The Detroit times., 1910-01-07
Lifeless Body Of l2-year-old Lad
Is Found in Bank of Snow
He Had Started Out To
Find Work.
Frozen Tears on Casket Show
Mothers Grief in Cold and
Desolate Room.
BY J. v. KNIGHT.

son-st.. laughing. fur-clad men and wo-
men were swept by in fiurries like the
snow that fell In binding curtain.
Neither cold nor storm. though.
checked the radiance OF prosperity
that was outside and in. Ali around
me IN the granite and-giit hall. people
were saying "A fine January"
4 big man happened TO mention.
too. that IL was & below zero.
And that's what made me turn to
the cold weather report in my news
paper. Halfway down the column
were the names OF four victims. and
this sentence led the list
Jolly. Harry, aged II; frozen TO
death while looking for work.
Here, then. was the other side OF
what cold day--every cold day,
means to a city like this | stared out
TO see that other side.
There are SO many big hulks OF
grain elevators lining Calumet river.
Each is filed up with wheat and In
their shadows was the home where
Harry jolly lived. and from where he
started out TO look for work and was
frozen to death The little one-story
house with the white crepe OH the
door was the one. Geo. Fl. jolly.
Harry's father. opened the door when
| knocked.
.Harry's In There Deadl"
Eyes, it's true" he said quietly
when | asked him. "Harrys in there,
dead. | had seven boys. IL times
weren't so hard Ia say TO the others.
never risk your lives in the cold
Harry wasn't my Oldest Joe. he's
l6. works every day. He's working
now. Then George. he's IA. Is leading
horse for the ice-plow over at Wolf
lake. George Is working today. My
four others. Louis. aged 10. Freddie.
who will be seven in April. Clarence.
he's only four, and the baby there
Ills names Walter" spoke up his
mother. who held the child at her
breast. Hes not Is months old yet.
"You must tell the man" she added
TO her husband. what a good boy
Harry was"
That he was the father spoke mp.
without q tremor In his voice. The
grief was In his face but he did not
express 1t. The poor have SO many
griefs that the words OF woe dry up
within them.
This is what he did say:
Harry didn't want to work until he
got his school books all fixed up for
time when vacation stopped. He
went to the Gallistel school, and was
In the seventh grade. There's his toy
blackboard that was a Christmas
present. See the figures on IL? Harry
made them.
Always Bright Boy.
"He was always showing he was an
extra bright boy That sled outside Is
one he made; Just as he left II after
he gave his brother ride. Then he
started out to the lake to get work
It was awful cold.
when he didn't come back that
night we thought he'd gone home with
playmate. Sometimes the boys
would.
Then. in the incriung. my wife was
worried. So | didn't start to work.
I'm a carpenter--work at the Solvay
coke ovens yonder.
IL followed Harry's footprints. So
did George, with his dinner bucket. for
he had 10 go that way to get to the
ice-cutters.
Then George found Harry dead. He
called TO me. and, sure enough, ne
was frozen stiff In the snow, whera
those bulrushes are, right close TO
home. II he'd have called TO us. Wei
lave heard him here.
"Those are his footprints In the
front yard. Ny wife Is hoping the
wind won't blow the drift into them.
Because we're going to bury Harry
tomorrow. and those footprints OF MS
4 h<xr
Il tell you it's hard. His books are
IN a bundle in the corner. All ready
tc take back to school.
Would you like to see the body
I'll show you ,
The front room, where the little
white plush caskct lay. was as cold az
outside-a frozen crypt.
In that placid little face there was
no hint of pain. But the blurred sient
~ a. showed what remained of GRIEF
In the home. For Harry's motnef
tears that had fallen on the glass
window of the coffin, had frozen tnerc.
Tbe father. beside me, could only see
an indistinct picture Of the dead Doy.
lecause of the tears. And then he
broke down and wept. too.
Sobs shook him as lie said: "Georgic
wntfldnI DtlleNt tndb "ao 'NsN'
"a hen he found him out there. ] cant
hardly believe 1t now"
Need Money For Funeral.
"yep. I've got to work" 1t was
Toe the eldest brother, driving de-
livery wagon up to the door as left
.Inl work up to the time Of the fun
arai own this horse andS wagon
Earned II out of my commissions for
,he tailor | drive for. But I'll have
80 cell. Mollie tine horse, and the
.aeon now. Bu. I thought I'd work
,,,i the last minute. The folks need
he none for the funeral
walked back To- the car tracks. IN
tho shaaow OF those elevators that
were bursting With food and typifed
,ha source of this great city's wealth
had seen both sides of the changes
IN life that one cold day had brought
to Chicago.
only wished that some OF those
hanny people back on Madison-st.
"o,id have seen what | saw. Maybe
,he slsht would have had a MESSAGE
Coz them that would mean more hap.
niness for others IN 1910.
P'
t-.t.;. fiohffnc NJ tho \ew