Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-11-19
THE LITTLE MARTYR.

OF the noble lad, hnnd lVerson, WIZ
was cruelty murdered at Chicago on the
9th of August, by a band of ruffian boys
because he persisted in refusing to stea
fruit for them. The account was reae
at the time by many with fearful eyes
and awakened universal admiration fol
the martyr spirit which he displayed
1t is seldom that the annals of crime
present q case of greater atrocity, OIL
one which is SO much calculated to stil
up the sensibilities of the heart in be-
half of the victim. There is much
however, connected with the case o.
this boy, to relieve the mind in the con
temptation Of his untimely and crueI
death. Admiration of his character
mingles with regret for his sad fate
and takes away much Of its sting.
The pastor of the lad, Rev. Paul An
derson, who was absent at the time oil
The occurrence, has recently communl
Gated to the Chicago Dem. Press, an ac-
count of the affair and a history of the
little boy, from which we make some
extracts. The rehearsal of the facts
will not be uninteresting.
"Knud was sent after the cows, and
another boy was with him. When up
by the toll.gate, or between the e'oll-gate
and the river, they (Anud and the other
boy) me. some larger boys, who talked
to them about getting apples out of Mr.
Elston's garden; but as to their being
frightened of by Mr.. Elston, as stated in
paper yesterday, l think it is mis-
take. knud refused to 60 and steal as
requested by the boys.-They then en-
ticed him with them to the river to swim,
bu. the other boy went off, and knud
they got with them. And from the ev-
idence of German boy, who saw them
and was on the bank of tho riyet at a
short distance off when the murderers
had 'ducked' him, it seems that they
renewed their request that he should SO
and steal apples for them, as he was an
entire stranger, having never been on
the premises; and on his positively re-
fu.ing, they took and 'ducked' him until
he was dead. When those boys came
on shore, the German boy asked what
they had done with Knud, if they had
killed him, &c. They told him that
he was dead, and that he should not tell
his father of it; they then ran off in the
greatest fright. This boy having took
Kuud's clothes, carried them to his
(Knud's) father, and told him "These
are Knud's clothes, and some boys
drowned him up in the river"
my main object in presenting any
facts to the public touching this matter
was to say something about the boys
character. have known him since
have been in Chicago, now nearly six
years; his parentshaye during the whole
of,hat time been members ofmy church
and being pious people, they trained
their children in The fear of Cod
knud had not only been faithful mem
Der of the Sunday school in our church
but as it is a universal practices in the
Lutheran church to catechise all the
children, Knud was also instructed in
the principles and doctrines of Christi
anity there. For several years did moi
miss him, when the children cathe to my
house every Wednesday, through the
whole winter; and we shall commence
those exercises again next week but
alas, Knud will not be among u.s."
We have already stated that it has
been proposed to erect in Chicago, a
monument to the memory Of this noble
boy, not SO much to hand down his name
as to perpetuate the memory Of his un'
yielding virtue, and his heroic detsrmi
nation to suffer death rather than dc
that which he knew to be wrong. We
approve Of the. effort. and hope that it
may be carried out, and the purpose ex'
ecu.ed on scale suited to the nature Of
the object to be commemorated. 1t is
not an empty hoaor to the name of one
who is gone that we approve Of raising
such monument. but to keep alive, es'
pecially in the minds Of tile young, the
memory of,ho moral and Christian prin'
ciplo which was displayed by one o'
tender years. 1t is case of rare oc
curreuce, if not unparalleled, that one
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