Saturday, November 25, 2023

13-Year-Old Runaway Who Stole Car, Chased by Police, Nov. 25, 1923

Small Boy Leads Officers a Chase. . . Henry Fisher, 13, Runaway from Jackson Training School, Caught

Barney Oldfield, Ralph de Palma, and Louis Chevrolet have nothing in the line of speedy automobile driving on Henry Fisher, 13-year-old boy who Saturday afternoon stole an automobile and for many miles gave Durham county officers one of the stiffest chases over the western section of the county that local annals have record of. The boy and the stolen car were eventually overtaken in West Durham, but it was not without much effort on the part of Deputies Bevin and Hall who pursued the lad.

After the boy was brought to the courthouse, it was found that he was a runaway from the Stonewall Jackson Training school at Concord. He was placed under the custody of W.E. Stanley and is being held pending the arrival of the training school officials.

The car which the boy stole is the property of M.F. Ferrill. He was seen driving the machine off. Sheriff Harward was informed of the theft, and deputies quickly sent to the scene. The Ford’s trail was picked up and the chase followed. The lad, aware that he was being followed, proceeded to “step on the gas.” He led the officers out West Durham over some of the roughest roads in the county as far as Orange county, later retracing his route. The deputies declare that the small boy showed extraordinary skill in operating the machine. Finally the officers won out in the chase, and the lad was captured.

Henry is known by officials of the local juvenile court. He is an East Durham boy, and has already spent about 20 months of life at the training school.

From page 18 of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, Nov. 25, 1923

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