The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-18
WANDERINGS OF A YOUTH.
rtITNTTNE GREER'S ADJTvTrREs IN
TIfE HESTERN STfIES.



A Mother. Opinion About Runaway Boys.
I'm an upper room Mt 3lG East Eighty-iirst
srcet there sa, recently Il youth play NJ with
paper windmill. He was about four feet in
height. His face was noticeable for only pair of
tarnwd gray eyes. widely separated 10y n pug
So. This was Master Valentine Greer. who
W hours before had reached his home after
rather adventurous tour through the West In
lSi9 John Greer. his faith, r, died He left
wife and nine children, sovcn Of whom were
Toys. and all Of them young. Mrs.
Greer was poor AMI the boys had ire
mcndous appetitcs. The result was that
five Of item. John. George Washington
Harry. Alonzo. and Valentine. were sent to
the Juvenile Asylum at West Thirteenth street
and sixth avenue. John aftcrward went West.
H. Missouri. where the rough herders were not
opngcnial then to Kansas where he WIS sill
unsatsncd and from that State he worked his
passage home. the work being much walk
Ing and occasional stow away rides in freight
rars. His rowing habits prevented his enjoying
homo life. and now his mother does not know
where he IL. George Washington. or " WASH"
NJ his friends call him. was famous for brief
period rs the bass drum player in the Juvenile
Asylum band. Alonzo. I'm the fall OF 1874 was
t'nt to Illinois with n lot of children. He was
then thirteen years old. He was bound out 10 a
come homo. He made the journey in two
weeks. 10y catching rides on freight trains. On
one occasion some tramps with whom he fell in
with helped him aboard a car loaded with
live hogs. In this company he rode many
miles. not without danger. for some Of the swine
were savage and he was bitten more than once (;
but the necessity of keeping warm-t was In
me atter part of February forced him to re-
main whore he WIS. ON another occasion he
flN |N M Al la
same when he slowed himself away in a ear
oaded with peanuts. Arriving in Chicago. he
R.ote to Alon1os mother hut before her answer
.lud bv received the boy. tired OF waiting.
start, a again on his journey. He reached home
in Mar,h iast, SICK from exposure and hHrd
usage, valentino was sent To- ILLINOIS with thirty
other boys N The fall Of 1874. H. was then II
with Simeon Dowell Of Rankin, yermillion
county and ON the ith Of November was linden
mr"d What afterward happened Master Val
~ me- told Yesterday.
For while MIR. Dowel used mo well enough.
But had To work awful hard had 10 plough
tud hoe corn and chop wood. and draw fodder
IT. the winter had 10 take care Of the stock amt
s toschool. MIR Dowcll had agreed to send
M 10 school four months in "A year, but he
didn't Well he staid in Rankin about a year
sui then he moved To- Rensselaer,. in Jasper
COUNTY, Indiana, had to work hard there and
Sun pOwcll used 70 whip me. | didn't care for
n liftlc whipping. but when he whipped me till
r.y logs WIS black and blue didn't like it, So
ru' day last summer guess twas IA the iall ;
auf way It WAS IN the last haying-l Thought I'll
s'urtio hone; After dnncr | started. | was
barefoot. and didn't have ANYTHING with me eN-
c'it the clothes l had on. ! ran about
Mo mules, aud then walked as fast as could
untl got T. franclsvllie. thirteen miles from
powells; ! stsiid there three days looking for
work. The people EHve mo food and places to
vas ZION onr e es Sn raheman GI sa SH md E s
tIl mo To st still. | rode To- lnfal"tt" about
forty miles. | staid in the station house TINT
night and the next morning some boys helpei
NJ o. ct into Il freight car II was loaded with
sh'rd corn. ana i was real cold / tell you.
hr 10 I.oeansport. W. rode about thirty Mills,
when the condu. tor put us on We walked
The next morning. continued the young
traveller. we got ride, TO Logansport and |
siAid there all night. and woman gave a
tde eighty niles didn't have yt1nst 10 " eat
lark was fully hungry went II into tot drug
store to warm and fireman saw me and took
inc 10 the engine house and gave me something
- eat and bed 10 s.ep in. | staid there three
days. Then walked ont seven miles 70 get u
train. There WASH II any chance T. get N a ear
at the Fort Wayne depot. cause the hands
Mt he'd 80 close got ear and wont 10 Van
W"rt. There was 10y Of tramfs on that train.
