Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1918-05-09
THREE OLD MEN "GIVE TILL IT
HURTS" SACRIFICING "a OF
THEIR MONTHLY SIS.
WOMEN INMATES BUY, TOO
Mother of 20 Sends Two Sons to Serv-
Ice-ParaIyzcd Knitter Works
for "Unfortunates."
By HUGH L. WOOD.

When the grand total of much more
than 100000, Of Liberty Bond
sales is cast up sometime after May
4 no one bond among them probably
will represent 80 much sacrifice-so
much scrimping-so much real "giv-
ing till 1t hurts" as three $50 bonds
sold in the st. Louis Poor House.
Those three bonds, to be paid for at
81 week, will represent many little
luxuries given up-a bag Of candy
here, pocket knife for whiting there
by three old men alone in the world
but still partners in the great Ameri-
can 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 st.
Louis City Inflrmary, the large institu-
ton topping hill on Arsenal street,
in sight of Potters' Field.
A dollar probably looms larger in
that structure than anywhere else in
are treasured there.
Crane has for long time been mes
senger al the institution and receives
So every 80 days for his services.
When Dr.. Charles E. Baur, superin-
tendent, placarded the reception room
OF the lnfirmary with Third Liberty
Loan posters-more in a spirit of pa
triotism than in the expectation Of
making sales-Crane was deeply inter
ested He inquired if cash was re-
CURED to buy a bond, and when DR..
Baur informed him he might buy
$50 one for 81 week he was over
joyed
Il am an American" he said. land
] would like to help my country. be-
lieve | could finish paying for one."
So DR.. Baur put him down and he rs
going to give "a every month out Of
his salary of IS.
Crane told his crony, Helmholt, night
attendant at the telephone, about it.
Helmholt gets SIS a month for his serv-
ices and he very shortly convinced
himself that he, too, could afford to
buy bond. He signed up for a $50
one on the $1-a-week payment plan.
Walsh outranks his fellows by far in
the matter Of wages. AS the sexton OF
that cherries place-Potters' Field
he receives $40 month. He is an in
mate Of the Infirmary and soon fig
ured that he could well afford a $50
bond if his two S. friends could-and,
besides, the government needed the
money. So he, too, became a bond
owner at 81 week
Mrs. Clara Kersting, another inmate
OF the institution, is keenly patriotic
and is doing her share in helping to
finance the war for human liberty.
Although paralyzed on one side, she
is an expert with the knitting or Gro
cheting needles. She has crocheted
yards of fancy laces and knitted nu-
merous garments. The knitted articles
90 to the soldiers and sailors and war
sufferers even 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 paralyzed 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 is another pa
triotic inmate of the institution. She |
is now employed in making patch
work crazy" quilt which she hopes
to sell in order to buy thrif. stamps
and, perhaps, Liberty Bond.
Another woman, mother of 20 chill |
dren, is one of the busiest knitters in
the Institution. Seventeen of her chill |
dren are dead. Two of the three living
are in the national service-one in the
army and one in the navy. She is
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 gift of the
American Red Cross. She has been
detailed to instruct classes in knitting
among the inmates of the CITY Hes.
pital, City Infirmary and Insane Asy-
lum.
She declares that the work is being
taken up enthusiastically by these I'm
fortunates. In the Sanitarium the oc-
cupation of knitting is said by officers
OF the institution to have had a
marked soothing effect upon the minds
of the workers. Their first concern
upon awakening in the morning is
about their knitting materials.
Mrs. Wyatt has a regular visiting
day at each institution. The ST. Louis
chapter of the Red Cross supplies the
materials and the finished garments
are sent to men in service Or TO war