HIGH SCHOOL ROBBERS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8752, 28 February 1907, Page 4

HIGH SCHOOL ROBBERS.

An extraordinary scandal which came to a crisis just before Christmas caused great excitement in the town of Essen (Germany.) For some time past the Essen tradesmen were aware that they were being systematically robbed of small articles of value, but all endeavours of detectives failed to discover or trace the culprits. Suddenly several incidents transpired that threw suspicion on the pupils of the high school. One Catholic scholar confessed to the priest that he had stolen varipus articles, and, on the priest's advice, informed his headmaster of his misdoings. A widow found a silver cigarette case iu her son's possession, and as the boy could give no account bow ho obtained it, she also brought the matter to the notice of the headmaster. In another case a pupil offered a valuable vase to bis teacher as a Christ-mas-present. These several incidents led ts enquiries being made, and they resulted in the discovery that 30 pupils of the Royal High School, all belonging to families of the highest circles in Essen society, had formed n secret robber baud. Their modus operaudi, was to go iu groups of three or four to , the best shops. One youth, would ask to be supplied with some trifle, another would engage the attention of a second saleswoman, another would keep general watch, while a fourth slyly picked up from the counter tome article of value and hid it under his cape. No suspicion fell on the boys, who were all known by their special caps to be pupils of a school attended only by sons of the better class families. The youths did not steal for the sake of stealing, but for the honour attached by fellow-members of the band to the accomplishment of a specially difficult coup- ' Their demoralisation is stated to be the result of reading modern boys literature, in which thieving is often praised and glorified as manual dexterity attained by long and careful training. The first result of the disclosure is the issue of instructions excluding the 30 youths from every German high school.