Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-20
LITTLE JIM'S FUNERAL.

deal of talk.
Of that there can be no doubt.
Every motherly person in that portion
of South Brooklyn known as the ''Patch
has been talking about it for the last week,
for Jim was one of the celebrities OF that
locality.
It is not alone of his death they are
talking, however, for that had been anticl-
pated for some time, and besides deaths
are so common there that but little is
thought of it. Mrs. Moriarty, one of the
leading ladies of the "Patch," expressed
the general opinion tersely but fairly W hen
she said recently: Sure. the worst thing
about dyin is that betchune the doctors,
the wake, the undertakers, an the buryln
it's chaper to live''-a rather mixed state
ment, the meaning of which is clear, how
ever.
Nc, it was not the death of little il n
that caused all the talk before referred to.
Not at ALL
1t was his funeral that gave rise to all
the talk 1t was one of the most remark
able funerals ever seen in South Brooklyn.
No one who knew little Jim In life would
have supposed that he could command such
honor In death
Jim's life was not one that even the
ordinary street arab would naturally envy
The locality in which Jim lived and
died does not include among its inhabi-
tants any whose names figure in any elite
directory. There are sprinkling of long
shoremen, some junkmen and truckmen,
some ordinary laborers, and some people
who neither toll nor spin. There are the
usual dingy rum-shops that are more pros
porous than any other kind of shops
There are pigs, and goats, and dogs in
numberable, that always seem to be en-
gagged in breaking city ordinances and get
ting their owners into trouble. Taking it
all in all, it is unique locality in more
respects than one.
Tradition in the Patch has it that at one
period Jim had father and mother. Now,
society at the Patch does not ask for much,
but it would seem that the parents of Jim
did not come up to the social requirements
of even this easy-going locality, so that
there was no regret when Jim's mother
died after prolonged spree, and his father
left the Patch never to return. This did
not occur, however, until after, in some
family brawl, one or the other, or both of
them, had, In some manner, injured Jim
so that he remained cripple until the
day of his death.
1t was about this time that Timothy
Murphy. longshoreman, coming home from
his work one night, and being thirsty, di-
rected his steps to resort for the Blk ulous-
" inclined, known as the 'Hole in the
Wall. J" He was just quenching his thirst
when he saw a dwarfsh form enter
partly with the assistance of an improvised
crutch
The gentleman who presided in the es-
Enlistment leaned over the counter.
"Well, what is it?" he demanded
I'm lookin' for me fadder,' was the
reply.
We'll, yer father amt here, so you'd
better get out"
Hold on, said Mr.. Murphy, longshore,
man, at this Juncture. Come here, HE
lad. It's mesef that knows yer blaggarG
of father, an it's me opinion yell see
him no more. an sorra the much loss
The boy set up a whimper, and then the
big longshoreman put his broad hand over
his mouth.
"Whisht, he said, ''come with me, '
and the burly longshoreman and the little
cripple left the store together
A few moments later Mr.. Sullivan long
shoreman, appeared in his own domicile
with little Jim.
Its that bye of Flaherty s, Mary" said
he to his motherly looking wife. "Give
him sup an place to sleep. We've
enough av our own to feed but wan more II
make little difference If we've a feast
We'll not miss what he eats. LIE we've a
famine sorra bit av me but thinks that he S
used to that same.
And that is the way Jim became domicil-
ed with the Murphys. Hard enough times
the Murphys had of it, too, there were days
and weeks when Murphy longshoreman,
had enough to do to keep his family in
bread Yet the ugly duckling that he had
taken in got as good as the Murphys did.
The warm heart of Mrs Murphy went out
to the forlorn cripple, and she treated him
as though he had been her own child.
Nor was Jim ungrateful. He developed
a variety of talents that brought many a
penny into the treasury of the Murphys
He was errand boy for the Patch, and de.
spite his crutch could perform mission
more quickly than most boys and with
more intelligence. He also picked up some.
how the art of writing in a queer spider
like fashion, and wrote letters for those
denizens of the Patch who could not write
themselves. There is formula followed
in writing such settlers as these, for the
writer always starts out with the rather
superfluous announcement that he takes
his pen in hand and always ends by
wishing this viii find you in good health
as it leaves me at present" regardless Of
his actual condition of health. This for
mula is as immovable as were the laws Of
Modes and Persians, and by his fidelity tc
it little Jim added to his popularity anC
his income.
Then Jim had a little cracked voic,
with just little sweetness in it, and he
sang two or three songs in manner tina
the people Of the Patch considered as be
ing extremely artistic. Jim's repertoir
was not extensive. He sang "Only
Picture and warbled about the Scotcl
lad Geordie, who left his Jean to fgh
with the Scotch brigade and never cam,
back, and he sang about letter that som
one had received from Ireland. In add
ton he somehow learned to play severa
airs on an old accordion that belonged t,
the Murphy family.
All last summer Jim used his accom-
plishments in various directions and pick
ed up a good many dollars Most of thes
went into the Murphy treasury, but on
day in rumaging about his bed Mrs Muir
ply found an old handkerchief. and tie,
up in it were several dollars in small sill
yer.
Lord love the boy, it's. savin' up TO
somethin' he is, said good-natured Mrs
Murphy. And she tied up the money an,
placed it where she had found it. Sh
said nothing to Jim about it, out after
ward came to the conclusion that bit b
bit Jim was adding to his hoard.
One day Jim, who seemed to have some
thing on his mind, surprised the good wo
man nv ahrl1Dtly asking: