The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-31
COP HALTS FLIGHT
OF YOUNG ELOPERS
Brooklyn Youth and Maid,
Each is, Spend Night in
Prospect Park.
FOUND ASLEEP ON BENCH
Had Decided They Couldn't
Live Without Each Other
Both in Jail.

Among the rarer phenomena OF police
courts is the spectacle Of the law en-
bracing arrant Migrants. yet Big Pat
Mcconville walked into the Flatbush
avenue court over in Brooklyn yesterday
with an arm around the shoulder Of the
rvag'' to his right and the "vag'' to his
left. a most unpolicemanliSe attitude.
Even Magistrate McCloskey glanced up
In puzzled sort Of way and busted off
his glasses as II they were to blame.
He saw, indeed. a very pretty little
girl, scarcely more than a child. whose
skirt fell only a little way below her
knees and whose hair was still In braids,
and an extremely young man. let's say,
whose effort to assume the confident
manner of maturity had been pretty OBJ
viousiy discouraged HIS Honor per-
ceived two children of the most wobegone
habit imaginable. the girl actually In
tears and the boy not far from 1t And
he noted with considerable interest Pat
McConville's fatherly posture and the
tolerant and friendly smile he kept turn
ing upon the culprits.
whats the charger" said his Honor.
"vagrancy in Prospect Park" said
Pat succinctly.
look II In the least"
"And sure. they're not st." agreed Pat.
but the law thinks they are"
Policeman Tells Their stortes.
While the pair of waits regaJ~1eo him
hopefully as a friend in a gloomy stu
alton McConville told the tale as he
had found It. Musette Bragg. the girl,
all of 16, lives at TAT Haisey street. and
Matthew Boyd. of precisely the same
age, lives at 433 Prospect place. Their
families are we'll TO do people. Musette
has been enjoying her summer vacation
from high school and Matt Is home for
the summer from the Peekskill Military
Academy. They met just by chance "a
most wonderful thing, as they have
agreed over and over again) at block
party in Prospect place. They knew
then and there that for Mnsette there
would never be any other sweetheart
than Matt. and for Matt never any other
girl than Musette. That Yves settled.
These ailments sometimes progress as
startlingly as fever. form of which no
doubt they are on Tuesday they made
up their troubled minds that they .,uld
/, no longer live apart. Musette tried to
ltell her mother about II that evening.
but got SO fustered and tangled up
that Mrs Bragg scarcely knew what the
dhild was talking about and scolded hei
foundly for filing her pretty head with
foolish notions.
Curiously enough. about the same
thing happened to Matt that evening
when he endeavored to make his mother
Understand that life would be simply
,knbearable without Musette. He finally
fiounced out of the house and Joined
his sweetheart at the Prospect Park
gate. They felt that the time had come
for them 20 face the world together. Re-
turning home to the unsynpathetic and
probably hostile admonitions of parents
was not to be thought of.
1t was after o'clock when they went
into the cool, dim recesses of the park
and II was after s o'clock yesterday
morning when Big Pat found them, fast
asleep, Matt tumbled to one side. Mu-
settle leaning against his shoulder.
In Park All Might.
sure, your Honor. II was a pretty
picture" said Pat "They are just kids
and mighty nice kids at that / had
seen them in the park at s o'clock last
night and again at 10, but didn't say
anything to them. because I knew they
were all right. It's easy enough to tell.
And let them be. never dreaming they
would still be there in the morning. So
] had to arrest them. under the law. for
vagrancy Be easy with them. Judge,
II may put in word"
The Magistrate smiled behind his
hand. but his eyes were stern. He ques-
toned Matt while Musette sobbed a
pathetic accompaniment The upshot of
II was that Matt and Musette assured
him OF their unalterable devotion to
each other and of the emptiness of life
apart With that conviction, they said,
they had left their homes on Tuesday
night TO face the world. But when they
came to think II over there was really no
place to go. Matt had So cents and
Musette could jingle "a in the bead purse
containing a powder rag. So they went
TO the park to think and plan. and the
Job was so bard and trying that sleep
caught them before anything was worked
out. Then along came Pat.
Raymond street jail until Saturday. first
giving them a warm and friendly hand
shake. the Magistrate sent word to their
parents. Mr.. and Mrs John Bragg and
Mrs. Matthew Boyd. The chances are
that their punishment will not be severe
II never dreamed that the child was
IN love-" said Mrs Boyd last night
HE tried to tell me something In a very
dramatic. tense way about the most
wonderful girl In the world or something
like that, but I'm afraid my mind was
on other matters. Well, / shall go up
20 the jail tonight or tomorrow early.
and ] guess things will come out all
right"