Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-26
"SMILING JOE" HAS HIS WISH.
Boy Who Was Strapped to Board En-
lows Outinq Like Other Children.


Smiling Joe" Marion, the boy who
won his nickname because Of his per-
petual smile during four years Of pain
and suffering while he was strapped
| to a board in Sea Breeze hospital
Coney Island, gradually recovering
from tuberculosis Of the bones Of his
back, was the happiest child in Man
haitian last night.
Hundreds Of thousands Of people
are familiar with the picture OF
Smiling joe" strapped to his board
Hard-hearted business men who have
perpetual grouches have the photo
graph that Is sent out by the hospital
that cured him tackled over their
desks for its moral effect. Mothers
Of naughty boys have 1t on the walls
of the nurseries to point to when little
| Willie scowls.
But few persons know that "Smil-
ing Joe" Is living in q tenement home
at No. 1O2 James street, in the dense
lower East Side, with his parents
brothers and sisters; that he Is cured
but still wears a brace across his mar
row shoulders. and that his perennial
smile Is the brightest thing In poor
congested section.
| Though his father, James Marion
is hard working man, money Is
scarce in the Marion home, and as
Joe put it yesterday, II dunno how
pop is going to get the money to-
gether to send me to college SOS car
grow up to be police"
In the long years after the boy fell
from a swing and injured his back
and he remained at Sea Breeze strap
| ped to his board, he saw Coney Is
land dimly through the windows OF
the hospital. Other children who
went about the resort brought back
reports that kept Joe smiling more
than ever, but sometimes late at night
the nurses found him asleep with his
face wet with tears. Then he was
cured and came home-still without
seeing Coney.
The other day James A. Nelson
president Of the Luna Amusement
company, heard for the first time OF
Joe's consuming desire to see the is
land with his own eyes, and the finan-
cial difficulties In the way.
| Yesterday morning an automobile
halted at the foot Of the dark stair
way of No. 102 James street and one
Of Luna's attaches went up. There
was a whispered conversation with
Joe's mother bare armed about heI
housework. Her face frightened.
Joe" she said. do you want to
go to Coney Island?"
The boy was minding his little
brother George, but at the mention
Of Coney, where the hospital Is. he
went suddenly pale and one small
hand went up to the brace under his
blue shirt. NO" he said, smiling
bravely but fearfully. I am all right
I don't need to"
But the man means the real Coney
the chute-the-chutes and Luna
said his mother. Joe bounded ur
with a whoop. So did small George
In three minutes Joe was scrubbine
his face at the sink and climbing into
his clean clothes, while George, who
was too small to go, stood by tearfully
Joe hustled to the bureau and dug
out a cherished five cent piece and
darted down the stairs to return with
an Ice cream cone for George. The
bribe was accepted and George went
out to play.
THAT was my last five cents" said
Joe soberly as he and his sister Tes-
sic, 13, followed the ambassador OF
Mr.. Nelson down the stairs and
climbed, big eyed, into the auto. Joe
is now ten years old, but small.
All Cherry Hill stood around en-
viously as the big gray machine
snorted and tore up toward the
bridge, Tessie with one arm around
Joe's waist and leaning back on the
cushions like a little lady. 1t was
their first auto ride.
The smile had broadened fully an
inch when the machine went In under
the gate at Luna, but a moment af-
ter, when he had been welcomed by
the crowd and found himself walking
up the promenade with Tessie on one
side and "Aunt Cynthia" who takes
off the country woman in sunbon-
net and blue gingham. on the other
look Of motherly pity in her merry
face for once-and the full brass band
bringing up the rear and playing
Marching Through Georgia." the
awe Of it all got the better Of him.
He hugged close to Tessie and a
look Of determined dignity took the
place of his smile. Who'd a thought
it," A real band and me at the head
of it" he confided to Sam Goldstein,
Lunas pigmy policeman, who tod
died at his side beating time with
his club.
Joe's eyes were round as saucers
before he had got past the Grand
Canyon, the Dragons Gorge and the
Old Mill. Once round the boardwalk
and the band left him and he was
free to go where he would with all
Luna's people waiting on him and
showing him the sights. He was the
object of all eyes.
Mr.. Nelson himself took him to ride
in the Witching Waves boat and Aunt
Cynthia. serious for once, started a
collection for Joe among the park
employees and guests that swiftly
mounted.
Gee. it was great" said Joe conf
dentially to a World reporter. "They
was a man hypnotized a girl and laid
her across a broom he stood up in the
air. I see boys and girls sliding down
chute a mile a minute and wearing
out their pants-the boys pants I
mean. I rode on a boat under the
Old Mill and a mule in the coal mines
most down to China and saw real hob
goblins and see more fun in an hour
than all the rest of my life together.
It's good to have a cured back and