Ripley County democrat., 1918-05-03
THREE OLD MEN "cIvE TILL "
HURTS" SACRIFICING y OF
/ THEIR MONTHLY ss.
WOMEN INMATES BUY, TOO
Mother Of 20 Sends Two Sons TO ssrs-
Ies-ParaIyzed knItter Works
Es for, "unfortunatss."
BY HUGH L. WOOD.

When the grand total Of much more
than $4,000, 100000 Of Liberty Bond
sales is cast UP sometime after May
4 NO one bond among them probably
will represent SO much sacrlfice-so
much scrimping--so much real "giv-
ing till it hurts" as three $50 bonds
sold In the 81. Louis Poor House.
Those three bonds, to be paid for at
81 . week. vii represent many little
luxuries given up--a bag OF candy
here. a pocket knife for whiting there
by three old men alone in the world
but still partners In ting great Ameri.
oan nation and ready and willing to do
their humble "bit" to help bring vic
tory home. g
These. men are John Crane, Joseph
Walsh and Charles Helmhot, all on
the shady side Of 70 years. They have
for years been inmates Of the st.
Louis City Inflrmary. the large institu,
tion topping hill on Arsenal street,
In sight Of Potters' Field. y :
A dollar probably looms larger in
that structure than anywhere else In
the large city. Even nickeIs and dimes
are treasured there.
Crane has tor long time been mes
senger at the institution and receives
s5 every 80 days for his services.
When DR.. Charles E. Baur. superin-
tsndent, placarded the reception room
Of the lnflrmary with Third Liberty
Loan posters--more In a spirit Of %.
triotism than in the expectation OF
making sales-Crane was deeply inter
estsd. He inquired II cash was re.
quIred to buy bond, and when Dr.
Baur inforped him he might buy i
$50 one for 81 o week he was over
| joyed. M I
u am an American" he said, rand
fwould like TO help my country. be
hege ! could fiiish paying tor one"
So Dr. Baur put min down and he ID
going to give "a every month out Of
his salary OF IS.
Crane told his crony, Helmhoh, night
attendant at the telephone. about Il
Helmhol: gets IS a month for liis serv
ices and he very shortly convinced
hlinself that, he. too, could afford /.
buy d bond. He signed up for q $50
one on the s1-a-week payment plan.
! Walsh outranks his fellows BY far IL
the matter Of wages. AS the sexton o.
that cheerless place. -Potters. Field.
he receives $40 month. He is an in
mate Of the Inflrmary and soon fig
ured that he could well afford s5l
bond II his two S. friends could--and
besides. the government needed tn,
money. So he. too. became q bont
owner at 81 week.
Mrs. Clara Kerstins. another ipmat,
Of the institution. Ia kgenly patriot,
and 10 doing her share In helping !,
finance the war for human liberty.
j Although paralyzed on one side, sh,
is an expert with the knittiag or Gro
cheting noodles. She has crochete,
yards Of fancy laces and knitted nu
'nerous garments. The Knitted articls
50 to the soldiers and sailors and wa
sufferers even more unfortunate tina,
herselk The laces she sells to inter
ested visitors. n,
She manages to handle her knittinl
needles by sticking one Of them int
the sleeve of her paraiyzed arm. sh
makes up for the handicap of.the use
less member through the dextsrity Q
her useful one. She Is saving tn
money from the sale Of her articles j
buy Liberty Bonds.
4, Mrs. Fessle Lackey Is another n
triotic Inmate Of; the inatitution. Gh
"a nov employed in making 4 patci
work crazy" Quit which she hope
to sell in order to buy thrift starab
ana, perhaps. Liberty Bond.
Another woman, mother Of 20 chi
J drcn, Is one Of the busiest knitters /
the institution. Seventeen of her ohi
dren are dead. Two Of the three Twin
are In the national service--one ID n
army and one in the navy. ehs
buying thrift stamps and hopes ID bu
= bond. too, N s1S n, N
Mrs. Harry Lee Wyatt Of Parl
land place probably has the most nov,
assignment within the gift Of, IL
American Red Cross. She has Doe
detailed to instruct classes IN knittln
among The inmates Of the city fIo
|, pital. City Inflrmary and Insane Al
! lum.
She declares that the work Is beir
taken up enthusiastically by thcse Il
fortunates. In the Sanitarium the 0
I cupation Of knitting Is saId by ONCE,
Of the institution to have had
! marked soothing effect upon the ialnl
I of the workers, Their first concel
? upon awakening III the morning
about their knitting materials,
Mrs. Wyatt has q regular visitis
! day atfesch Institution The ST. Lou
7 chapter of the Red Cross supplies Il
masef!als and the finished sarman