The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-11-30
Ask Times to Help Them in
Hunt for Boy Who Dis
appeared During War.
BY EldOra Field

A new hope that their son, missing
twelve years, may be alive, lived in
the hearts of Mr.. and Mrs. ]. M.
Crouch, $40 n. fremont ST., today.
Jerry Tarbot, World War veteran
taken away by the shell which
wounded him, may be their son, the
aged couple believe.
Back in the summer Of 1914
United States troops were in bar
racks at st. Louis, Mo. Thousands
of young soldiers there; many of
them wrote faithfully home to their
parents. One Of there was Grover
Crouch, 22. He liked camp life and
never missed a week writing home to
tell about it. His parents looked for
ward with especially eagerness to his
letters. for Grover was their only
child-tkeir hope for the future.
The Last Word
One day, a gay postal came from
Grover. 1t was of soldiers turning
handsprings, or playing leap frog
something of the sort and Growers
father and mother laughed heartily
when they got that postal, That's
like Grover-he likes fun" they said
and showed the gay postal to the
neighbors. They treasured that pos
tai. They treasured it more as the
weeks went by. They never got an
other. 1t was the last ord.
So today, Mrs. Crouch clasps the
of Of
Grover taken when he was 1S, to
her breast. Her husband pats her
arm consolingly. Mother prays day
and night for word from our boy"
he says.
Thar ;sgiving day. the old folks
CMr. and Mrs. Crouch are both well
into the seventies) felt especially
lonesome. Mr.. Crouch picked up a
copy Of The Times. On the front
page was the story Of Jerry Tarbot,
who for four years has been travel
ing over the country seeking the
name he has forgotten.
"Come here, mother" called Mr..
Crouch, "If Grover is living, he's "a
now. wouldn't he resemble this
man-Tarbot." Mother looked.
Same Features
"It's Grover" she said. Anyway,
it's his forehead and his dear round
ears. Why it's our boy" Maybe
it is" responded the old man. more
cautious, but hopeful. So the old
folks got out writing material and
sent this word to the office of the IN
dianapolis Times. please help us
to find our boy"
Today they posed for their picture.
Send this to the man in Akron"
they said. Maybe he'll recognize
u.s." "Grover won't know mothers
white hair-it was dark when he
saw her last" the old man said. But
If it's Grover-something will make
him remember. He'll know it's u.s."
The old folks declare they have
little "book education" That's why
we didn't exactly know how to go
about finding our boy after he got
lost" Mr.. Crouch explains.
After the boy quit writing they
waited for months before making n
move. Strange things happen when
war is on-they connected the
fact with some war emergency. It
was only after mother couldn't sleep
any more and moaned and cried
through the nights and days, that
father knew he had to do something.
He wrote to Uncle Sam at Washing.
ton. He wrote to different postmas-
Iers. Nobody could give him word
said there was no man listed as
Grover Crouch; suggested that the
boy had enlisted under some other
name.
But the old folks won't hear to
this. THAT would be sort of under.
hand-going under some other name.
Grover wouldn't do that" they say.