The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-22
MI. Hale writes of the Boys Who
Played Franks Sixty Years Ago
just NJ School Boys
Do Today.
NY g.. O.. HALE

!
In q former paper. mentioned thai
r. e. Coke and his brother. Richard
were OF irish parentage and were. BY
the death Of both parents, left orphans
when they were very young.
Their parents, as recall, died with.
In few days Of each other. during ar
epidemic in New Orleans. The two
little boys had no living relatives left
to them In America and were adopted
by an old gentleman who was 40
quainted with their history. He de-
cided to remove to the North with his
adopted sons, and to that end he and
the boys repaired to the river dock one
morning to take steamer up the Mis-
sissippi River, with Louisville as theif
objective point. There was very
large crowd present--all intent upon
having baggage, ETC., carried aboard
and properly stored on that steamer.
In the midst of the confusion, the
boat steamed away and left many
would-be passengers on the dock.
Among that number was little Robert
Coke. Richard, the younger of the
boys, had been carried aboard the boat
by the man who had adopted them. In
due time they reached Louisville and
when the boy arrived at suitable age
he engaged In the hardware business.
Meantime, Robert had been adopted by
another man, who found the little TEL
low without home or friends. stand
ing on the wharf after the departure
of the boat. When he arrived at
suitable age, he engaged In the erug
business. Eventually, he removed TO
MONTGOMERY and formed copartner-
ship with Mr.. Tom Coster. Meantime,
the brothers residing miles apart had
both prospered. At the time of the
separation, Richard was old enough to
remember that his brothers name was
Robert" and in the early "forties.
after he had established himself IN
business, he began to take steps to
locate his older brother. He adver-
tised for him in the papers of New
Orleans and Mobile. all to no purpose.
Saw nm Advertisement.
Finally he came across copy OF
The Advertiser containing the adver-
tisement of Coster &c Coke. He saw
that Coxe's initials were r. E., the
initials of his own brother. Ee wrote
to him, and, when the reply came, ne
knew, beyond a doubt, that he had at
last located the long-lost brother. Mr..
Richard Coke came post-haste to Mont
gomery to meet his brother. While
there he arranged to engage in the
hardware business In that city. His
store was located on Court Street, a
short distance south of Alex Rice's
store. Mr.. Richard Coke. as recall,
removed to Montgomery the latter pert
of '48, or early in az.
One noon. when we were pupils at
the High School, my brother and |
were walking in front of Mr.. Richa d
Coxe's store. and he said to me: sam,
don't you want a pretty little wheel
barrow without knowing the ma
ture of the prospective present. 1 ven
tured to reply in the affirmative. and
I am certain that / never owned any
thing that gave me as much pleasure
as the wheel-barrow. in miniature, that
Mr.. Richard Coke presented to me. !
wouldn't let my brother touch IT. l
wheeled Il all the distance, uphill, to
the school house. After school. rny
brother carried 1t in front OF tim as
we rode homeward on the pony. l
kept that present until left for Viz
ginia in 81. do not recall what Ee-
came of It. Later on, Mr.. Richard
Coke gave me a pretty top-dinefent
from any top I had ever seen.
Tom Vickers was one Of the big boys