The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-25
SQUARE IN DEALINGS.
Was "Little Butch" the King Of the
NewsbOys.


rough. silver-dollar gambler and
race track newsboy. is dead. But
Butch" had a fine funeral. Every
plunger, bookmaker and newsboy in
town Is just now talking about 1t, for
Butch" was a grand character in his
way. with thousands of genuine
friends and acquaintances stretching
from this city to the winter racing
grounds at New Orleans. La, and Hot
Springs. Ark. A little bit of L.
year-old urchin was Butch" squatty
in appearance and lit up by two of the
roundest and bluest eyes and the big
gest heart ever set into a human
frame.
When the mapes begun to bud in
the springtime down at Aqueduct, l.. L..
where the first meeting of the sea-
son hereabouts is held early in April
each year, one of the familiar sights
to the thousands of regulars cropping
through the entrances after winters
enforced lay-off from the indulgence
in their favorite diversion. was
Butch" Eager as they might be to
get inside to the railside. or to the
bookmakers. many man and woman
stopped to say "Howdy" to the diminu-
tive news vender at the main gate.
why. the last time l saw you you
were in New Orleans. How did you
get up Butch?" was John W. Gates
salutation last spring.
All. de robins express fer mine."
came the rejoinder. and Butch" be-
came side topic of discussion along
with the outcome of the Carter hadi-
cap with the Gates party the rest of
Butch" made money fast. From pen
mics he jumped to quarters, half dol
lars and cart wheels" At the latter
stage he developed gambling propen-
sites. Many time. sneaking into
the betting ring. Butch" would run
up few silver dollars into a yellow
800 not. with the result that very sick,
broke" or generally under the
weather newsy at the race track or
about Park Row in the city found
welcome stake that night. Butch"
was real king among the newsboys.
and no monarch ever enjoyed the hon.
age and the affection his subjects of
the curb accorded him.
But to get back to the funeral. The
newsboys around Sheepshead Bay are
sorry for Butch but proud of the
funeral-they paid for it themselves.
When Bookmaker Con" Shannon
started to take up subscription "Bos-
ton" the natural newsy leader after
Butch" stepped up and said: Nav,
we're on de job and nobody else So
1t came to pass that the pennies of
the newsboys about the race track
saved Butch" from going to the
Potter's field in plain black wagon,
and instead the remains found sweet
ly quiet resting place in a paid for
plot in Linden Hill cemetery. If an
other story like the Harry X. Thaw-
Stanford Whit tradedy breaks loose
and the boys are lucky Butch" is
going to have marble headstone at
the top of his tiny grave, too. Robert
Emmett O'Brien drifted into town
from the floral culture farms of the
charity de partment away down on
Long Island some five years ago, a
stocky. cheerful little Irishman of
about II years. He staked a quarter
in papers, and after selling out took
scent bed in the Newsboys' home.
Next morning. under the water taps,
while faces and hands were being
Whltened and cleaned. he bumped into
the nickname Butch" and it remained
close to him. like the fly and the new
sticky paper, to the end. Butch"
showed that he was always willing
to fight anything of his size. so he
became popular. He stayed about the
Newsboys' home and grew up with it.
Good sense piloted him away from
cigarettes. craps ETC.. and he was a
good boy. Later on "Butch's" native
cunning told him of the free, easy
money about a race track. and he
discreetly titled that field OF industry
instead of the downtown thorough
fares. But even before he died they
praised him around the Home. An H.
year-old by grows up fast in five years
about New York and on the race
track. Last year Butch" decided he
was getting too old for "de poiper
game" He disappeared from the race
track gate, and the next thing heard
of him was as punior salesman in
publishing house at goOdly stipend
from friendly millionaire purse.
His new job brought him more money
than ever. and because he was white,
dead white, and had been up against
it himself many time. none of his
cronies at the new place went short
At the Newsboys' Home it is against
the rules to keep boy after he grows
up. 1t was real home to him-the
only one he had known since being
left an orphan in his babyhood, so
point was strained and Butch" was
kept on. Supt. Heig liked him. So
did everybody else. Just as the horses
returned from Saratoga early in the
month and Butch" thought of visiting
his friends at Sheepshead Bay, he
caught cold. He was advised to lay
off, but he would go to work. On the
second day he tainted across bundle
of catalogues. The ambulance changed
at the warehouse door and Butch"
was taken to Bellevue hospital down
on the edge of the East river. On the
third day the house surgeon sent for
MIR. Heig and expressed no hope for
the patients recovery. Butch" was
told too. He took it like man. Only
he had one regret. ut goes" he said,
with whispering voice. "only I amt
got no money and I'd like to be put
away decent"
'I'll see to that. Butch" softly re-
piled the superintendent.
"Sure?" asked Butch
Sure"
So the Irish blue eyes glowed a
prayer of thanks. The little patient
fell asleep after a while and never
woke up.
Supt. Heig returned to the home and
dolefully informed the boys that
Butch" was dead, also that he had
asked for decent burial 81 want
| you bows to do it," he exnIained He