The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-03
Runaway Detention Home Girls
Located by County Officers.
Bernice Bozarth, IA, in Jail
After Second Escape.
MABEL CRAWFORD AT MAYETTA
Two Also Stayed in Deserted
House without Food.
Were Driven by Hunger to Raid
on BOzarth Pantry.

With a haystack for q bed for two
| nights and an empty house in East
Hill as a home, Bernice Bozarth, II,
and Mabel Crawford, IA, who escaped
from the county detention home a
week ago Saturday night, escaped de-
| lection for two days and two nights.
Cold, hungry and ready to surrender
the girls went to the home of the
Bozarth girls parents, east Of Topeka
on the Seward avenue road.
They remained there until Thursday
when the Crawford girl obtained
money sufficient to take her to May
eta, where she has relatives. Juvenile
officers today finally learned that the
Bozarth girl. was at her. home. Miss
Eva Corning. probation officer, and
Sheriff Hugh Larimer went out to the
Bozarth home today where hey found
the girl. This afternoon she was in
the county Jail
After we slipped out of the deten-
ton home Saturday night" said the
Bozarth girl today, I'VE went out east
on Fourth street until we were in the
country. We slept in a haystack that
| night The next morning early we
went over to East Hill where we found
an empty house.
Mabel had some matches. We
gathered wood. put 1t in an old stove
which we found in the house and
| stayed there that day without a bite to
eat. When it was dark we slipped
away and went to my home.
Dressed in Overalls.
THE folks were going into town
that night and we hid in a shed until
they left. Then we opened a window
and went right to the pantry where we
got some food. Next, we hunted up
some warm clothes. I put on overalls.
I'VE left the same way we came and
slept in the same haystack that night
The next night we decided to give up
and went home"
The girl asserted that her mother
| told them she should not report them
to officers but if officers came out to
the house she would not hide the girls.
The only notification the mother
ever received of the girls escape didn't
come from juvenile officers. It came
thru Mrs Loretta Fowler. who was
adjudged insane today in probate
court, who called at the house at 2
o'clock Sunday morning, a few hours
after the girls escape, according to
the story told by Bernice today.
"She came out at 2 o'clock, mother
told me-" said the girl. Then she was
out at o'clock the same morning.
and called again at s o'clock Sunday
afternoon"
= The money furnished the Crawford
girl to go to Mayetta was money
which the Bozarth girl said she had in
her possession It is expected juvenile
officers will endeavor to locate the
Crawford girl at Mayetta. Bernice
stated Mabel left Thursday.
Ordered to Lansing.
At the time of the Crawford girls
escape she was reported to be under
treatment by city medical officers
for a social disease. That morning
she had been ordered sent to Lansing
for treatment by Judge James A. Nc
Clure in the district court who denied
a petition for a writ of habeas corpus
filed by Mrs. Loretta Fowler in the
girls behalf. Both girls were arrested
in connection with the grade school
scandal.
About month ago the Bozarth girl
and Hazel McEwen. another girl, es-
capped from the detention home and
according to their story, were taken to
a room in a house on Topeka avenue
where they stayed three days and
three nights with. two boys, who,
they claimed bought them boys
clothes, which the girl said, they wore
on the streets of Topeka and to test
their disguise passed up and down in
front of police headquarters without
detection. The boys clothes which the
girls assert they wore are in the hands
Of juvenile officers and will be used
as evidence against one Of the two
boys who is now under arrest charged
with a statutory crime. The other
boy escaped.
Prior to this escapade. two other
boys were arrested as result of stor-
les told by the McEwen and Bozarth
charges in the criminal court in jan
YrrY