Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-27
FROZEN IN 4 FREIGHT CAR.
A YOUTH LOCKED In AT DAYTON
AND COULD NOT GET OUT.
Some One at Columbus Refused to
Open the Door - Nearly
Starved to Death.
New York Tribune. /

New York Tribune.
1t was an humble home that William
Rutherford had upon little farm at Lon
donderry, o.. but it was where he had
toiled to raise his family and give them
such comfort and education as his slender
purse afforded. He took special pride in
his eldest son William, who was a fine,
bright boy, and gave early promise of max
ing his mark. The old man tried to make
everything pleasant and to raise his chill
dren up to do right and be honest. But as
William grew up to early manhood, and
the stories of the wonders of the world
outside of the little hamlet where his life
had been spent were brought to his notice
by an occasional traveller in Londonderry
and in the papers, among which were many
tales of the adventures of boys, he lost his
affection for the humble home of his father
He decided finally to shake the dust of
Londonderry from his feet He had lust
passed his 10Th birthday when he babe his
old home gcod-by and neglected to tell any
one where he was going He saw consid-
cradle of the world. He had little money
with him, that lasted only few weeks.
He was an economical boy and managed,
by riding upon wagons with farmers and
walking, to get many miles from London
derry before his money was gone Then
he had to depend upon the charity of
the people he came in contact with for food
and shelter. He got situations in several
stores, but being without business expert
ence he was not able to keep them.
Through the summer he worked for farm
ers in different places. He had to work so
hard that he came to the conclusion that
Londonderry was q pretty good place after
all. Since winter set in William has had a
pretty hard struggle for existence The
kind of places that were open for him to
sleep in during warm weather were all
closed, and there was little work that he
could do for his food. He was scantily
clothed and on many nights he kept him
self from freezing by walking all the time
on deserted highways or in the shelter of
buildings.
He was sick and worn out when he ap-
piled to farmer Moses Gilman, at Balm
bridge, Ross county, o., for work about six
weeks ago. The farmer took pity on the
boy, and, though there was little to do. he
kept him for three weeks, and then told
him that he had no further use for him.
He left the farmers house to go, he knew
not whittier. While in despair and think
ing of the hard time he was having, and of
suicide, the little, humble home at London-
derry came in a comforting way to his
mind, and forgetting his pride, that had
kept him away so long, he started with
courage for his fathers house, some 200
miles away. There was nothing but hard
ship staring him in the face on the journey,
and he suffered greatly from his exposure
In about two weeks. or ON Friday last. he
got to Dayton.
Then from the reports he heard of the
condition of the roads, he determined that
he could not walk any longer, and made
up his mind to steal ride to Columbus on
freight train. He found car door partly
open. 1t was about nightfalI, and he
stealthily entered the car, and, going to one
corner of it. he lay down upon the floor
and in few moments was sound asleep.
He was awakened by something being show
cred in upon him, but did not stir. He
found that the car was being loaded with
corn and after 1t was party filled the door
was closed and locked. The air was in
tensely cold, and he kept awake by walk
ing across little vacant spot in the car I'M
til the train reached Columbus Then he
shouted, kicked and pounded the car door
until in about two hours the attention of
someone outside was attracted Whoever
it was told him that the car was sealed,
and that it could not be opened without
violating the law until the journeys end.
Where this was the boy could not find out.
The train started in little while The
wind blew strongly through the cracks in
the car where the boy shivered. He was
hungry, having eaten nothing for TWENTY
four hours. He tried to eat the corn, butt
was SO hard that he could not crack it with
his teeth. He tried to warm himself by
burrOwing into the corn and covering him.
self over with it, but the corn pressed so
hard into his flesh that he could not bear it
and got out into the vacant place again and
began to walk. The air grew colder and
the wind whistled louder. The boy strug-
gled along for hours. Then he lost all
sense of cold. and the air seemed to have
become balmy and warm A pleasant
glow came slowly over his body. and even
when he seemed to have regained strength
and to be walking rapidly, his legs gave out
and he fell to the car floor. and in a second
had forgotten everything He had become
benumbed by the cold, and his body was
completely exhausted. When he awoke
from sleep that was filled with pleasant
dreams he was stiff and could not move.
1t was dark still. 1t seemed weeks before
the sunshine came through the cracks.
The car became little warmer and the
boy thawed out enough to be able to stand.
The process of freezing and thawing was
kept up until the train arrived yesterday
morning in the New York Central freight
yard in this city, and the sufferings of the
boy alone in the car were terrible. When
the car was opened at Sixty-fifth street and
Twelfth avenue, the boy was groaning pit
eously. He was helped out of the car to
store at Seventy-second street. There an
officer summoned an ambulance and the
sufferer was taken to the Ninety-ninth-
street Hospital. His condition was terrible.
Both his feet were frozen. and will proba-
bly, be amputated. They were greatly
swollen, and the pain was so severe when
he was brought into warm room that he
was placed in the summer tent, that is still
up in the yard. His pale face was haggard
and drawn, and his whole body was sore.
The full extent of his injuries could not be
ascertained until he is thawed out. His
desire for food was gone, and he had an
idea that he would be better off dead than
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