Abstract $420 From “Bank” in
Woodpile and Start on
Long Journey.
Sacramento Union, 1 November 1906
The four children who were arrested
Tuesday night in this city while fleeing
from their homes in Santa Rosa,
were taken back yesterday by Constable
S. J. Gillam of that place. The
two elder girls, Maggie Givelin and
Nora Downey, aged 14 and 12 years
respectively, will be charged with
grand larceny. The constable says
that the story as told by the Downey
girl is in the main correct, but instead
of leaving Santa Rosa to go to her
father in Caldwell, Idaho, she fled in
order to get away with the money—
$420—stolen from George Givelin,
father of the other three children.
When George Givelin went home
from his work Tuesday evening his
three children were missing. As he
had lost money several times before
and knew that his eldest daughter,
Maggie Givelin, had taken it, his first
thought was that she might have taken
the money that he had hidden in the
family woodpile. She had said that she
would leave her home some day and
take the younger children with her.
His worst fears were quickly realized
when he went to his cache and found
the tin box in which he had placed
$420, representing his savings for years,
had vanished.
The alarm was given and the police
found upon investigation that the children
left on the train, and that they
had bought through tickets for Caldwell,
Idaho. The youngsters, before
leaving, purchased an entire outfit of
clothing, the best that George Givelin’s
hard-earned money could buy, in the
stores of Santa Rosa. That was not
all. Nora Downey, who it seems was
the leading spirit of the affair, had
started out to do things in style and
she engaged swell state-room on the
Pullman section of the train and paid
for it. The little party of juveniles
were traveling in style and nothing
was too good for them.
The story that came up from Santa
Rosa is that the youngsters decamped
and that Mrs. Minnie Downey did not
know that her daughter had left until
told by the police.
The girl, notwithstanding
her tender years, is said to
be old in the ways of the world. She
had not been trained as she should
have been. She had had the run
of the streets, and did as she pleased.
Young as she is, and still in her short
dresses, she has given the police no
end of trouble. She ran away two
months ago and went to Hollister, it is
said, with man. When the constable
went after them the man had fled, but
the girl was caught. She succeeded in
giving the officer the slip and he had
long tedious chase before recapturing
her. Then she was shackled like
hardened criminal and taken back.
Positive proof that she was accompanied
by the man was lacking, and
she was turned over to her mother
with the warning that she would be
sent to reform school if she ever appeared
in the court again.
The smallest little tot, Annie Bell
Givelin, is little bit of girl and she
has won over Matron Phelps of the re-
ceiving hospital by her ways. She
seemed to be having fine time and
said that the big policeman was mean
not to let her have the car ride out.
When leaving yesterday the little girl
told the matron that she would come
back some day and visit her and stay
a whole week.
The officers in Santa Rosa have
positive proof that the money was
stolen by Maggie Givelin and Nora
Downey and that they took the two
smaller children, Oney and Annie Givelin,
along to cover up their tracks. The
little ones saw the elder girls take the
money.
George Givelin claims that $420 was
taken and after, all the money that the
girls spent is accounted for there remains
$144 that cannot be found.
Where this money has gone is the
problem that the officers think they
can solve. It is thought that Abe
Goetz, the bartender whom Nora
Downey said had given her the money
to go to Idaho, may know something
about the balance of the money. Constable
Gillam says the authorities will
prefer serious charge against Goetz.
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