The Detroit times., 1910-01-13
HOW SILLY DREAM
. Of RICHES LED TO.
MANS DEATH
Isaac Finkelstein's Attempt To Bur-
row Under the Ground To Banks
Vaults So Absurd That It
Is Humorous.
His Crushed Body Is Taken Out Of
the Tunnel He Had Been
Digging.

stein. Bad Man. This story, right ouI
of the heart of the East Side isn't In
tended 10 lionize him. but simply t.
tell how he turned wicked.
1t was bad enough, on last Thanks
giving day. for the Finkelsteins to be
living, with their five children, In q
room on the third floor OF the tene.
ment at 90 Ludlow-st.; they had striv.
en- for better things. But to have no
turkey for the brave little wife and
the five smartas-a-whip children!
Isaac sat at the window and looked
across the street and over the roofs
to where the wall of the Grand-st.
bank with its red giant-lettered sign.
boosted that the strong boxes within
had "$10.000,000 resources"
Isaac had always been honest. He
was like other men. Hadn't he fallen
In love, as other men do; didn't he
run away from the Russian army when
1t tried to take him from her; hadn't
he married her; didn't he become a
proud papa, in the quiet. out-of-the
way corner OF Russia, In which they
were hiding; and when three children
had come, didn't he make up his mind
that he would take them all to the
great America, where, II a man works,
ne can make his children fine ladies'
and gentlemen; and hadn't he come
over here alone, and worked like a
dog at mending shoes for two years;
and didn't he toll. many night until
morning.; and didn't his eyes pain
him; and didn't he go hungry to see
the pile OF coins grow; and one day
wasn't he the proudest father in the
United States when he went down to
the pier 10 meet the girl he had loved
and the children, Minnie, Sarah and
Johnny?
They were all in America at last.
Worked IS Hours q Day.
And Isaac set to work. harder than
ever before. He added house and
sign painting to his shoemaking TASK.
Many days he worked 16 and 18 hours.
And two more children came.
'sNstt began TO be hard to pay the
butcher bills and the grocery bills.
His wages grew smaller and smaller;
leather cost more; the rent went up
from $40 TO $12 month.
And that's the way it was Thanks
giving evening when Isaac turned his
big black, tired eyes to the bank sign
$40, 10000 resources"
He got up and went downstairs the
back way into the alley; he turned
into the rear OF an unfinished build
ing, two doors away from his home,
and In. the dark crept into the base
ment, and up the front, under the
Ludlow-st. sidewalk He had brought
with him a little ash shovel.
He began to dig. not downward but
under the sidewalk. toward the bank,
which stood 100 feet away, across the
street. He worked late that night.
and when Anna. his wife. asked him
where he had been, he told her he
had gone out to find some wood, but
had failed.
lied again to Anna when he came In.
After that he left home every even
ing; 1t was a thing he had not done
before. But every night he burrowed
further and further. The hole was so
small he could hardly work his way
through It; he braced up the sides
with small boards and laths.
New Years day came without a sim
gle extra pleasure In the bad mans
home; the holidays were only work.
adays-but Isaac still dug.
He had worked his way nearly
across the street; the hole was a
burrow that no human being would
care to enter. but to Isaac every inch
of Il was az familiar as his own hand.
and he had no fear.
Crushed Body Taken Out.
Then one morning Anna and the
children found Isaac's bed empty,
The little son Isador was sent to the
dark basement with lantern, for by
this time the family knew where hus-
band and father went every night. The
boy looked into the hole and heard
groans. With cry he rushed to the
sidewalk and told policeman, who
laughed at him at first.
The police got John Jaffney, a dar.
ing underground worker. down into
the hole. For 10 feet he crawled, then
he backed out.
There's a cavein," he said. you'll
have TO dig down from the street. He
didn't know how to dig. He used
laths for braces"
So men came with shovels. and
wagons with snoring. II was risky
work, but finally Isaac's crushed body
was taken out. 81
At the third story window the crowd
saw the faces OF woman, baby
and four children, who really deserved
something better, than a room In Lud
low-st.--that Is, according to the way
Isaac Finkelstein. bad man, looked
at Il.
But when I went upstairs TO talk
to them there was not bite OF food In
the house. And the wife said TO me
as she faced the "sl0.000,O00 re
sources" sign:
You put II In the paper that Isaac
wasn't q bad man. won't your
But OF course that can't be done