Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-03-11
YOUTHFUL BURGLAR
: WILL PLEAD GUILTY
Robert Steele will Face Charge Of
Robbery; duplicates Edison WiSeIl

In answer to a complaint of burg
larry of Charles Severance and James
Cartmell, Robert Steele, IS year old
son of Mr. and Mrs George Steele, will
plead guilty when arraigned for a pre-
liminary hearing tomorrow morning.
His willingness to face the judge and
tell the truth of the breaks, as we'll as
his repentance for them, he repeated
over and over again in a story to The
Register yesterday afternoon. With
him, he said, is implicated Edison Wis
ell, 20 year old son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Emery Wisell. This Wisell has denied,
he continued, although he can at short
notice call on several witnesses to
prove his accusation of his completely.
The Wisell home had not been search
ed however, as was Steele's.
Yesterday morning Steele presented
himself at the court house for the hear
ing, according to the instructions of
Officer Shaw, who had threatened him
with arrest unless he promised to put
in an appearance. The policeman said
that he had the warrant necessary.
Wisell did not come to the court house
but pleaded illness
The parents of both boys were great
ly surprised when they learned of the
suspicion in which their sons were held.
Both fathers said that they would not
unduly shield them in the event of the
charges against them being proven, al
though they felt deeply the seriousness
of the offensesn but desired them to
do the right thing, if they were at fault.
The charges were made to Officer
Charles ]. Shaw by both Mr. Sever
anCe and Mr.. Cartmell for breaks per-
petrated Friday evening The former
complained of the loss of a watch,
tools and priced cat from his wood
working shop in the rear of The coal
sheds The latter told of an attempted
theft in his storage garage at his for
mer residence near the pulp mill bridge.
He was notified by telephone and
drove to the garage As he crossed the
bridge, he recognized one OF the two
young men implicated but could not
stop his car in time to give chase.
A warrant was procured for the
search of the Steele home for the tools
missed by Mr. Severance who told the
police that he suspected Robert Steele.
Deputy Sheriff ~ J, Sanford and Off
Ger Shaw served the papers In their
search for the tools from the Severance
shop, and for wrenches and a tire re-
ported missing by Mr. Cartmell they
came upon what they had long been
looking for, namely various articles
that had been reported as stolen from
the Hillside and Gables cottages of
College during the Christ
mas recess. Photographs, banner, bag,
jewelry OF all sorts and other articles
were found to tally with list received
by the officers shortly after the return
of the girls from their vacation.
"An ordinary house cat, partly white
though mostly black, was our un-
doing, said Steele in beginning his
story "The cat Spilled the beans, to
use the vernacular Had not we ac-
the college frat boys in
obtaining the animal for use in their
initiation ceremony, we might have
had another opportunity to carry out
our resolution of returning the loot
from the Gables and Hillside cottages.
We had hoped to bring back the stuff
we removed from the girls rooms and
cave it in sacks on the doorsteps. But
he black cat 'peached on u.s..
The cat, it seems, was wanted by one
If the college social organizations for
is initiation ritual The boys were
asked to procure a suitable feline and
Immediately thought of the Severance
black and white They were back
With the animal in a short time and
rave it to the student who took it to
lis frat house Mr. Severance has since
.laimed and received it, But Officer
Shaw, according to Steele, learned of
heir obtaining the cat and was thus
Continued Oh page four