Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-21
<sysfons View Co
LONDON. June IL.

LONDON June IL.
- ENNIS NORWOOD, Of GHrzon Crescent,
London started out to be just
49, binary English boy. He lived at home
with his parents went to school and hoped TO
become Arctic explorer some day.
Yet, the story OF Dennis short life can
hardly be matched in fiction. Balzac, the
great French author, once wrote something
like IT, but his hero was hardly as daring
or imaginative as Dennis
Dennis was only twelve years old when his
career as an explorer" began. He was but
a few months older when it tragically ended.
In that short time. ne underwent severe hard
ships that rival those Of many of the men
who have attempted 20 reach the North Pole
or the South Pole.
on his twelfth birthday. Dennis borrowed
sixpence from his father To go 10 the Zoo at
Regents Park, near his home. Dennis always
had been fond Of animals and his father saw
no reason 10 object.
Dennis was enchanted To be sure he had
been To the Zoo before but never had the
animals appealed to him so strongly. For
hours he stared at them, fascinated. He re-
solved to return the next day.
But when nc asked his father for the six
pence for admission, his father objected.
Hadn't Dennis seen enough the day before?
Dennis said nothing. He expected re-
fusal and had prepared himself for it.
He returned TO the Zoo and shinnied up
tree which grew close 90 the wall He crawled.
along one of the branches and let himself
into the grounds
He did this day after day until finally he
became convinced that of all the animals he
liked the sea-lions best He gazed for hours
on them at play in their enclosure, delighted
with their swimming and cavorting.
Il could not possibly be happier" he told
a friend than TO live among sea-lons and
penguns and polar bears. Sometime I am
going to spend several years in the Arctic to
study how they live"
Nobody took much notice of Dennis plans.
All boys have strange ideas of what they
are going to do and be when they grow up.
But Dennis was different.
He decided that if he were going to the
Polar regions ne must train himself while he
was young When Winter came, and it was
the worst Winter Engl : has known for
years Dennis began TO practise the most ex-
traordinary austerities
10 home he bathed in icy water and wore
as few clothes possible, even in the cold
est weather. He read every book he could
find on the hardshps Of Arctic exploration.
With a friend, during the school holidays,
he campcd out in the woods pretending to be
an explorer. But his friend objected and fl
nally left him when Dennis insisted they do
without fire and eat uncooked food.
With his friend gone. Dennis decided TO
spend the rest OF his vacation in the woods
near the Zoo, even though this was forbidden
by police regulations. Dennis camped in
place hidden by bushes and shrubs and for
several nights crept away from his secret den
into the Zoo TO watch the sea-ions.
When the holiday was over, Dennis spent
all of his time after school in the Zoo. He
Uould STAY thcro until closing time 90 home
for dinner. then after his parents were in bed,
steal back TO the Zoo again.
On February z Dennis disappeared.
Nothing is known of how he spent his time,
but it is possible TO piece the story together
Several times after February T. the night
Waterman saw a strange light and heard
weird sounds. Almost every night the ami
mails by their unusual noises. revealed that