Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-06-13
CHIEF SAYS ACTION
NECESSARY To STOP
BOYS DEPREDAT|0NS
Declares 20 Youths Must Be
Dealt With Severely: Two
Offenses Reported Saturday.

Imperative measures must be en-
ployed by the Great Falls officials if
horde of small boys, turned loose on
the streets with the closing of the
schools, are to be prevented from COM
mitting depredations more suggestive
of vandalism than mere mischief. 1t
was declared Saturday by Chief Of Po-
lice Marcus Anderson. Twenty boys,
ranging round the 11-year mark, have
come under the observation of the po-
lice during the past two weeks as
result of petty thefts and property
losses reported from different parts of
the city. 1t is the statement of Chief
Anderson that unless property owners
are to be subjected to the same con-
must be taken with an idea to COM
mittiny Come to the reform school.
The chiefs remarks Saturday were
made after the Montana Cord Tire
company had reported property dam
age to the extent of probably $500
by gang of boys who descended upon
the plant Friday evening. Climbing to
the Doof of one of the buildings, five
boys gained access to number of rolls
of building paper These were rolled
down the roof and dropped to the
ground, where they alghted on a pile
of tiling. To repair the loss An ex-
penditure of half thousand dollars
will be necessary, officials of the COM
pany said.
The boys were rounded up and at
the police station said only in their
own behalf that some of the damage
had been caused by other boys who
had been there before them. They
gave the name of Mark Ellis, 1415
Seventh avenue north; Daniel Owens,
1912 Seventh avenue north Dick Ho-
gan, 1511 Seventh avenue north. Meu-
rel Lta, Eighth avenue and Fifteenth
street north, and Henry Keifer, Sew
enth avenue and Fifteenth street
north. Under the present juvenile law
Jail and after they had been questioned
were released to be kept under obser-
vation by Probation Officer A. A. Car
pc lter.
While these boys were at the city
station Chester Moody and Arnold
Froehlick. aged 10 and II. were
brought in on complaint OF \. G. Luke.
have admitted that they took some pa
pers from the pocket of Luke's coat,
which they found hanging in a tree,
thinking that th&v were getting his
lunch. In the bundle were Luke's dis
charge papers. evidence of his service
in the Canadian army. containing the
only proof upon which he can get
$1,000 bonus from the dominion gov
ernment. Both boys asserted that af-
ter finding no lunch among the papers
taken they threw the whole package in
the Missouri river. Moody and Froeh-
lick were also released but will prob
ably be brought into district court in
the near future.
"This sort of thing has been going
on for several weeks" said Chief An
derson, "and unless a way is found to
stop it the boys responsible will get
worse. There are at least 20 boys un-
der Is years of age who must be dealt
with at once. Day after day we are
called out to investigate juvenile cases
but there is nothing we can do except
, locate the guilty parties. After their
guilt is established we can only re-
lease them and recommend that they
be taken in charge by officials who are
empowered to handle them.
Only recently the Charters store
was robbed, candy factory was brok-
en- into, restaurant was pillaged and
a dozen or more houses were robbed of
edibles. Now comes this raid on the
tire plant and the loss of Luke's papers.
As a result of all these offenses one
boy has been sent away. The others
are still at large and as long as they
so remain we will probably continue to
receive complaints. The parents of the
boys responsible for the fire company's
loss will unquestionably be required to
pay the damage, but past experiences
do not encourage the belief that this
will tend to curb the boys activities
They must be dealt with severely, and
at once, and in a way that will de-
stroy their opportunities for operat~
ing as they have in the past"