The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-02-26
BOY SEES HIS
OWN FUNERAL.
Parents Return From the
Cemetery to Find Him
Alive.

Atlanta, CA freckled-faced bow.
! whose cheeks are streaked with perspl-
ration, or maybe 1t Is tears, stands In
/ the center of a throng of mOurners
who have just returned from laying
his body to rest in the family plot.
He wears pleading expression, al
If attending ones own. funeral on foot
was something to be forgiven for.
Directly in front Of the lad stand his
father, big man in somber black;
near Is woman who has lifted her
mourning veil and is gazing at the
boys dropping shoulders out OF eyes
In which hope and fear are mingled.
An aged man placed trembling, ques-
tioning hand on the boys arm A. sec
ond of tense silence and then the IA
Their speaks:
Johnnie, where the devil have you
been?"
That's exactly what he asked, even
If the soil from the newly made grave
for Johnnie" still chung to his shoes.
John w. Hinton is a Lad of fifteen.
But, despite his youth, he has seen
that which millions of men have failed
to see-he has watched his own flu
neral train on Its way to the grave.
And having been an onlooker at the
last dread rites solemnized in his own
honor, John Is none the worse for one
of the most singular experiences that
ever befell human being one that is
still talked qS and marveled at In At
lanta, Ga, where John lives.
How It Happened. =
How Johnnie Hinton came to be
mourned for dead by his family and
friends as the result of marvellous
physical similarity and Of another
boys desire to promote trivial love
affair; how he was supposed to have
been the central figure at an elaborate
funeral, and how he scame back to
life" involves a weird combination of
condolences.
This strange case Of mistaken iden-
tity Is an actual event In the lives Of
Mr.. and Mrs William Fl. Hinton Of
115 Pulliam street, Atlanta, and their
error was shared by no fewer than
300 relatives and playmates who knew
John Hinton intimately, but who fell
victim to the amazing physical similar
ity.
A short time ago young Hinton dis
appeared from his home In Atlanta
In view of the fact that on former oc-
casions he had left home for short
visits to relatives without giving mo-
i tice Of his departure, his parents at
first entertained no anxiety over his
! absence.
But as days went by and no news
was received from him, Mr.. and Mrs.
Hinton grew apprehensive and ap-
pealed to the Atlanta police.
The search had been on for two or
three days when authorities at Car
tersyille, Ga, telegraphed that boy
who answered to the description Of
young Hinton had been killed by
train near that city. In the same acci-
dent a youthful companion Of the
slain boy had been injured.
identified by Parents.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hinton and Mrs Hin
! toms father, J. G. Cox, made q flying
trip to the scene Of the accident. They
were conducted to the morgue, where
| lay the body. The shrouding sheet
was removed from the form Of the
youth, and the mother, the father and
the grandfather gazed In an agony Of
anticipation. 3
SITS Johnnie" whispered Mrs. Hin
ton at the first glance, and tender
hands supported her as abe poured out
her grief.
my son, my son." was all that the
father said, but the few words carried
bitter load Of sorrow and the tall
mans body was convulsed with rack
ing sobs.
Grandfather Cox at first thought
there might be mistake, but even he
was convinced when a scar similar to
one on Johnny's forehead was noted.
He gave up arguing that they should
wait until the other boy injured In the
accident was able to talk more. This
lad had said the dead boy was stran-
ger he had met day or so before.
The funeral was arranged to take
place in the Hinton burial ground near
| Bogart, Ca, and there the body was
staken by the mourning family and
friends.
A hearse awaited the body at Bo-
CART, and as 1t started on its journey
to the cemetery, Johnny arrived, but
| too late to overtake 1t.
! He had left home to visit cousin
who lived 20 miles from Bogart In a
rural community, intending to be gone
two or three days. But he found his
surroundings unusually pleasant and
had fingered without notifying his
parents of his whereabouts
No newspapers came to the house,
and he and his cousins family were
! ignorant of the search that was being
prosecuted for him and Of the mis-
taken Identification of the dead boy
In Gainesville. His first intimation
Of the true state of affairs came when
another cousin who lived In Bogart
~, t~.k