Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 219, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 September 1912 — Jersey Lad Prayed at Night and Robbed by Day [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Jersey Lad Prayed at Night and Robbed by Day

PATERSON, N. J.—Kneeling every night to repeat the Lord’s Prayer, as It was "drummed” Into him by his father, and committing burglary during the day, slxteen-year-old Albert Vreeiand lias discovered that he has been placed in the front rank of dual personalities. He pfeaded guilty In court to seven of a wholesale list of robberies'' charged against him, and was sent to jail for a term not to be less than 9 or exceed 63 years. “The champion bad boy of New Jersey” Is the title which young Vreeiand earned, and every householder in this city who has been the victim of the young burglar and his band, believes he came by it honestly. Apparently he robbed for the pure love of the game, and when he entered a home he generally destroyed a great deal more than he took away with him. One other member of the gang has been cap-

tured, and he has confessed also. Mrs. Vreeiand, the boy’s blames the father for a considerable part of the lad’s trouble. “My husband,” che said, “who has been helpless for the last 11 years because of filness, was entirely too strict with the boy. He is a rigid church member, and I think that Herbert’s mischief has been mostly due to his father’s attitude toward him. I als6 think that bad girls influence him. . “He had won the hearts o/ several young girls, and gave one of them a diamond ring valued at $350. When I told him that the police knew that he had given the girl a ring of that value, he pulled his hair and said: “’Great Scott! No wonder I got such a salty dose from the judge. 1 am going crazy when I do anything like that. I thought the ring was putty.’ ” After being sentenced young Vreeiand said to his folks: “Well, I’ll be 79 when I get out’ and the first thing I will do will be to kill two -detectives.” The wanton recklessness that has characterized the movements of Herbert and his pals has fairly stunned the residents of Paterson.