The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-07-31
A Crippled Newsboy's BenefactiOn.

A NEWSBOY of Cincinnati rises from
the obscurity of a small, dingy, poorly
furnished room, and becomes a shin
ing example to both boys and men.
His name is John King, and he is still
q newsboy at thirty-nine years old.
For the past ten years his crippled fig
ure has appeared on crutches every
morning and evening on a certain
street with papers for his regular GUS
toners who passed that way, and as
regularly bought of him. During all
this time he has lived alone in the
same room, and done his own cooking,
washing and mending. In his crippled
and sometimes nearly helpless condi-
ton he has thus carried on his bust
ness and household affairs, and led a
perfectly independent life through sore
affiiction. In addition to his hard, out
door vocation, and indoor domestic
economy, for these ten years, he lived
another life of pleasure with books.
He watched the secondhand book
stalls, and as his means permitted and
opportunity offered, he bought many
valuable works cheap, and collected
a store of old, quaint and curious vol
umeS.
When he was through with the read
ing he packed the books away in box
es, until his library began to crowd
him out of his small apartment, leav-
ng him scarcely room to live. His
original design was, if fortune favored
him, to buy himself comfortable
home, and furnish it with library,
and have "big read'' at ease in his
declining days. The books accumulated
faster than he could read them, and
finally to greater bulk than he could
comfortably stow away in his quarters.
Beside, fifty other families were housed
in the old rookery where he dwelt,
and he began to be afraid of fire. He
had met with several financial disas-
tiers which swept off his savings, and
the hope of that cozy home for himself
and his library became faint, and the
vision of the "big read'' was dim and
far away. He bethoueht himself of the
public library, and offered the collec-
ton to that institution. It was &C
cepted, the donation amounting to over
500 volumes, while he retained about
two hundred books for his further use.
It was found to be very well-selected
and serviceable collection, consisting
of history, biography, philosophy, an
cient and modern literature, poetry,
fiction, books of travel, legal and
medical works, scientific and religious
public documents, books of
etc. Among the old volumes
Is one on natural history. published in
London, 1886. The John King collec-
lion of the public library is to be still
from time to time, as the do
nor buys and goes through his books.
1t is q public monument of an afflicted
and most exemplary life.
King was Michigan farmers boy.
At the age of seventeen he received
mule kick in the thigh which famed
one leg for life. After walking on
for three years an attack OF
brought him down to
on his hands and knees. One
Law, while crawling, he hurt his other
co at the knee, and the hurt and q |
ngling surgeon stiffened that leg for
life. He was now five years IN bed,
md reading became the ruling passion
# the bed-ridden boy. At the age of |
he got out of bed, and for
hree years hobbled round on crutcbes |
to work. In 1868 he went |
o Cincinnati, got boys work in . to-
'acco factory, soon caught smallpox