Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-30
ING MAN DENIES IT AND PASSES ON
Over Three Thousand Sufferers Cared Tor at
Bic Tents in This City,
EARLY SIX HUNDRED COME IN SUNDAY
Railroads Are Still Bringing These People
from Devastated Golden Gate.
PUBLIC DONATIONS ARE YET NECESSARY
Last Union Pacific Train to
Arrive Has Fifty Babies on
Board and Many Are
sick.

sick.
More than 5000 of the California refugees
/ have been given food and as many as re-
| quircd il medical attention at the big tents
at the Union station. The trains yesterday
! brought in 5Nl of these unfortunate people.
An earlier train brought one, at least
| whose coming gave a tinge OF romance
that only served to deepen the melancholy
spirit of this work Of mercy 1t was like
a stage drama, only the denoument did not
work out as the playwright would have 1t.
Jens Knutson of Twenty-hfth and Bur-
dottc streets, while peering through tho
! iron fence between the tracks and the
/ camp, cspicd a youth whom he instantly
| claimed his son, who ran away from
/ home at Fremont six years ago and was
! last heard of year ago i'm California. Tho
/ youth in question gave his name as Arthur
| Lucas lately of 4S7 Perry street. San Fran
| cisco ana now en- route to an uncle at Dav-
| enport, la. The young man stoutly denied
! any relationship to knutson and gave dates
and other Information to establish his iden-
tity. At length the man and youth parted
the latter taking the matter as a joke,
while Knutson turned sorrowfully away
and pressed through the curious crowd.
/ woman Confirms Father.
The matter was first brought to the at
| tcntion of young Lucas Saturday afternoon.
when Mrs. Warren Stibolt of 25O9 Burdette
| street accosted Lucas and declared him to
be Alfred Kuutson, who ran away from
Fremont six years ago. Lucas at once de-
MED the allegation, but the woman said she
knew the Knutson boy for many years as
! a ncighbor and could not be fooled. Mrs.
! Subolt then went went away, to return
Sunday afternoon with her friend Jens
| Enutson. Mrs. Stibolt told the man to look
around the camp and pick out the boy for
himself. and sure enough Knutson picked
young Lucas out of the crowd after a min
ute's survey Of the faces.
Detectives Maloney and Drummy and sew
eral Red Cross attaches became interested
in the matter and effected a meeting of the
man and youth. Knutson's face was visibly
affected, but the youth showed no signs of
emotion.
II know that is my boy just as sure as
know ] living or standing on this
ground" declared Knutson when ques-
toned. Those eyes that face, the teeth
why. know he is my boy" continued knut-
son.
but stilI the Boy Says Nay.
But Lucas told his life story and said
I<nutson surely must be mistaken. Lucas
said he was born at Harlan, Ia, and re-
membered going to his mothers funeral
when he was years Of age. He remem-
bered his mother telling him his father
died when he was a year old. His
mother was buried at Mount View ceme-'
terry, Oakland At the time of the earth
quake Lucas was living with his cousin,
Thomas Williams, at the address mentioned
Lucas aroused the cousin from a deer
slumber and escaped from the house shortly
before the cousin was killed. Lucas said
he is now on his way to Davenport, Ia,
where his uncle, Frank Williams, resides
! Asked for the address of the uncle in
Davenport Lucas said he could not remem-
ber the address, and questioned as to the
last recollection of that relative the youth
said it was on an occasion when the uncle
? sent him s. bill
Knutson said his lost son was born in
Denmark and would be 10 years of age il
, living now. Lucas said he would be 10
next September. Knutson now lives in
Omaha. His wife. from whom he separated,
resides a Fremont
At the conclusion Of the interview be-
tween Knutson and Lucas yesterday after
noon the man said: well, 1 can't make
him me If he does not want 70. 1
know / have seen my son and l guess the
best thing to do is to let him go his way"
/
lures when Knutson and Lucas WEs8
brought together
People View Tents.
Hundreds of Omahans out for a Sunday
airing visited the tents at Union station in
which the California refugees are fed
, clothed and given medical attention. yes
c terday. During the day 5S4 refugees ar
f. rived and were fed and cared for by COM
mttees from the Omaha women. Nearly
t all of the women and children needed
{ clothing, particularly shoes and stockings,
J and many required treatment Ia the hos
pital tent
More babies appeared than before. A
special Union Pacific train arriving at II 80
{ in the morning had about fifty on board
= and many were ailing. They were all
taken into the hospital tent Immediately
and their wants administered to. A great
many OF the Sunday refugees passing
through were Italians.
: Burlington Helps out.
Besides -he number arriving on the spe-
cial the Union Pacific brought IN two de-
tachments of sixty each on coaches at
tached to special trains and the Burling-
ton one OF ninety sufferers from the Pa
. cihc coast disaster. Those on the Burling-
- ton passed through with only a short stop,
as did some Of those on the regular Union
! Pacific trains. From the special the North
western carried 1873 eastward on special
train and the Milwaukee go Thirty-six
4 wished TO go 10 scattered points and were
! given transportation out on regular east
II bound trains
About 900 Of the refugees are TO arrive
. over the Union Pacific today but little
difficulty is anticipated In caring for them
owing 10 the careful system of the work
under the direction Of Superintendent Nor
rs of the Associated Charities. Up 20
: / Sunday night 29S5 refugees had been fed
4 in Omaha, many clothed and l.724 pro-
yided with transportation by the railroads
" east through the local relief committee
Foot ball Injuries Fatal.