Imperial Valley press., 1927-01-13
CRIME CAREER
OF YOUNGSTERS
IS HALTED HERE
Tell Wonderful Stories to
Police But Are Tripped
Up and Confess.

"'My father gave me that
watch for Christmas.
Well, what about this one, ana
this and this?
Well. that one my mother got
for Christmas and that 5 my faith
cr's and--'
But at this point Eugene Sander
fur ran out of relatives and this
afternoon the l3year- Phoenix
lad and his companion, 'Clcve Hale,
II. of San Diego, are on their way
to San Diego under charge of a
deputy sheriff. An effort is under
way to determine the true ownership
of a Ford sedan in which the BOYS
rode into FL Centre yesterday after
noon. Authorities are also attempt
ing to trace the source of five wrist
watches, a 90 ealiber revolver and
various other articles found in the
possession of the two lads.
1t is believed that the two youths
ran away from their homes in San
Diego and Phoenix, stole the automo-
bile and also visited jewclrv store
in San Diego.
shortly after 3 clock yesterday
afternoon the two boys first came
to the notice of the police. j. b.
Shannon called headquarters and
said that two boys had been seen
throwing mud on an automobile on
Vine street and at about the same
time George Pryor, city patrolman,
got hint that the boys were up to
something.
Patrolman Frank McCaslin with
Pryor went to Vine street. There
they found the Ford machine, out
Of gas. Inquiry brought out the in
formation that the Youngsters had
attempted to steal some gas from
another machine parked nearby but
had been chased away. A dcscrip-
tion Of the youths was given the of
ficers. The patrolmen started back
toward headquarters and on State
street they found the two youths.
They brought them to the station.
Sanderfur Immediately assumed
the role of spokesman and in a
smooth voice told Desk Sergeant
Toney that his parents had moved
L
had lived in a far part of the town
for two days and yesterday morning
his father had told him they were
moving to n place on State street,
the lad told the sergeant. He said
that his fathers name was Laverne
Smith. that he was photographer
and that he was looking for him
when the patrolmen picked him up.
Nearly Believed Him
The youngstcr spoke in such a
straightforward manner that the of
ficials were inclined to believe his
story. Patrolman McCaslin was dis
patched with Sandcrfur to look up
the father while Hale was detained.
McCaslin had just passed out of
the door with Sandcrfur when Hale
in frightened manner reached in
his pocket and fishing out a 90 cali
ber revolver handed it to the ser
geant.
81 don t want this. He made me
keep it for him. He's lying to you.
We ran away from San Diego, y
Hale blurted out.
Sergeant Toney took Hale into q
side room and questioned him, Nc
Caslin being called back with the
Sanderfur boy.
A search of Sanderfur brought to
light the numerous wrist watches.
He tried to explain them away as
Christmas gifts to relatives and him
self but he had more wrist watches
than relatives. The revolver he
said was a gift from his father.
The Hale youth when questioned
said that he thought Sanderfur had
stolen the wrist watches somewhere
in San Diego. A partial admission
was wrenchcd from the youths re-
garding the ear. The Hale boy
told the police that Sanderfur had
changed the license numbers.
A registration card was finally
discovered among the possessions
which purported to show that the
machine was the property of E. r.
Spade of 904 Eighth street, San
Diego.
Sanderfur during the early qucs-
tioning had an answer for almost
anything the officers hurled at
him. He spoke confidently and
showed a pair of blue eyes that nev-
er fhnched.
"What were YOU doing, trying to
steal gasoline from another car, ~
one of the officials asked.
Here Sanderfur's imagination
proved so good that it drew laugh
from the questioners.
"We were not stealing gasoline, y
he said. "We were playing bah un-
der the machine. | was rolling a
ball along on the ground under the