The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-01-15
WAR ORPHAN
LEADS FLIGHT
Midnight "Jair" Delivery Is
Bossed by Precocious
Young Belgian.
STEAL FILE, SAW BARS
Juvenile "Gang" Scamper to
Freedom After Squeezing
Through Small Hole.

Fourteen-year-old George Pier
rott, Belgian war refugee, with a
penchant for joy riding, and five
boy companions, ranging in age
from twelve to sixteen years, are
laughing at the police somewhere
today after a thrilling "jail deliv-
ery' from the House Of Detention.
With a file stolen from a work
man they cut through an iron bar
guarding a third-floor window.
crawled out on the fire-escape, and
scrambled down to the street and
to freedom.
OLD STORY WITH PIERROT.
It is an old story. this matching of
wits with the police, to young Pier
rot. He is personable lad: bright.
good looking. and impudently ttrac-
tive. But. seemingly. he just can't
resist stealing automobiles and using
them for joyrides. That penchant got
him deported from this country once.
Is he is recaptured. 1t probably will
get him deported again.
Georges slowed away to this couu-
try after the armistice. His mother
and father had both been killed in
Belgium by the Germans. He was
about to be sent back when his ap-
pealing ways touched the heart Cf
Lieut.. Price French, of Hartford,
Conn. He adopted him, took him
home, and put him in school Sut
shortly thereafter anne a series If
auto-thefts, and Georges was found
to be the perpetrator. His foster
father washed his hands % him. ard
he was sent back - Belgium.
his time, he slowed away again, and
finally. six months ago. landed in
Baltimore. He was promptly ap-
pretended, and was being held by
the immigration authorities Cor re-
deportation when he won himself
new foster parents.
PUT IN SCHOOL AGAIN,
This time it was George s. HouIe-
han, an employe of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, and his wife.
For a second time Georges was for
mally adopted. He was brought to
Washington and again put in school.
But the sight of unoccupied auto
mobiles was too much for him. Once
more he started joyriding, and once
more he landed in the tolls.
Taken to the House of Detention
few days ago, he soon became the
held there on various charges. They
were: Thomas Dalridge. sixteen:
Thomas Fields. colored. sixteen:
Charles Washington, colored. sixteen;
Donald Harley. colored, twelve; and
Louis Matthews, colored. fourteen.
As they sat about the big room
where they were quartered on the
third floor. Georges regaIed them
with war experiences, and with tales
of thrilling escapes in far-off Belgium.
The plan was born to escape from
the House of Detention. But how?
The answer came yesterday. A
local department store present sJ the
House of Detention 5000 worth of
linoleum. and sent man to put e
down. When he got to the room
where the boys were quartered, one
of them---Lieut. Nina G. Van Wlnkle
says 1T was the Fields boy---stole
file from his tool kit He turned IL
over to Georges.
GET BUSY WITH FILE.
Late last night. after the man had
left, and when everybody was sup
posed to be asleep, Georges woke up
his companions, led them to a win
dow affording possible passage to
fire escape, handed the file to one of
them, and told him to get busy.
Then the Ave of them took turns.
and soon one OF the bars had been
cut through. They bent IL back. It
afforded passage way OF only q few
inches. but time was pressing.
One by one, in some way, the boys
managed to squeeze their bodies
through that narrow opening and
dropped TO the nre-escape.
The House of Detention is in
lonely part OF the city at Fifteenth
street and Ohio avenue northwest
1t fronts on n park. And at midnight
II is as a graveyard. Reaching the
street and trek<ing of was easy
The police expect to catch all the
boys. But they are especially inter
ested in young Georges. II is the third
time during his interesting career
that he has been arrested for stealing
automobiles, and the police say
Belgium Is calling to him.