The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-08-10
JOE HEAvENRlpcE KNEW JAMES
WHlTcoMs RILEY WHEN He
WAS JUST "JiM" IN GREENFIELD
INDIANA.
FOUGHT FOR EACH
OTHER WHEN BOYS
(BY PETER sTERLING).

COmu uhcy, thC k1OOSicI pOSt, anu uc
loved by all. recalled to the mind Of
Joe Heavenridge many pleasantmemo
ries Of childhood days in Greenfield
Ind. James Whitcomb Riley and Joe
Heavenridge were schoolmates. They
went, tousle-headed and barefoot, to
the same village school and chewed
gum from the same stick.
In those days Mr.. Riley displayed
that he would be good American citi
zen. He wasn't considered the bright
est scholar in his class. nor yet was
he the poorest. He was just medium,
just an ordinary American boy. with
good red blood in his veins. He was
just pla.a Jim Riley tScn. ard Re cl
ways remained just plain Jim to all
those folks who kaew him in those
days. but he became better loved and
more endeared in later years.
Mr.. Heavenridge says that in those
days he didn't know Mr.. Riley had
"whitcomb" attached to his name, but
he was mighty sure he had hne
comb. because they all had them.
They were very popular and much in
use.
Mr.. Whitcomb remembers distinctly
one boyhood fight be got into because
he wanted to see little Jim Riley lick
big bouncer OF boy from the coun.
try. Riley and the country lad. whose
name was jackson. had been arguing
about some petty thing and were get
ting hotter every minute Heaven.
ridge thought a good scrap was op
perfume. so he rushed in. made a mark
1 in the dust and said, Now. dare him
over that mark. Jim" No sooner had
he gotten the words out of his mouth
than the jackson lad spoke up. Maybe
you'll take 1t up. Heavy" and with
that he kicked Heavenridge in the
stomach. That settled the fight right
there. Heavenridge had no breath
with which to proceed and Jim Riley
decided that he would go look up a
mule to hand him the kicking.
Speaking about swimming. Mr.. Hea.
venridge. while in the midst OF his
"reminiscences. said: Jim was
great swimmer. He was about as big
as clothes pin. but he seemed as II
born in the water. Our swimming
hole was in old Brandywine creek east
of town and many is the time on a
sultry hot day that we sneaked from
under the watchful parental eye and
lwended our way by roundabout by.
paths to those cooling. yet muddy. wa.
ters. AS soon as we came in sight
OF the water we commenced to strip
off our clothes and yelling like Co
manche Indians. the last one in's
Niger we'd make a run for II. sprad.
ding into those murky depths. Jim
was always first in and first out. des.
pite the fact that we always threw
mud on him to keep him in
I'VE always did that until one time
Jim surreptitiously placed my clean
shirt on the bank while wasn't look.
ing and then as he started to get out
he grabbed It and put 1t in front Of
him. The other fellows didn't notice
the shirt and threw the mud without
looking. That shirt was a horrible
looking sight when they got through.
but Jim was unscathed. He didn't
have a particle of mud on him.
Il knew that / was in for licking
in the first place for going swimming
without permission and in the sec.
ond place because my shirt was all
dirt We scraped and washed and
dried it. but that didn't do a bit Of
good. In fact it looked worse than
ever. My backside commenced to hurt
in anticipation OF what was coming
and didn't feel very good in heart.
either.
But Jim was a true sport He real
lied what a predicament was in and
showed his gameness by going home
with me and explaining the facts He
did 1t in such a manly way that II
saved me tanning and made Jim
good friends with my folks"
In spooky hollow in the east part
Of Greenfield was an old deserted tan
yard. The watts. though delapidated.
were st.ll intact and in the rainy sea.
son they would always fill with water.
making an ideal camping place for
frogs. It was Jim Riley. according to
MI. Heavenridge's recolIectiona. who
originated the idea Of catching two
pockets full Of little frogs and taking
lthsn TO school ~, 4,