The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-13
ssBuddie" Vandruff Wanted
Bicycle the Worst Way.
Consuming Desire for One, is
What Got Him in Trouble.
! GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE
Probation Officer Believes Lau
Won't Take Things Any More
Father BIames the City iOr Ills
Sons Unlawful Conduct.

aRuddie" Vandruff doesn't look IKE
Ia looks more like an UNI
eonbfsticated country lad whose eSe9
have not vet adjusted themselves ~
-freet cars. paved streets anu p" -
inrs more than two stories hlSh. -
ne has to prove that he ism I'll
Tov and until he does that ne VI.
a,oai, a ward of the juvenile court
ptgbt now he stands as the most re-
so,rceftil little bicycle thief IN 1opeh"
and in spite of his big, wlde-opeh 80
rho police have lost faith IN ms W. u,
Sot So with w. +. Dawdy, probatloh
,eficer He is still willing to take
oi,a,ce and because he is, the Iour-
teen-vear old boy was allowed to leave
the detention home today ana go with
his father. e.,,,+,, for
,isi1ing mn other peoples bicycles
s.T2tIddte'' is both a painter ana me
ctsnic He can take two or three
wheels apart, paint the parts ana re
assemble them in such manner ma
no one can claim all of any one pi-
c,scIa and no one is able to recognize
HE own. The police know he can DO
that for he did it. Right now tILee
ar four Topekans are inspecting that
many wheels stored in the ponce sta-
tion irving to determine whether or
not they are the lawful owners OIL an
or part of any one bicycle
Two hov,s father says the city is re-
snonsibIe The family came to To-
neka two months ago from small
Town northeast of Topeka. They are
poor. The father buys junk and lives
with his family in rooms IN North
Topeka. ..,.
ANYTHING before" said the father to-
dav Hes not a bad boy, but I'll
admit he storied to me in this case
'.Nhen we came to town the boy
was enthusiastic over everything ne
saw. He wanted everything he laid
ewes on, but particularly he wanted
bicycle Now. | couldn't afford TO puy
a bicycle for him, much as wanted
to-. | worried about it, but couldn't
see my way clear to buy it.
zone day l found a family moving
away and preparing to leave an old
bicycle frame They sold it to me for
80 cents. 1 thought l could add to it
from time to time and finally patch up
a wheel for the boy.
.The frame stood around home and
I picked up a different part now and
then. but the boy couldn't wait,
guess He wanted a bicycle worse
than anything else in the world and he
fooled me- He brought home the parts
needed, saying he worked for them or
someone gave them to him. We fixed
up a wheel and he was happy"
Happiness Short Lived.
But "Buddie's" happiness was short
lived. Right while he was assembling
the parts to his wheel the police Of
ficers were looking for wheels that
had disappeared and they were get
ting close to him. The other day they
were tlgging around back of his home
and found a pair of handle bars hid
in an out-of-the-way place. Then
they found other parts.
The boy had taken wheels where
he found them and used the neces-
sary parts to fit to his own frame.
He repainted the assembled machine
and it looked like no other machine
in the world. 1t was a misfit and the
name bicycle was almost a misnomer
but to the boy with a single idea
to own a bicycle it was a gem.
Then the storm broke. He was
arrested. His parents were frantic.
The bicycle was taken away from him
and he was taken to court. It's all
over now-providing "Buddie" reports
regularly and doesn't continue to covet
other peoples belongings-and he will
get his nondescript bicycle back