The sun., 1917-01-14
READSOF DEATH.
ANDDIES AT 1O2.
''Old Pop" Prime Succumbs
After Correcting Own
Obituary Notice.
REACHES HOME OF son
His Trip From Sag HarbOr
Caused by "Reminiscences
Of Old FOrdham."
REACHES HOME OF son

"liIlam L. Prime OF sag hafDOf,
J.. l., left his warm seat in the living
room and hurried as best he could to
the Kitchen. where his daughter was
Just finishing up the breakfast dishes.
and his voice shook with suppressed
excitement,
Read this-read what 1t says there
about your pa" He folded out the paper
and pointing to a column handed it over
to her. 1t was copy Of The Bronx
Home NeWs that had been sent over by
a son living at EOS East 155th street.
The daughter took the proffered sheet
and her eyes swept down the column.
"An about home. isn't it," she re-
marked. Wouldn't mind IL We were
living back In old Fordham ourselves
again, would you? We used to have
a lot of fun there with ma and Sam
and ="
You haven't got to 1T yet" the father
interrupted. Read on down there"
Daughter AstOnished Too.
There was silence for half a minute
while the younger eyes ran over the
words. Suddenly the woman dropped
the sheet to her sides and a queer tone
c:ept into her voice.
"Well, what do you think of that :"
she exclaimed, half to herself. Funny,
isn't it-saying you had been dead for
ten or fifteen years. They don't know
you. do they? Well l declare-and
right in the paper too 20
Ugh! I'm better man than the
feller who wrote that piece right now
or the man who printed it, for that
matter" A bit of the boast crept into
the old mans voice as he Strengthened
out the crook in his back and threw out
his thin chest.
The daughter took the paper over to
n chair by the window and this time
slowly read through the article. Rem
iniscences of Old Fordham." 1t was
headed. and bore the name OF John n.
Schufeldt as author. In delightful,
rambling. old fashioned style lit told the
story OF the Fordham OF other days-the
region whose freezing winters could not
kill the genius OF the great Poe-but
took for it's toll the poets sweetheart /;
the Fordham of the stage coach days
Z
cult riders-the Fordham that lay "A
long days journey from the busy port
of New York tucked away down at
the tip of Manhattan Island.
what started Them.
Toward the end of the article she
| found the paragraph that had stood out
in red letters for her father 1t went OH
! to say that many of the older inhab-
itants, men who had long ago crossed
the top of the hill and We're far down on
| the shady side. would remember Old Por
| Prime. who used to drive the stage coach
| that took the youngsters to school In
| Morrisania, and used TO tell them lonG
stories about times before the war
He was an old man then. the para
| graph concluded, and he must be dead
by now.
When the daughter finished readn.
the piece she found herself alone in the
kitchen. Stepping into the living room
she failed to locate her father. and ther
looked into his bedroom. He was jus
slipping into his greatcoat, and his ole
worn fur cap was already pulled low
over his ears.
Guess I'll be going over 10 the Bron.
Home Neics and having this thing fiXe'
up" ne announced with finality. "Tha
being dead and done"
A half hour later his daughter ceased
her arguments and vain attempt to de
tract him from his purpose. He was go
ing to settle for once and all this re
port of his death. And he was going &
do it in person.
Four hours later he found himself II
a subway car headed for The Bronx
II had been a pretty long trip, after al
and it was getting little cold, and h
wondered II he would find the edito
in for certain.
But he made it. feeble and worn out
and the editor promised to print a para
graph saying he was alive Then Ol,
Pop Prime went on to the home OF hi
son, Sam.
Next day the piece in the paper ap
peared." But II was wrong again. Fo
this time Old Pop Prime really wa
dead, at 102 years.