Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-03
YOUNG NAN BRAVE
DESPITE INJURIES
COMFORTS MOTHER ALTHOUGH
HE is PARALYzED
With Both of His Legs LIfeless, Ralph
Painter Calls CHEEKY Words of
Comfort to His At
PENDANTS

Fighting death In a slow, weary
siege of fortitude, stretched out on his
back. with properly all his young life
before him, Ralph Painter, aged -2S
years. lies on his bed at his mothers
home at GAO East Twenty-fifth street.
His back is broken, he is paralyzed
from a little above the loins down to
his feet, and the black hand of decay
has already crept up his young limbs
Brave as any hero of San Juan or
Port Arthur, pinned to his couch by
his calamity, he still comforts his
faithful mother and is as plucky
patient as his trained nurse, G. L.
Giddings, ever cared for in all his
career.
Destitution stared the family in the
face until relief came from friends.
Mrs. Painter is of that heroic souled
type of American womanhood which
permits no surrender as long as life
still holds, and she has spent many
sleepless nights and unhagging days at
the bedside of her boy. The little home
on East Twenty-fifth street is mon
unent to woman'S devotion and a
young mans fortitude.
The neighbors, all of whom know the
extenuating circumstances, have moth
ing but praise for the noble woman
and no less noble son. Both deserve the
medal of honor of a government.
Graduates from School
Young Painter was graduated from
the Compton, Cal. high school, his
mother and he having lived In that
vI.,rr 60 &c
He was working, doing his best to sup
port the little household, when the ac-
cident occurred which has cast such
a gloom over the heart of his heroic
mother.
A we'll was being drilled. sunk by
the W. j. Proctor Well Digging COM
pany of Compton. Painter secured a
position with that firm and threw him.
self into the task with all the spirit
of strong, stalwart manhood. He was
ever ready to do more than his share.
and was liked by his employer and by
the other employees of the company.
The accident occurred on June 1. 1907.
Painter was working where several
iron pipes entered the ground They
were supported from the top by three
poles, arranged tripod fashion. These
poles were attached by chains to the
harness of a team of mules. No one
will ever know what startled the ami
mails but they took fright at some-
thing and ran away.
Boy Is Injured
In their mad flight they dragged the
chain from the poles supporting the
iron pipes and these fell, crashing to
the earth, their full length telling
Painter to the ground. He was pinned
and when the heavy weights We're lift
ed from him it was found his back
was broken. That was all his COM
panions knew at the first hasty exam
nation of his injuries. Later, when a
skilled physician examined his hurts,
the full extent of the injuries was dis
closed.
It was found two ribs were broken.
that his spinal column was fractured
at the first vertebra and that his two
limbs were entirely paralyzed as well
as part of his trunk up to the loins.
Although he realized soon enough
the terrible extent of his injuries and
knew the weary days ahead of him.
the brave young fellow did all in his
power to comfort his heroic mother and
to keep UP a brave, cheerful express
sion to console her. The efforts were
not wasted. II ever a woman idolized
a son 1t is Mrs. Painter. The grief
chokes her voice and the sorrow brings
the cloud light into her eyes whenever
she speaks of her boy.
Find Time TO Smile
All that a mother can do she has
done. The tired hands are indefati-
gable in attending TO his wants, how
ever, and the feet are never weary in
his service.
Yet brave as mother and boy are.
calmly as their eyes may look out upon
the sunshine of the beautiful Califor-
MIA winter days, there yet remain
the sorrow and the pain, the worry
over the finances of the little house,
hold and the grim dread of what the
future may hold.
Yet they, who of all people might
be forgiven for yielding to grief find
time to smile. And their voices ring
true and their conversation bespeaks
hope. For have they not each other2
1t is this which makes the mother and
the son grateful
AS long as hand grasps hand fear
will be banished from the bravest
hearts In Los Angeles.