The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-11
hoy TRAMP KILLED IN VAN:
MOTHER AND TWO DIE BY GAS
Coal Fumes Cause Death of
Youthful Runaway Seek
ing Adventure.
TWO OTHERS OVERCOME
Trio Lie Down to Sleep in Big
Wagon After Eating
Oranges.

Three boys who had decided that homo
was rather an empty word were found
yesterday morning curled up In a big
closed moving van that was stored In q
vacant lot In West 1920 street under the
shadow OF the viaduct They had kindled
a coal IRE in an improvised brasier to
keep warm and had been overcome by
the gas.
One. Joe Scanlon, is years Old. was
dead. and beside him Frank Kennedy. also
Is. was barely alive and probably will
die. Both boys lived at 31s East i2ist
street. The third. Henry Miles. known
to the others a. Soldier. will recover.
Partly from Soldier. lying on a bed Ia
the Knickerbocker Hospital. his mind still
dazed from the gas fumes. and partly
from the parents of the other boys. II
was learned what led up to that last night
in the van.
Little Joe and Frank lived In q dark.
dirty basement of a tenement. They went
to school. and afterward picked UP coal
to sell for enough to buy their own meals.
They didn't go to the basement until they
were too tired to do anything else. and
seedlings were common and harsh. So
they decided to run away.
Turn 60 Soldier IN Crisis.
II was natural that they should turn
| to Soldier Miles in such q crisis. even
though Soldier was . whole year younger.
He ran away months ago because homo
didn't mean much to him either. and Joe
and Frank looked up to him as an expert
enced adventurer In the large world where
beds are made in strange places.
They had almost decided to cut away
on Wednesday, when box on the ear
! as he reached home settled the matter
as far as Frank was concerned lie
ducked out ahead Of his father. and fol-
two boys laid their troubles before him.
and Soldier laughed laugh of SUPERB
| GRITTY and told them to Just tag along
after him and they'd be all right.
There isn't a place in Harlem where a
boy can snuggle up in partial comfort for
| a snooze that the Soldier doesn't know OF.
and ne varies his boarding house accord
| ing to the weather. He chose the van
! that night to sleep In and the boys. COW
/ cred by a bit Of burlap and hugging each
other for warmth. got along fairly well.
But they decided on a fire for the next
night.
Find big Can for stove.
Thursday they picked coal and forgot
that there was such place as school To-
ward evening they had earned enough to
buy all the food they could tuck In. and
| started for the van late but feeling
mighty independent. They had an orange
apiece and had found a big tin can with
| a handle which would make q wonderful
stove.
They filled the bottom with wood. piled
coal over that and touched it Off. After
| the wood had burned out and the coal
was going we'll they lifted II into the
van. shut the big doors and hung flaps
! OF canvas over the holes In the back 10
| keep out the cold night air.
! The roar Of the subway trains passing
over the viaduct came to them softly, toots
from the ferryboats as they pulled out and
the rattle of buses going along tho drive
reached their dark little house. III only
BY the dull glow of the fire, with d
strangeness that thrilled them with won
derful sense of freedom.
Eat Oranges. Then Go to sleep.
They munched their oranges until 10,
/ with a yawn said:
Gee amt this great, fellers. I'm 81
sleepy I can't keep my eyes open"
Their heads began to droop and soor
Joe and Frank and then the Soldier
dropped alongside the fire and slept.
Franks father had been hunting To-
them all the day before, and yesterda!
morning he started out again at daylight
He heard that the boys had been seei
around the empty lot where trucks stooC
waiting for the days work. and going Ia
side he was attracted first by the van. H.
pulled open the door and saw Frank will
n Bit of the orange still in his hand.