The Alaska citizen., 1911-08-14
FINDS SON
IN D|SSECT|NC
ROOM

ROOM
After search that covered the
entire West and lasted for nine
months for trace of his son. whom
he loved with all the fondness that
father can cherish-a search fraught
with manifold eagerness on account
of the fact that this son was an in
valid. c. S. Sanberg. 2143 Glenarm
street. found the body of his boy in
the dissecting room at the University
of Colorado, in Boulder. where. with
the aid of preservatives. it had been
doing service to medical science since
the early part of February.
The discovery came as crushing
blow to Mr.. and Mrs Sanberg. who
had practically given up all other
pursuits in life for that of finding
their son. whose absence was due
solely to his great love for them
II was this filial devotion that led
him to leave home nine months ago,
for he did not want his parents to
be burdened with the care of him in
the last stages of the white plague.
which he knew was soon to claim
him as one of its victims
The little family lived happily at
the Glenarm street home, despite the
fact that tuberculosis was telling rap
idly on the son. They were devot-
ed to each other and made daily sac
rifiCes that We're tokens of the love
that existed between them. Harsh
words were unknown. Bravely they
struggled on in the face of the on
coming specter that all knew would
some time wrap its deadly tentacles
about the son and take him from
the family circle.
All that possibly could be done for
The suffering youth was essayed, but
there was no hating in the ravages
of the disease.
BY and by, through his great love
for his parents the youth Carl
Antoine - realized the burden that
he soon would be to his parents. He
pictured them struggling along with
him as drag upon them. Visions of
his last days fitted before him,
haunted him by night and made day
dreams a horror. and revealed the
ordeal that he knew they would
have to bear. 1t was not Of himself
that he thought Long ago had he
reconciled himself to his fate He
did not fear the end that he knew
was sure and soon to come, but
every thought was of his father and
mOther-of their struggles and the
bun do, l.
ing to be. He began to think of
some way to relieve them.
Suicide? No.
That would be the act of a coward
and crime.
One day Carl Antoine disappeared
He did not tell anyone where he
was going. To do so would be to
apprise his parents Of his where
abouts and they would seek him out
and make him return home to die
to intict further burden upon
themselves
Where Carl went or what he did
to make living. no one knew. He
was as completely hidden as if swal-
lowed mp by the earth.
But the youth reasoned without
pi 'ptl SouSc vi VIC loEe VI HIS par
ents. Strenuously they set about to
find him. The elder Sanberg began a
systematic search of all the Western
states where tubercular victims might
rendezvous.
His efforts took him to hospitals,
to sanitariums, and. knowing the ad-
vanced stage of the disease that
flicked at his sons life, he searched
among undertakers The morgues
gave him no clew. The hospitals
yielded no return and the inspection
of sanitariums was fruitless. The
elder Sanberg did not believe that
his son would commit suicide. All
the while he felt confident of this
and with each failure took fresh
courage and devoted his life to comb
ing the West looking for his boy.
The youth was weak when he left
hCme and as months went by and
no trace of him could be had. the
father reasoned that he might have
died among strangers. his identity
every man who had died during the
last nine months in any of the hos
pitfalls and whose identity was I'M
known.
One by one he went through the
numerous cases but found no trace
Of his son, who might be known by
means Of some tattoo marks on the
| left arm.
Following the records down, San
berg came upon a case in the county
hospital in Denver where young
man whose identity was unknown,
had died Of tuberculosis on January
81. No one knew him or his people
He had been taken to the hospital
with the death stamp on his face
and in few days the end came
The victim gave no inkling of any
family connections near and his body
was held the customary ten days be-
fore being disposed Of.
Sanberg traced the body. 1t had
been sent to the medical branch of
the University of Colorado at Bould-
er. He went there, fearful that the
corpse had long since been disposed
OF, but determined to be sure.