PRECOCIOUS JUVENILES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 16, 17 December 1883, Page 2

PRECOCIOUS JUVENILES.

Runaway Lads Armed for the w.odsMany extraordinary scenes have been enacted on the Liverpool Landing-stage, and many remarkable instances have; occurred of runaways being- caught there by the vigilance of the Liverpool police. One of these strange captures occurred on the stage on a Wednesday m September. One of the officers who has for a long pe'iiod done duty on the stage is Police constable No. £16 (Wiggans\ an old member of the city force. While watching the departures for America Wiggans noticed two youths, of evident respectibility, strutting about the stage,flourishing heavily- 1 mounted slicks, and whose extraordinary bulky appearance about the waist attracted the keen officer's attention. He put a few questions to them, from which he ascertained that they had come from Lancaster, and that it was their intention to proceed to America There was something suspicious about) |fte youths, and Wiggaus took them into the riyer police station on the stage. He "there searched them, and found that each youth was wearing a " bushman's belt," to which was sus. pended a six-chambered revoher (loaded), and a formidable bowie knife. The officer ascertained that the youths had been ■. reading rornantib storie? of life m the backwoods, such as are depicted by Fennimpre Cooper m the "Last of the Mohicans," and Captain Mayne Reid m his description of adventures on the prairies. The youths, who were about 18 years of age, and named Jewitt and Wilson, were respectively connected, arid belonged to Lancaster. One of them had taken twenty-six sovereigns belonging to his father, They had run away from home, come to Liverpool, and purchased an outfit, including* the revolvers, ammunition, and bowie knives, suitable for the wild life of adventure that they had, pictured for themselves. They* had r taken passages to New York m the Inman steamer City of and had upon them a considerable sum of money m American dollars. Wiggins escorted the youths to the deteotive office m Dale-street; their parents iv: Lancaster were telegraphed to, informing them of what had occurred, and they took the runaways back to their homes. — Liverpool Post.