Klugherz. One of these boys,
he was told, seemed to have quite a
supply of money, after the ST had
disappeared from that pipe. He told
of losing quite sum when he was
on one of his buggy rides. He also
accounted for the disappearance Of
some of the money in the purchase OF
candy, pop and the like.
The boy burst out crying from tins
to time as he was questioned this
morning.
He was brought to the station last
evening, after he was caught lin the
act of stealing in the office of the
Perrin garage. But he was not obliged
to spend the night at the station.
Chief Klugherz this morning de-.
cided to lay the whole matter before
County Attorney Schmitt.
Chief Klugherz this afternoon plan
ned to talk over the situation with
Budd Caldwell of North Mankato,
Clarence Near and other boys.
From fridays DAliv.
Washinton, June 16.-President
Wilson's reply to President Carran-'
Za's demand for the withdrawal OF
the American troops from Mexico is
ready and may be transmitted to the
Mexican government today. The
American note is in no sense an ulti-
matllm. 1t simply states the American