The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-06-06
Burial of the Unknown Boy

| In our last issue we published the full
particulars of the death at the railroad
station at this place of a lad apparently
about Is years of age, on Thursday after
noon of last week, who IN attempting to
board a passing freight train at Bacon
| Hill, had fallen under it and been ter
ribly mutilated. Although our local
authorities used every effort to identify
the unfortunate lad, his body remained
unclaimed in charge of Mr.. Harry w.
| Bell undertaken until Sunday afternoon
at three clock, when it was decorously
aud respectfully inferred in the Old Meth
odlst cemetery, the Rev. r. Day Can't
well officiating at the service, and to
which general sympathy had drawn
large number The experience of our
| local officers in their Efforts to identify
! the poor boy, shows the unre liability Of
the Judgment of the average man or
| woman. While the body was at the
station, some one thought it resemb!ed
lad named Cheadle in North East. Three
ladies from that town happened to be at
the station at the time. On being asked
to identify the body as that Of the lad
Cheadle whom theY know personally,
they after viewing it declared their be-
lief that it was bis body. But a few
moments afterwards. telegraphic word
was received that the Cheade lad was
alive at his home
The letters of inquiry received here
since the death of this boy show, how
many missing lads there are abroad.
Not less tlan thirty such letters have
been received by Coroner Litzenberg,
Undertaken Bell George A Blake, Esq,
president of town council, ex Sheriff
William 7. Boulder, John III. Terrell,
and the Rev. r. Day Cantwell. The
numerous letters, one from Mrs. S.
Bowen, S4S w. Lombard st., Balti-
more; another from Charles L. Bear, Ma
tional Hotel, Washington; a third from
John Davidson, go Columbia ave-, Bal
timore; a fourth from Robert Tucker,
1923 Freshman ST., Baltimore. Not one
letter received however has described the
dead youth, or indicated his identity.
Ga Thursday Mr.. B1ll went to Phila-
delphia and interviewed a lady named
McCrea at No. 1927 Carpenter street, in
response to letter from her. The poor
lady has a missing sou about the age of
the buried boy and is almost heart
broken over his absence. Her description
of her son however showed that the lad
buried on Sunday was not he.
Since Sunday last, reports have very
freely circulated in EIkton that the
deceased boy was lad who lived with
the Maloney family i'll Back Greek Neck,
and who although not a relative of that
family bore the same name. 1t was said,
that the boy named Maloney was the
same boy who about two years ago lived
with J. J. Driscoll then tailor in this
town. We have investigated the facts as
carefully as possible, and now believe
that neither reports have any foundation
themselves the Maloney family have not
| seen tit to bring the boy in question to
| E!kton to set at rest all gossip and talk,
| it is no less the fact, that the boy living
with them, and for whom number of
persons III Elkton have mis- 5aken the de-
ceased boy, was i'll EIkton alive and
well on Saturday We have it upon the
| personal testimony of no less reputable a
| gentleman than ex-Sheriff William T.
Boulder, that the Maloney COY was in
| Eiktou on Saturday last, was seen Dy
| him at his house, and that he is to day
living. THIS testimony in our opinion
settles the question as to the VI tloney
| boy, and leaves the deceased lad still
unidentified.
| In this connection we think it only due
Mr.. Harry w. Bell the undertaken to
say, that had the boy been his relative
instead OF a strange and unknown lad,
he could not have shown more consid
crate kindness, and careful attention to
the remains of the deceased boy. He
solicited burial place in Dunbar
Morgan's lot which the latter kindly
granted, prepared the body handsomely
for burial, kept it in an ice chest await
ing identification from Thursday to Sun
day afternoon, trimmed the coffin of the
friendess boy with flowers, and showed
at every point of the case the feelings
and spirit of a true gentleman.
Mr.. Bell did all this, with the prospect
of only Sc county allowance as the re-
ward for his work. Certainly he de-
serves praise for his humane and disin-
terested service, for the remains of a
homeless and friendless lad.