The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-19

Giving freely to him of their scanty
earnings. risking the infection of a terri
bic disease TO carry him a cheering word
and food and drink 10 keep life in his
body, the messenger boy friends of James
c. Leddington, known to them as Jim
Oleson. were faithful To him both i'm life
and in death.
Under the leadership of Bert E Crock
EFT, they supported him. paid his room
rent and gave him food for months while
he was unable To work on account OF i'll
ness. When he was stricken with diph-
iberia. they secured him medical attend
ance and fed him
After he was released from a pseudo
quarantine. they looked after him and
when they found, after his death. that his
body. under the pauper laws of the state
was to be given to the medical school OF
the University of Utah for dissection, they
raised $S5 with which to give him proper
burial.
His Stormy Career.
Seven years ago Leddington was left
by his father to shift for himself. He be-
came a messenger and held that employ
ment for six years During that time, as
ISOLATED as he was with the most de-
PRAYED element of the under world. he ac-
quired the opium habit.
Early in 1855 he made a determined eff
fort to break away from the habit and,
finding it impossible to do so while
messenger. left the service and went TO
live on farm west of the city. While
there he was crippled with rheumatism
and. being unable TO do the work required
of him. he was sent back to Salt Lake on
July "a without money and unable to
work
HIS friends among the messenger boys
secured a room for him at the Orpheum
hotel and saw that he had food and
clothes. He was treated gratuitOusly for
the rheumatism by Dr. +. ID. Hammond
whom he convinced of his earnestness in
no Gfr Fa
against the drug habit. About four weeks
ago he came to DIR. Hammond suffering
from severe case OF sore throat. Dr.
Hammond prescribed for him. and he
went back to his room. Three days later
he was unable to leave his bed. and Bert
Crockett notified the doctor. who exam
ined him and found him to be suffering
( from severe attack Of diphtheria DR.
Hammond at once notified the board of
health, and in company with Assistant
County Physician Raley visited Ledding-
ton. DR.. Hammond notified the county
physician that he would visit the sick boy
and the county physician authorized him
to purchase antitoxin for the case. That
and the mailing up or yellow flag is the
extent of the care given the INDECENT boy
for whom the law Of the state requires
that proper food medicines and care
should be provided.
Lying on Stairway.
A week from last Thursday, Theodore
Leddington, the sixteen-year-old brother
of the sick boy. who is employed at a de-
partment store as a cash boy heard that
his brother was sick and went TO room u
at the Orpheum hotel. When he tried to
push the door open his brother called to
him not to come in as he had diphtheFia
At that time the young brother states
there was no quarantine flag to be seen
Theodore LeddingtOn asked his brother
what he could do for him. and was told
that he would be released from quarantine
the next DAY. Theodore then went back
to Mrs. Hill with whom ne lives and
told her of his brothers condition and
the kind-hearted woman al once told him
to bring his brother to her house. He no.
Hoa4inusd R-rs