Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-07-21
MOURNING HENRY.
A Chicago Youngster Takes a
Perilous Trip.
AN EXPERIMENT WITH THE CABLE

| which Might Have Provided a Coroner
Subject, But Didn't-Pointed nlustra-
ton of the Remark That Only the
Good Die Young-A Small Boy, q Rope,
and Street Car Cable Provide Thrill
ing Incident.
CHICAGO, July 2l.-Little Henry Alien
berg, who dominates the youthful mind
| of the West Madison street curbstones,
| through scientific investigation pushed
too far caught glimpse of the bright
radiance of the great hereafter yesterday
| afternoon, and came quite near attaining
greatness as the first lad to be sacrificed
beneath the cruel wheels of Mr. Yerkes'
| intermittent cable cars of juggernaut.
Since the west side cable system was
placed in occasional operation last week
the unsklled genius that runs riot the
| sunset side of the city has been puzzled to
fathom its rumbling subterranean mys.
| teries
Preliminary Investigations.
To the small boy that sports on Madison
street it has been great mental problem.
| He has devoted to it considerable thought,
and given it his undivided attention for
| days until he has obtained experimental
knowledge enough to enable him to send
| abandoned tomato cans and other effete
| bric-a-brac of the alley rafting merrily
| down the west side vein of commerce and
into the very ventricles of the city's throb-
bing heart For days the lads have been
lined along the slit in the center of the
| track. dangling into the darkness of the
| noisy tunnel below bits of cord and Irvine
! to which cans and sticks had been at
tached In moment the cable seiZes
them, and they, sliding and humping, run
| merrily off downtown.
Struck by an Inspiration.
| But Hennie Altenberg is a lad with a
superior mind. Six years only have rolled
into the past since he made his debut on
the stage of human action Hennie was
compelled to give up school some time
| ago, and since then has been the leader OF
| his "set' in all sorts of mischief Conse-
Quently when the cable started he led in
the Investigations made, and saw new
| fields of thought opening before him.
Other boys might fasten cans to the speed
ing cable, but such advertisement was too
| tame for him. He lay on the track peer
| ing down the slit watching the black
snaky object that rushed along below,
until a great inspiration glowed within
him.
He Proceeds tn Garry il Out.
| Running up to his mothers rooms at
500 West Madison street, he quietly and
| without ostentation took the cord from
the family bed. Fastening it about his
middle, he tied to the other end piece of
paper Running down into the street, he
dangled the paper into the cable tunnel.
| His scientific ideas had been well con-
| ceived. The currents of air that swished
down the dark passage whirled the paper
| about until the rope wound round and
round the cable. Then his wild career
began. Men, women, children and the
| West End gentlemen who wear silk hats
| and sack coats simultaneously were soon
| awe-stricken at the figure the boy was
cutting.
| identified" with the System.
Henry WAS identified with the cable sys-
| tenn for fact. He had been fast" young
ster before, but he was faster now. He
| pranced down the tracks like a yearling
| colt around a blue grass pasture. His
| soiled shirt fiuttered in the breeze and his
| hat flew off. But he didn't stop to pick it
up He couldn't. He gripped the rope
| that so closely identified him with the
| cable system and sped ON and on. Then
he lifted up his voice, sweled his lusty
lungs and yelled wildly People eener-
| ously shouted "Hey!" at him, and several
thoughtful ones asked him if il hurt
| much. but he only galloped on. He was
devotiDg his whole thought to the scien-
titic investigation he was conducting at
such rapid gait and with such hatterine
success
His Thrilling Race Ended.
A big crowd collected when it WAS dis
| covered what was the matter and soon
was in full hue and cry after the boy. The
end came finally. A. +. ALLEN, an employe
| at Isl Madison street, rushed into the
| street with huge putty knife, the only
| one available along Hennie's entire right
of way, and, trotting along by the boys side
hacked the rope in twain. Hennie fell ex-
hausted in his arms, and the thrilling
scene was over Several hundred people,
more or less according to varied accounts,
stood gaping at the boy who had made
such sensation, and tenderly inquired if
he was hurt But he dsdainfully an
swered, "Naw!" Then big blue backed
project of police put the boy under arrest.
stole away to his home
A Private Matinee.
When his mother heard of the wonder
full feat he had accomplished she led him
gently away to bed. Throwing the cover
lets back over the fGotboard to allow her
ample leeway, she raised the bed cord will
which he had made the thrilling trip over
her head and let it fly. For moment it
soughed mournfully through the calm
atmosphere of the holy Sabbath afternoon.
Then no sound broke the stiffness but the
| howls of the boy whose inquisitiveness
nearly led him to a tragic end. Had he
fallen down, or had he overtaken car. he
would never have been the recipient of the
bitter chastisement that so ignominiously
came to mock him in his new-fouud glory
Another Old Omeiai Passes Away.
WASHINGTON CITY, July 2l.-Louis
Waldecker, chief clerk of the bureau of
navigation, navy department., died mt his
home here YESTERDAY, aged So Mr.. Wal
decker had been resident of this CITY for
over forty years, and had filed the posi-
ton held at the time of his death for
more than twenty years
Noted Poet Dies In Poverty.
NEW YORK .July 81 --.Tobn Whit lor