New-York tribune., 1920-05-17
boy Out1Uits Detectives
At Game of Third Degree
john Brant, l3, Keeps His Past Hidden Even When
Telegram From Virginia Brings News He Is
Wanted at Norfolk ON Grand Larceny Charge

Into that room IN tho Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Building, whore thirteen -year~old John
brant sat staring cynically at the
childish games Of his fellow inmates
Detectives Fitzgerald and Dennisor
marched yesterday, one Of them bear
ing yellow envelope and both of them
wearing grins.
I've telegraphed the Norfolk police
about you, kid" one Of the detectives
said. "You wouldn't talk before. but
we got something now that'll make
Johnny Sneers Precociously
"Yeh 2" sneered Johnny, in fashion
too precocious for one twice his age
"The telegram says" continued the
detective while Johnny yawned osten.
tatiously, "John Brant wanted here
for grand larceny. Hold till office,
arrives Whatche got to say about
that?"
Johnny yawned even more ostenta-
gotta say" he murmured, "is that you
cops give me a pain. You've brains
like couple of German carp. All
gotta say is why don't you both &c
outside and take a running jump at
yourselves? All l gotta say"----
But the door had closed. Fitzgerald
and Dennison were seeking to preserve
their dignity by fight. Bitter expert
ence since Friday, when they picked
up Johnny, has taught them that argu-
ment with the boy lends neither glory
nor luster to the New York Police De-
partment.
On Friday afternoon the clerk at
the Claridge desk peered down at the
small figure who was inscribing in the
register "John Brant, Norfolk. Va"
and after ascertaining that the hotels
most recent patron had neither guard
ian nor baggage, invited him into the
reading room to wait until his room
was ready.
Meanwhile, the clerk telephoned the
West Forty-seventh Street police sta
ton and Fitzgerald and Dennison
hastened to their first painful inter
view with Johnny.
Boy Recognizes Detectives
"Who are you, son ?" they demanded
Of the small person.
az know who you are" Johnny re-
sponded with no cordiality whatsoever,
you're detectives"
w non tney admltted IL, he repled; II
have no information whatever to give
you"
Then he buried himself again in his
magazine, while Fitzgerald and Denni-
son inquired Of each other whether
their hearing was still all right
"Where do you come from, Bub 2"
they persisted, with jauntiness they
did not feel.
My name is not Bub," Johnny cor
rcctcd with chill polteness. "Further-
more, where | come from is my busi-
ness. Go away from me and keep on
going. l don't want to be annoyed"
The baffied detectives took Johnny to
the police station, where, reinforced
by three more officers, they attempted
to give the impassive, calmly insolent
little boy the third degree. They met
no success whatever.
During this session, which grew in
creasingly painful to them, they
learned things about their personal
and their alleged re-
semblanccs to strange mistakes Of
Mother Nature that no one had ever
dared tell them before.
Pullman Car Check Found
Beyond illuminating information con-
corning their features, figures and
manners, they discovered nothing
further than that the boy had come
north from Cape Charles, Va, recent
ly and they only learned this when