Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1918-05-09
AGED DWELLERs| IN
POOR HOUSE TAKE
i. LIBERTY BONDS
THREE OLD MEN "oivE TILL IT
HURTS" sAcRIFIcINo n OF
THEIR MONTHLY ss.
WOMEN INMATES BUY, TOO
Mother Of 20 Sends Two Cons TO 9erv.
ice-ParaIyxed knItter Werks
for "Unfortunates."
BY HUGH L. WOOD.

BY HUGH L. WOOD.
When the grand total Of much more
than $4,000, 000, 900 Of Liberty Bond
sales is cast up sometime after May
1 no n bond among them probably
will represent 30 much sacrtfice-so
much sortmping-so much real "giv'
Ing till It hurts" a. three $50 bonds
sold In the St. Louis Poor House.
Those three bonds, to be paid for at
Il q week, will represent many little
Injuries given up-a bag Of candy
here, q pocket knife for whiting there
by three old men alone In the world
but still partners IN the great Amert'
oan nation and ready and willing to do
their humble bit" to help bring VIC.
tory home.
These men are John Crane, Joseph
Walsh and Charles Helmholt all on
the shady side Of 70 years. They have
for years been inmates Of the g.
Louis City lnftrmasy. the large institu'
ton topping . bill On Arsenal street.
In sight Of Potters' Field.
A dollar probably looms larger In
that structure than anywhere else In
the large city. Even niokels and dimes
are treasured there
Crane has tor Z long time been mes.
sensar at the institution and receives
IS every 30 days for his services.
When Dr.. Charles d. Baur, superin-
tsndent, placarded the reception room
Of the Infirmary with Third Liberty
Loan posters-more in . spirit Of pa
triotism than In the expectation Of
making sales-Crane was deeply inter.
ssted. He inquired II cash was r..
auired to buy . bond. and when Dr.
Baur informed him he might buy Q
$50 ono for u . week be was over
!oysA
u am an American" he said, and
! would Ike to help my country. be.
Nsve I could finish paying for one"
30 Dr.. Baur put him down and he 10
going to give ~ every month out OF
his salary Of IS.
Crane told bis crony. Helmholt. night
attendant at the telephone, about It.
Helmholt gets IS a month for bic serv.
Ices and he very shortly convinced
himself that he, too, could afford to
buy q bond. He signed up tor . $50
one on the t1-a-week payment plan.
Walsh outranks bis fellows By far IN
the matter Of wages. A. the sexton Of
that cheerless piace-Potters' Field
he receives 80 q month. He 10 an in.
mate Of the lnfirmRry and soon dg.
ured that he could well afford q )B0
bond II his two IS friends could-and.
besides, the government needed tho
money. So ho, too. became q bond
owner at u . week.
Mrs. CLARA Kersting. another inmate
Of the institution, Is keenly patriotic
and is doing her share In helping to
finance the war tor human liberty.
Although paralyEed On n side, she
is an expert with the knitting OF Gro
cheting needles. She has crooheted
yards Of fancy laces and knitted nu.
merous garments. The knitted articles
60 to the soldiers and sailors and war
sufferers wen more unfortunate than
herself. The laces she sells TO inter.
ested visitors.
She manages to handle her Knitting
needles by sticking one Of them into
the sleeve Of her paralysed arm. She
makes up for the handicap Of the use.
less member through the dexterity Of
her useful one. She Is saving the
money from the sale Of her articles to
buy Liberty Bonds
Mrs. Bessie Lackey 10 another pa.
triotic inmate d the institution. She
Il now employed In making q patch
work crazy quilt which she hopes
to sell In order to buy thrift stamps
and. perhaps. . Liberty Bond.
Another woman. mother Of 20 chill.
dren, Ia one Of the busiest knitters in
the institution. Seventeen Of her chill.
dren are dead. Two Of the three living
ore IN the national s~ervice-one IN the
army and one In the navy. She Il
buying thrift stamps and hopes to buy
. bond. too
Mrs. Harry Lee Wyatt Of 4 Park.
land place probably has the most novel
assignment within the gin Of the
American Red Cross she has been
detailed to instruct Glasses in knitting
among the inmates OF the City Hos
pital. City Intimacy and Insane Asy
lum
She declares that the work Is being
taken up enthusiastically by these un
f%ortunates. In the sanitarium the oc
cupation of knitting 10 said by officers
Of the institution to have had
marked soothing effect upon the minds
Of tho workers. Their first concern
upon awakening In tho morning II
about their knitting materials.
Mrs. Wyatt has q regular visiting
day at each institution. The st. Louil
chapter OF the Red Cross supplies tn,
materials and the finished garment!
are sent to men in service or to wa
sufferers.
Dewey Kay, wife and son were
here Tuesday. He has beer
superintendent OF schools a
Walnut Grove and goes to Cuba
Mo-, for next term at advanced
salary.
IN vOu want tn sell al