The Washington times., 1921-06-17
BOY BANDIT, 7, IS
CALM AS POLICE
GET WEIRD STORY
Jimmy Valentine Has Counter.
part in Merry Kid Who
Cracked Safes

NEW YORK, June IT.-~yimmy
Valentine" was originally a stage
play, but there were many Jimmy
Valentines" In real life. The young
est Jimmy" on record has been
caught He acts like the stage
Jimmy" but there Is only a little of
him His name is Joseph Agassano
and he Is. seven years old.
Joseph is only as big as the
proverbial pint of peanuts but
Detective August Gilman, who ar
rested him. said that he has iron
nerves. Joseph was n member of the
old Five Points Underground Club.
This was an organization which met
In First avenue cellar and conferred
with it's chief, boy of fourteen who
has not yet been arrested, nightly,
He IN now In the rooms of the
Children's Society with. four other ex-
members of the gang.
JOsEPH's OWN STORY.
Joseph teeIs his own story best.
he said to reporter yesterday:
"Hully Gee, the cops is got me good
amt they7 l guess l might as well
cough up with everything / know.
81 Joined the Five Pointers last
year. We. had a guy named Poppy
for the leader. He was fourteen and
had been crookin' for a long time.
Poppy used to send us out to
swipe electric light globes and Ian
terms. We used TO bring them back
to him. Then when we got good
enough we used to go out and snatch
pocketbooks 1 was the best of the
gang SO l started to learn how to
open safes. That gang lasted a long
time and then we started the Young
Eastmans, but the bulls broke that
up. Now we're working on our own
hook"
The reporter asked:
"How many safes did you open,
Joe?"
"Only ten or twelve
Were you ever afraid2''
mo; ] used to pass the cops and
go around the corner and climb In q
window. They never got wise to me :
During the interview little Joseph
sat sucking on lollypop. He only
stopped once in while to look at the
other members of the. gang" who
were under arrest and smile or wink
while he was telling his story.
Detective Gilman, who. with De.
tective Martin Myers, arrested the
boys in East Twenty-second street
said that they had robbed the safe OF
the Empire Hat Company, 318 East
Twenty-s second street week ago
After Joseph opened the combination
one of the larger boys opened the safe
and they got s1.0S.
other robberies which the police
saw the boys confessed to are PiannI q
Kline. of 362 Second avenue; Stand
ard Gas Company plant, entered twice
I'm two weeks, opened a number OF
gas meters; smashed tools and ma
chinery. and attempted TO open q
large steel safe at the Twenty-ninth
street Theater, whore they say they
went after the performance and broke
into the managers office.
DETECTIVES FIND REVOLVER.
|. The detectives, after questioning
Joseph, went to his home at 34b Bast
Twenty-nrst street. and there found
a six-shot revolver which the Junior
Jimmy" had hidden.
The other boys under arrest are
Patrick Murphy. fourteen, OF ait East
Twenty-first street, who calls himselt
paddy the Kid" Matthew Agostl.
neiJo. nine, OF s10 East Nineteenth
street. who is known TO the gang
as skinny" walter Michaelsky, ten
OF sac First avenue, who proudly call,
himseif THE Poiack." and Johr
Rubsha, thirteen. OF 342 East Twenty
nrst street. who said he was known
as Dummy