AN ARTFUL DODGER.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1918, Page 7

AN ARTFUL DODGER.

BO3PS KEMABEABIE T»yMCT^ f : AMAZES MAGISTRATE AND EOLICE Almost-a worthy prototype of John J-Mwkiiis, "The Artful Dodger," was a youngster who appeared before Mr !■'. .X: ]^ razcr i S.M., in tho Juvenile Court, WeUuigiotL, on Saturday. Tho story of tma youth's escapades was truly amazing, and at the conclusion of the case the magistrate confessed that he had had a good deal to do with Juvenile Courts ■n his time, but the performance of this youth -beat anything he had heard (says Ihe Times.) The detective, who gave evidence had to admit, also, that the hoy was the hardest case he had ever met, and an adept liar to fooot. The subject of these remarks was a small, neatly Ores red youngster of thirteen years, quite liko aa ordinary hoy, save for a pair of keen, clever eyes that followed the proceeding:, m court very closely, and iinaJly welled up with the tears of repentance when the time for" punishment drew nigh. Tie lad was there to answer "two charges, one of attempting to obtain a suit of clothes by means of false pretences, and ol stealing a wristlet watch. Some days ago the boy cleared out from his home m Cliristchureh, and, with money from | a friend, he travelled up to Wellington on the Monowai. On the way up he got friendly with tho denizens of the stokehold, and while there stole a watch. ; When he arrived in Wellington he had many interesting adventures, and finally ran into the arms of a policeman when he tried to obtain a suit of clothes tsy fraudulent means from a clothing company. His adventures foy no means ended here, however When talcen in change by the Juvenile Probation Officer (Mr J. Dinneen), the boy was Bent to the bathroom at the juvenile institute for a bath. He was absent for a Jong time, and when an officer went to see what had happened to him the bathroom was found empty. The most likely places in the city were hastily searched, and finally the iboy was found waiting! contentedly, yet anxiously, in the Main Trunk train. Seeing the enemy he cleared, but was captured by Mr Dinneen. Before he was finally taken back to the institute the young hopeful made a final desperate attempt to escape. He broke away from Mr Dinneen, and, rushing up to a policeman, wanted to give his captor m charge as "being drunk and molesting him." This ruse naturally failed, and without further adventures of note this young artful dodger appeared in court on Saturday

SOME OF THE BOY'S FAIRY TALES. The capacity of the -boy for concocting stories can be judged from his two written statements to the police given below. In his first statement the boy gave his name as James ICnight, and said he lived at 44, Plymnimen road, Fendalton, Christchurch. His father died five years ago, and his mother, Henrietta Knight, earned a livelihood by going out washing. Before he left Christchurch he went to the Carlton Hotel, where he met a man named "BiH" Lawson. Lawson said to him: "Have you spare time?" He replied: "Yes." Lawson said: "Well, come to Auckland with me?" He said, "Yes," and went home, and las mother said he could go as long as his fare was paid. "BiH" Lawson paid his fare, but did not accompany him on the ferry boat, as he had to wait for some horses. "Bill" gave him 15s pocket-money to see him through. When he arrived by the Monowai at Welington he saw some 'boys fishing, and after buying a fishing line tried his luck at the same pastime. Later he met "George," a fireman on the Monowai, and went with him to visit a lady friend at Island Bay On his Teturn to the Monowai he saw a man scrubbing out one of the cabins, and asked him to write him a note to a clothier's so that he miriht get some clothes. Accused supplied the paper, and secured the order (produced in court.) The order was to the Crown Clothing Company, and read:— Dear sir,—Please supply James Knight with a Buit, as he has nothing tc go ashore with. The company drill pay.—Yours truly, Captain Norton .*

THE DEVIL OR THE PICTURES? Continuing his statement, accused said that the second shop he went to for the suit of clothes the shop assistant went outside and brought back a policeman. When ho went to the shop he knew he was doing wrong, as the order was a false one. Ho considered that it must ba the devil who made him think of doing this. "I go to the pictures every week," added the boy, '•and have seen men shooting and robbing in the pictures. They never seeui to get' caught, so I thought I coaid do t!io same. This is ray first attempt at dishonesty, and it will be my last,"

WANTED TO TEtt, THE TRUTH, ■ Most-of the foregoing statements were contradicted in --the boy's next statement to tho police,. ''l want to make a new statement and tell the I truth," said the boy. ile said his father and mother lived at Cluisteliurch. I About December, 12th he left home and went to. the Carlton Hotel where he met '•'Bill" Lawson, a returned 3t>ldier He ; told "Bill" he had cleared out from .home,, and asked for the loan of £l, '•Bill'' gave him the pound and invited him to accompany him to Auckland with <tome horses. However, "Bill" could not WDie till the next day, so accused left thai night 'by the Mopowai, "Bill" pay - rs.g the Voa.t fare. On board the'Mono,wai he went down among the firemen, .ftud while there saw a watch hanging on a ledge and stole it. The statenjent added that the previous account, toout the or<ler for the suit of clothes' was correct, He did not >vant to go, liack home. He had been told before to'clear out. ■

The boy's mother tearfully pleaded .with the magistrate to let her son come back to "her, but Mr Frazer said that although it might seem .cruel to her, he must send the boy to the Nelson Training Farm until such time as the mother had settled in Auckland and the authorities were prepared to send the boy back to her: "Indeed,'the boy has picked up so much," observed Mr Frazer, "that we must really give him the opportunity to forget some of it." The charge of stealing was dismissed.