The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-13


Reads novel In which newsboy
amas~es fortune.
Runs away from home In West
Virginia.
Arrives In Richmond hungry
and pcnniless.
Adopts fictitious name of
Ernest Raymond" same as hero
in book.
Finds good Samaritan and
home.
Becomes protegee OF wealthy
mining man.
Found by father after six
months search.
Seeking a fortune like the hero of
novel who started out in life as
a newsboy and amassed wealth: after
exciting adventures daring c~-
capades. Emmett Crook. thirteen
years old, ran away from his home
In hinton. w. Va. about six months
ago. endured poverty. hardship ami
toll. while struggling for a livelihood
In Richmond and finally was adopt
ed as the protegee and probable heir
OF wealthy mining contractor.
Through a letter written to his
sweetheart. the lad divulged his
whereabouts and his father. r. II.
@iotAs iiIEInAA otA tic apEdht &Et
Ohio railway. whose search of half IL
year for the lad had been futile. be-
cause the boy had assumed a fieti-
tious name, left Richmond for Mia
-erai last night. 10 apprehend the
youthful runaway and accompany
him back to his grief stricken and
worried mother.
Whether the father viii force the
boy to remain at home or allow him
To remain In his new home ~ the
protegee OF the rich mining man is
"A question which probably can not
he answered until the elder Crook has
an opportunity to have a heart-to-
heart talk with the youthful wan
derer.
Before leaving his home In Hinton.
Emmett Crook read a novel by "A
popular author of boys books In
which the adventures OF the hero.
Ernest Raymond and his acquisition
OF large fortune, are told In glow
ing colors. When Emmett lett his
home short time after last Christ
mas he abandoned his name and as
sumed the pseudonym OF the here
of the fiction, Ernest Raymond. Ii
was under this name that the lad
has been leading a varied career IN
this city for the last six months.
Meets Good Samaritan.
One stormy and cold Sunday night
about the middle Of January. Ernest
Raymond, as he called himself, was
found wandering in Main street. ny
Robert Glodfeiter. an empioye OF an
insurance company, living at Gil
North Ninth street. Thinly clad and
shivering, the lad told a story OF hard
ship and trial which transformed
tlodfel,er into a Good Samaritan.
Ernest said his father had been
killed on the railroad and his mother
had died shortly after. He said he
had come to Richmond To find an
uncle whom he believed lived here.
bu, the quest had been unsuccessful.
This uncle. the boy said, was his
only living relative, ana he had no
idea where he could be found, lie
declared he had been wandering the
streets with but scant food for sew
eral days and had no place to sleep
that night.
Clodfeltar took the boy to his home.
gave him warm supper and put
him to bed. The next day he gave
the lad two new suits of clothes.
shoes and other WEARING apparel.
Ernest sold papers. worked Office
boy. toiied tor time at the Rich
mond Glass Works, sold roda at
Biair's drug store in Broad street.
worked an messenger fer the Pos
tai Telegraph Company and tried
numerous other Jobs.
But the situations. which satisfied
other youngsters held no attractions
fer Ernest Raymond" for he was
searching for wealth He resigned
one Job after another, although he
seldom experienced ditheuity in find
ing new position when he resign
u I'D ~ts& "a
tractive appearance. the tad was
considered a valuable asset by most
OF his employers.
Love Mt First sight.
While living at the home OF Clod-
.felter the boy. met Evelyn Harris.
the sweet and pretty daughter of
Captain r. III. HARRIS. OF 6I2 IL
North Ninth street, Just across the
street from the Clodfelter home Ae-
cording TO the condolences Ernest
entrusted TO Mrs. Clodfelter. II was
a case of love at first sight" for
the thirteen-year- old lad
In May Ernest left the Ciodfelter
home without explaining his action.
which hurt Mr.. and Mrs, Ciodfelter,
who had treated the Lad as their own
son. The boy had no home for sew
eral days. and where he slept at
night is one OF his secrets, but sew
eral days later he met Jesse Hall,
another thirteen-year-oid and a mu-
tual friendship was born.
Jesse Is the >son of Mrs Minnie
Earman, who lives at GA North
seventh street, and when Jesse told
his mother that Ernest had no pa
rents or home the kindly woman took
the supposed waif In and allowed him
to share Jesse's room. Ernest lived
with Mrs. Earman for nearly two
months. working part Of the time and
''loafing'' the other. When he OBJ
tanned a position AZ messenger boy
Mrs. Earman allowed him to use one
Of her sons bicycles. she supplied
Ernest with clothes and treated him
as she did her own son.
Meets Another Bcnefactor.
The boy was restless and did not
seem contented with his work. look
ing continually for the road to wealth.
Finally he discovered an advertise
ment for an ONCE boy in q newspaper.
He ansNe cred It and wrote q letter to
Samson Smith, Of Mineral, Louisa
county. Va, who had inserted the
advertisement. Mr.. Smith was so
impressed by the boys letter that he
came to Richmond in the early part
OF last week to see him. Ernest was
not at home when Mr.. Smith called
at the Earman residence. but the boy
called to see Mr.. Smith at Murphy's
hotel.
Smith liked the lad and consented
to rive him the situation. They left
for Mineral at o'clock In the after