The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-01-17

Leavenworth--DiedB Believing Her Eav-
| orite Boy Still Alive Though He Had
Been -Four Years Dead--Nother Of Mrs
M. w. Levy.
Cash Henderson and aother friends
| went up TO Kansas City yesterday to
attend the funeral of Mrs. Dora Kohn.
Mrs. Kohn was the mother of Sol H.
Kohn and Morris Kohn and Mrs N. ".
Levy and was we'll known in this city.
Mrs. Kohn was good woman and but
few people in Wichita who were &C
customed to see her sitting on the little
porch at the Levy residence are aware
of the pathetic story connected with
her life.
About fifty years ago the province Of
, Bohemia was the scene OF a rebellion.
| Mrs. Kohn's husband was one of the
most prominent Jewish rabbis Of great
wealth. He was connected with the
rebellion and when the crisis came
Rabbi Kohn had to fly to save his wife.
When he left his home one night he
said to his faithful wife Il am going
to try to reach America. When you
have a chance follow me to New York.
When opportunity offered and dis
guised as decrepid old woman and
with her babe Morris kohn under her
arm and Sol who was two years old
concealed in a gunny sack swung over
her shoulder the brave woman succeed
ed in getting aboard an English ship.
She came to New York. She met her
husband and together they came to
ST. Louis. Rabbi Kohn had succeeded
in sending his money out of Bohemia
and when he came to St. Louis was
what might at that time be considered
a wealthy man.
Mr.. Kohn made money in ST. Louis
but finally engaged in speculations OF
a gambling nature and one morning
he awoke from his financial dreams and
found himself a bankrupt with a wife
and five children, three boys and two
girls, to take care Of Mr.. kohn start
ed in to make another fortune but IN u
short time died.
Mrs. Kohn took her little family and
moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, ana
set her wits to work to make living
for herself and children. She started
a fruit stand which she attended and
Sol and Morris were sent into the streets
to gather up old scrap iron and IL was
i'm that way that Sol Fl. and Morris
Kohn learned their first Lessons In po-
litical economy.
These two faithful boys never de-
serted their mother and the golden
band of affection that bound these
three people together was never sun
dered till death decreed it. These two
boys in after years became prosperous
in business and every cent OF their
wealeth was at their mothers $ COM
mand. Eeven when she was not in
need they insisted on giving to her In
her old age.
The business career of the Kohn
Brothers in this city is part of Wich-
ita's history and needs not be related.
The real pathetic part of theiS story re-
mains to be related. All, the older res
idents will remember that Norris kohn
died in New York about four years
ago.
When NJ. W. Levy received the dis
patch announcing Morris Kohn's death
he took it to his wife and the question
was discussed as to how they should
break the news to mother. The more
they discussed 1t the farther they got
from a satisfactory conclusion. Nor
ris and Saul were all the world TO moth
er and Mrs. Levy could not break her
heart by telling her that MOTIFS WAS
dead.
The unpleasant task wasput off until
the next day, the next and the next.
And when Dora Kohn reached that
shores where the sunlight of eternity
never fades she for the first ime learn
ed that her favorite boy had preceded
her.
During his life after he went to
New York every month Norris kohn
sent his mother a check for a small
amount of money so as TO make her
feel that she still had an interest In
his business. Right along every month
until her death that check came sign
ed by the head clerk in Norris kohn's
office and the fond old mother be-
Iieved that her son had not forgotten
her. She never so much as dreamed
that her boy was dead
Some of the friends of the Kohr's
thought that was all wrong but those
who loved the old mother best had
practiced the deception and so 1t must
remain A friend of the family said
that about a year ago Mrs. Kohn was
taken sick ard when she recovered 1t
almost broke him down when he heard
the fond old mother trying to ap-
pear offended at Morris because he had
not left his great business and come
to see her when she was sick.
Misses Green and Pope of Kane. Ill,
arrived in the city to visit the family OF