The evening world., 1912-08-14
He MADE AK|TE
TO HELP BURY BOY,
THEN MET DEATH
Housetop Tragedy Adds to
Plight Of Poverty-Stricken
''Porgie Row."

There 10 WOE In Porgis Row to-day;
for there. where human suffering was
already great. have been two tragedies.
'Forgis Row" 10 situated on the
south side Of East Twelfth street. DO.
tween Avenue c and Avenue d. FIFTY
years ago. whom the east side aiona
the river front was the centre Of New
York's ship building industry. the four.
story tenement houses along Twelfth
street were the homes Of snip car
psntsrs, who brought homo with them
each night strings Of porgiss they ha1
caught in the Dast River.
But evil times have come to Porgi<
Row. Tho prosperous ship carpenters
have given place to the poverty stricken
children of the slums. Houses that
formerly were occupied by one family
now give shelter to half a hundred souls
They speak a Babel OF languages in
Porgie Row. but the common ground on
which they meet Is that of tho unselfish
sharing OF their few worldly goods.
Nine months ago. Mike Freno. q labor
er, deserted his wife Kate. who lives on
the ground floor Of No. TIC East Twelfth
street.
Three months later her baby came.
She was penniless and Ill. and the poor
OF Porgie Rly gave what they could
spare. When she was able Mrs. Freno
went out to work by the day. and those
women of the neighborhood whose man
had Jobs took turns In caring for little
John Freno.
But the fight for life was waged un-
equally. Malnutrition. the doctors
called tits starvation In Porgie Row
caused the baby's death night before
last. The undertaken came and said ne
would bury John for IS. Mrs. Treno
had not one cent.
The women OF Porgs Row contributed.
but only s. was raised among them'
Then the children came to the rescue
They fashioned pin wheels and Kites
and sold them for a penny apiece TO
help bury little John. A few who pos
sessed little four whee! wagons soid
them. too, to help defray the funeral
expenses.
Eight year-old Abraham Yurn came
from Russia only a few months ago
with his parents. He could not speak
English, but that made no difference.
He could fashion wonderful box kites,
which would ny In almost any kind OF
wind.
All day yesterday little Abraham sat
In the broling sun on the roof OF MS
home, No. 7ls East Twelfth street, and
whitfield and tied and pasted Kites lie
finished three OF them In a day. and
sold them readily for cent apiece
Last night with the other children OF
the neighborhood. he went to Mrs
Fneno's fiat, where all emptied their
pockets of pennies and nickels to add to
the IS the woman had raised.
When It all was counted they had s.
Of the necessary IS. They told Mrs.
Freno they would raise the rest. Early
to-day Abraham was back on the roof
whiting away at sticks and fashioning
kites. He expected to make at least
Ave. When one was finished he tried
II to see that II would fly.
Later In the day. when Max Har-
dintz of No. 7l2 East Twelfth street
entered the yard of No. us, he came
upon the mangled body OF Abraham
on the stone fiags. In his hand he
clutched the cord by which he had
been flying his kite. A ulisstep had
sent him plunging from the roof to
death.
There Is woe In Porgis Row. Now
the children and their elders must
raise Sl6. for there will be two funerals
instead of one