The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
LITTLE BOYS SAD STORY
FATHER COULDN'T HELP HIM so
HE HANGS HIMSELF.
Tearned to Make His Own Living
Finally Got a Job But Red Tape
Prevents His Going to Work.

Prevents His Going to Work.
Billy McNally OF New York was
only about years old and the young
est of six brothers and sister when
his parents, Mr.. aud Mrs. Joseph H.
McNally, brought their family to that
! city few years ago, and Mr.. Nc
| Nally opened a plumbing business,
which prospered Immediately. So
Billy wasn't very important mem
Der OF the family; but one by one the
brothers and the sister grew UP and
one by one they drifted back to Bos-
ton, the home where all were born.
Then, a year or so ago, Mrs. Nc
Nally died, and Billy and his father
were left alone. Mr.. McNally was
sreatly grieYed by his wife's death.
He lost interest in his business, and
finally he closed it up, taking Billy
to live with him, in the hotel which
Bernard Brennan runs over his cafe.
Billy went to school regularly, and
spent all his spare time with his
father until last June, when Mr.. Nc
Nally heard of an opening in the Pan
anna canal work, and departed for
the South, leaving Billy in charge of
Mr.. Brennan.
Every time a steamship arrived
from the Isthmus there was a letter
for Billy from his father and money
order to cover his expenses at the
hotel and leave little spending
money for him. Billy was lonesome,
but he kept a stiff upper lip, as his
father admopished him in each letter
to do, and told Mr.. Brennon he could
stick it out all right till his father
came back.
It was last September when MT.
McNally returned. Affairs on the
Isthmus hadn't been as prosperous as
he had hoped, and he had determined
to return to his old home in Boston
and try his luck there. He consulted
with Billy and Mr.. Brennan and final
ly decided to leave the boy in New
York until he found what his for
tunes might be.
He left at once and the letters be-
gan to. come regularly again, but this
time there was no money in them.
Billy worried, but Mr.. Brennan told
him everything would be all right as
soon as his father made his pile;
meantime he. would take. care of the
youngster.
AS the weeks extended into months,
however. Billy. more worried each
day, quit school and told Mr.. Bren-
nan he was. going to earn his own
living if he could. He found that he
would have to have working papers
issued by the board of health because
he was only Il years old, and he set
about getting the necessary reports
from his schools to procure these.
Meantime he sought job without
success and each day found him more
disheartened. Mr.. Brennan couldn't
cheer him up.
eff I only had long pants - the
little chap insisted, "Id have a
chance. Everybody thinks I'm a
kid" - - -
At last he found an opening as
district messenger boy and told Mr..
Brennan gleefully Wednesday:
'sI'm going to work on the nuts
Just as soon as I get nay papers"
He expected to get them Wednes-
day, and James B. Duke, an elderly
man, who lives at the hotel and had
known Billy for years, went with him
to the health department. They
learned that Billy had neglected to
put down the name of his father as
his guardian and this little hitch,
bound up in official red tape, prevent
ed the issuance of his papers for the
time being.
The boy almost wept at the news.
He returned to the hotel and went at
once to his room, telling Mr.. Duke he
felt too badly to see any one just
then.
''I'll be down for supper" he said,
and closed his door.
When he didn't appear Mr.. Duke
and Mr. Brennan went in search of
him. They found him swinging dead
beside his window. He had fashion
ed a moose out Of his leather belt,
fastened it with cord to nail above
the window, adjusted it about his
neck, and then sprung off from the
window sill. He had been dead some
time.