The Washington times., 1906-09-16

NEW YORK. Sept. 15.-'Iittle Butch
rough-toss, silver-dollar gambler and
race track newsbOy. Is dead But
Butch" had a fine funeral. Every
plunger. boolmaker and newsbOy ln
town IS just now talking about 1t. Tor
Butch" was a grand character in his
way, with thousands of genuine friends
and acquaintance stretching from this
city 10 the winter racing grounds al
New Orleans, La, and Hot Springs. Ark
4 little bit Of a siXteen-year-old urchin
was Butch" squatty in appearance,
and lit up by two of the roundest and
bluest eyes and the biggest heart ever
set into human frame
FavOTite With All.
When the naples began TO bud in the
springtime down at Aqueduct. L. J..
where the first meeting OF the season
herea bouts IS held early In April each
year, one of the familiar sights 10 the
thousands Of regulars troaping through
the entrances after a winters enforced
lay-0f from an Indulgence in their IA
vorIte diversion. was Butch" Eager
as they might be 10 get inside 10 the
Iailside. or 20 the bookmakers. many a
man and woman stopped To say How
dy" 20 the diminuuve news vendor AT
the main gate why the last time
saw you YOU were in New Orleans. How
did you get up, Butch?'' was John w.
Gates salutatiou last spring.
"Ah, de robins express fer mine,
came the rejoinder and Butch be-
came "A side topic Of discussion along
with the outcome of the Carter Handi-
cap with the Gates party the rest of the
r.FH
Butch" made money fast. From pen
uies ne jumped TO quarters, uaIf dollars.
and cart wheels" AT the latter stage
he developed gambling propensiues.
Was Generous to a Fault
Many a time. sneaking into the betting
ring. Butch would run up a'fcW silver
dollars into a yellow 800 note, with the
result that every sick. broke or gen
orally under the weather neWsy at the
race track OF about Park Row in the
city found Z welcome stake that night.
Butch" was q real king among the
newsboys, and no monarch ever enjoyed
the homage and the affection his sub
5ects OF the curb accorded him
But 70 get back 10 the funeral The
ncwsboys around Sheepshead Bay are
sorry for Butch. but proud of the fun
eral they paid for themselves. When
Bookmaker ICON" shannon started to
take up a subscription. Boston" the
natural newsy leader after Butch"
stepped up and said. Nav, were on de
lob and nobody else" So ii came To
pass that the pennies Of the uewsboys
about the race track saved Butch
from going 20 the potter's field In a
plain black wagon. and instead the re-
mains found a sweetly quiet resting
place IN a paid for plot in Linden HM
Cemetery.
II another story like the Harry X.
Thaw-Stauford White tragedy breaks
loose and the boys are lucky. Butch
is going TO have a marble headstone AT
the top ,os his tiny grave. too Robert
Emmett O-Brien drifted into town from
the floral culture farms Of the charity
department away down on Long Island
some I'VE years ago. a stocky. cheerful
little Irishman OF about eleven years He
staked a quarter in papers and after
selling out took a scent bed IN the
Newsboys' Home.
Next morning under the water taps
while faces and hands were being
whitened and cIeaused he bumped into
the nickname Butch" and il remained
close to him. like the fly and the new
sticky paper. TO the end. Butch"
showed that he was square. and he was
always willing 10 fight anything OF his
size. so he became popular.
Had Few Bad Habits.
He stayed about the Newsboys' Home