The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-13
KNEW HE'D COME HOME.
Runaway George zimmerman Greets
His Mother at Last.

Neshanic is a desolate little settlement in
New Jersey, thirty-five miles from New
York, thirty-five miles from Trenton,
thirty five miles from Perth Amboy and
ten miles from the nearest place that makes
any pretense to civilization. To get there
you must pass through a sort of Slough Of
Despond which tries mans soul beyond
endurance. AL Of William Ammerman's
children were born here, and
they all liked the place except
George. George was the second,
and the handsomest and the strongest; but,
somehow or other, he couldn't buckle down
to Neshanic. He had peculiar notions about
the s1ze of the world and although his
father used TO drum into his ears the saying,
There is no place like home" George
wanted to make sure of it by seeing for
himself. All this was in re or'77.
One hot August day. fourteen years
ago, when the flies were buzzng as hard as
they could and all nature was droning ia a
listless. monotonous way, Mrs. zimmerman
said to George:
Here. lazybonesl Take a pail and pick
some blackberries for tea"
George was then IA years old, and as
chubby, lazy and freckle-faced boy as was
to be found in the county. He took his
battered straw hat from the nail, seized q
tin pail and started to 90 out. He stopped
for a moment where the baby was playing
and stood there irresolute Baby Charles
hadn't seen much of this world then, ard
30 did not know how to take it when George
swooped down and kissed it and pinched its
cheek, and then rushed out of the house
Mrs. zimmerman did not know just what
to make OF this unusual proceeding She
had watched it curiously over the rim of
hav~ ali a,,I la -
picture of George, with his hat on. his
brown legs barred and his arms sticking
out at the elbows, she never forgot. Baby
Charles forgot the incident completely.
George went across the field to patch of
blackberry bushes and soon had his pail
full. Then he stretched himself at full
length in the grass, on his face, and lay there
thinking. He lay there until the sun went
down, and then got up and walked across
the fields to the railroad track, half a mile
away. A coal train, westward bound, had
drawn up for water. George hid himself
near it until the whistle blew and the en-
CINE began to puff, and then, when the train
was fairly in motion, he jumped up bet cen
two cars and arranged himself into as COM
Portable posture as he could. The next
day he was in Harrisburg.
In the blackberry patch Mr.. zimmerman
found Georges pail filled with berries, but
there wasn't the slightest trace of TIE boy
himself. There was fruitess search, and
ths anxious weeks heightened into years.
Baby Charles grew no to look just as Geo ge
did on the day he went away, ana his
mother idolized him. The other children
grew up. The boys became farmers, and
the girl became wife and the mother Of
another little George. William zimmerman
became old and gray, and his wife became
q helpless invalid, and clouds of trouble
gathered.
The other afternoon Charles came running
| into the house and said:
"Pa, there's a man at the barn who wants
! to see you"
Tell him to come in, boy; tell him to
| come in"
II did ask him, and he says he won't
| He wants to see you very important"
| Neshauic not being great place for WIS.,
| itors Mr.. zimmerman went out, wondering
who it might be. At the barn stood tall,
| sunburnt yonng man, with long mus
tache, wearing a SLOUGH hat and blue fia1-
mel shirt. He held out his hand to Mr.. Am
norman and said:
| Hello daddy"
Mr.. zimmerman was dumfoundsi for
moment and then, to show his appreciation
| of what he thought a joke, replied:
Hello, sonny, What can l do for your
| Don't you know me, dad? Have you
forgotten little George who ran awayF7'
! For a moment the old man stared
| bla nkly at his newly discovered offspring
| and then:
"Well, bless my soul You COMPOUNDED
rascal, if it amt George. My dear boy
you-you-my! amt you big. And you
He wss crying like child.
IAN right, daddy. I've come back now
to look out for you. Where's mo! want
| to see her..
"She's sick, George. She's very sick
| and she may die any minute. II can't
get used to 1t, my dear, dear boy. How
| handsome you are, and won't your mother
be surprised! You wait here now. till
! call you"
| Mr.. Ammerman went into the house,
stoned only to wipe his eyes, which took
him a long time, and then entered his
| wife's room.
"Ma, what would you like to see best in
the whole, whole worldp
| GEORGE was the prompt answer.
| Hes here Georgia, come inside. Hey,
you rascal, don't upset your old father
! There. there. Oh-h-h, don't cry, ma. 1t
amt a ghost. It's George, sure enough,
| D-d-don't take on So"
The parents and their son had good.
long crv, and then George sat down near
his mothers he'd and took her hand.
'It's long story" he said, "and can't
| tell it all at one time. got on coal tram
and stole a ride as far as Harrisburg, l
worked there doing chores for two months
and earned money to pay my way to
Chicago. worked few days in brick
ward and then went to Iowa. was in Iowa
| for two years working in lumber yards and
| learned all about the lumber trade and
about timber. After that l worked at
| numbering all through Montana and Colo~
RADIO. In 1881 l went to Washington Terri"
| tory and was there thres summers. Every
winter / went to California or Arizona.
was what they call timber cruiser. !
went through the country looking for good
| timber lands, and when l found them the
neonle | worked for bought them.
# made lot of money during this time,
and saved nearly 5000. had contract
"a furnish 50 900 cords Of wood at a 81 q
cord and made $4,000 out of it. Then
about seven years ago gave up numbering
and went to Marshallville, Mon, where the
silver mines are. Ihauled lumber here Ior
a abort time, but as soon as got interested
In the mines dropped it altogether ana
went into mining. ,..,-...
"And then, daddy, got to speculatlpg IN
mining stock. One day | won, anotner l
lost, AT one time u had S25, 600, all my own 1
money. But was big fool, and invested
il ali again and lost nearly all OF It. AFTER
seven Years of this kind of life got tireo Oh
4 a a. m