lmharnisch: The Little Devil

Sept. 5, 1907
Los Angeles

Poor old Mrs. Moore was ill, so instead of paying the grocer his monthly bill, she put a $10 gold piece in an envelope and told her 9-year-old son, Cecil, to take it to him. But Cecil, of 155 W. 51st St., tore open the envelope, found the $10 ($205.24 USD 2005) and got other ideas, none of them good.

First, Cecil treated his chums to sodas at a delicatessen, then he was off for trolley rides to see the city. For the last two days, he has kept one step ahead of police officers, telling his pals that he plans to visit all the local beaches and “see what’s going on.”

“Cecil has been in the Juvenile Court and is on probation. An effort will be made to send him to the reformatory at Whittier—when he is caught,” The Times said.