Boy Brigands in the United States.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 127, 28 April 1884, Page 2

Boy Brigands m the United States.

A race of boy brigands is gradually be* ing formed m the United Stai es through the effect on the youthful imt&inatioc of melodramatic novels with burglars and highway me» for their heroes. Tbe miscreants brought into activity by the tencent talea of criminal life distinctly known as dimo-uovel brigands,' and three members of this desperate class who were re* cently brought before .the Police Magistrate of Haarlem were shown to have formed themselves into a baud, which after establishing themselvesin a mountain, ouo district, was to carry off and hold to ransom beautiful raaxdenpaniTf ealthy tourists. Before making for the hills the youthful bauditti plundered the hotel m which they had passed thVhijrh6;..niot& t it would .seem, on principle than with a mere view to profit j for theirboioty consisted only of 36 keys, which they had taken from the bedroom doors. It appeared from a ledger found m their ■possession that they had begun business witb a capital of 200 dollar?, ' made at New York.' But most of this sum had been spent before they reached the mountains; and an entry made the second day after their arrival on the scene of their intended ezploiti showed that already « things looked blue.' On the third day the juvenile robben found it necessary' to pawn their solitary pistol J and the only act of highway robbery they succeeded m committing was tbe theft of some food left on the highway by several workmen. It <ras for this they, were prosecuted. But the Magistrate let them off with a reprimand; and the police, with good-natured con* tempt, raised a subscription for the purpose of paying their expenses back to flew Yocki , j