".nt 20 the lookup. There was stove there,
Nut tile man wouldn't tell US where the wood
WIS $50 there WIS "A kind ot lager beer stand
tl.r.' and the men pulled down the shelves AMI
ulhie fire. IL got So not by morning TINT ia"
boy named Dave Prous'. lie said that he was
going Ia Philadelphia. whore he had a good
'n", and iather and mother toth alive lie
Nl- l3 years old. About two miles ont 90 town
stock tram came along. II was going pretty
~ tut we MI caught it 'ecpt Dave. and l
Valentine continued the history Il his
journey in detail He seemed t. have a re-
nai halle memory, for names and dates and
knew tie name Of every town ~ winch he
sopped-aud they were maryland the dis
ttn'es between thnm. At Sindusky he jumped
ou tho rear plntform ~ a sleeping car and rode
sixty miles H. often stald Tor DAYS in towns.
'-gng for food and lodging in. lNll 80 stations.
a cOrding 10 his story. It WIS N'.w Years day
when b." reached AUegAny CITY. H. spent The
ir-t night under the MAYORS III -r. and in the
'Hlning wat 'hman discovered him and sent
im - tile p0orhouse, about nine miles from
~ stayed there a month";" Valentine said.
ana tn'n the sgPcrlni lint wouldn't k"r
boys who dort live IN tn state longer than "A
month. started Tor II Liberty seven miles
rode n miles when n. "o,,n.t"r ,,nt me- ~
man said A. was II Iiiile down the truck to the
pporhouse. i walkcd eyer So far. and II WIS
awful dark. Then SAW light ~ Ia thr fields
was in farm house. \ woman told mo tlai
~ poorhouse was milo further on. md that
IL better stay at her house | was glad"
The youthful traveller reached Phladeph ia
nlicr week : slowing away" 80 heard some
tEmi -ay tigt they could eet passes for New
d.hlal'IiIila ! went there the next morning
in" Mayor SAID TINT he would give me a pass
hungry but thought I'd better go hungry
i,Ai mss the pass About five O'clock the
-lhn nAne back and asked nir IL ] i had my
d.'nar. said No That's pretty bad said he
a. iN"tplk mo oyrrto pla 'e and gave me a good
tIlp"r lie lct me- stay IN the stat ion that mig t.
tld gave me- my breakfast nrNt morning and
tte pass. got here about live O'Clock in theAf-
t'rnoon on Washington l. rthdav. ! asked q
Nuug man Nl"re Second avenue Was, for
N4nt'd o. take a Second avenue ear t. Thir Is
! nh street where we used 20 llv.. Tine young
lNif took m" 10 Il police an. and he took mr L.
t.r Central Oillce. Thcntney found that mother
we'd up here, and this morning ! came VI
Lere"
"rhero's no use sending my boys from
home said Nalrntine'h mother. a cOmcly Eng
-h mutron. They always lind their WAY
home. anyway. Alon2o didn't como. henausp ~
was msused. but Valentine did. They all take
ut r thoir father"
The story Of the boys III usage Jed the report
r. 10 call at the juvenile Asylum 10 ascertain
the method Of that institution in binding boys
gut to farmers. MI f. D.CMrpenter received him
l. pleasant parlor. We only send boys Ia
Illinois, he said. because that State alone has
PASSED reciprocal law making our indcnture-
landing. This gives us m opportunity of
prs" uting persons who are known q have i'll
wright and MS headquarters are at
1omineinn., Ill. His plan is to 20
mo Il nelghborll ID, away from tho large
t'i's, where he thinks no can find
s 81 homes for loys. Then he send
Tor a lot Of children and advcrtisos n the cOun
tf} papers that 50 many Will bee ~ such place at