STILL UNABLE TO IDENTIFY YOUTH
Hundreds Viewed the Body at Funeral Home Yesterday; Body is Changing
Identification of the body of the 17 year old boy who was found on the Santa Fe Tracks north of El Dorado last Wednesday morning, has not been made.
The body which is being held at the Byrd Brothers funeral home 200 South Star Street has been viewed by several thousand people the past five days. It is estimated by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home that at least 1,500 persons called at the place yesterday. There was a constant stream of callers throughout the day and until a late hour last night. A number of those who viewed the body over the weekend came from a distance.
Mr. Byrd does not believe the body will be identified. It is not in the best of condition, because of the house hundreds of times it has been touched. The lips and eye lids have been moved many times to give those who it was believed might be able to identify the boy, an opportunity to see the eyes and teeth. The bruises on the head are becoming brown and the entire color of the body is changing. Mr. Byrd says the body has kept remarkably well however, in view of the conditions under which the boy was killed and the large number of persons who have attempted to identify it.
It is probably if the body is not identified within the next couple of days it will be buried at the county farm. If this is done, Mr. Byrd will have charge of the burial as he has the contract with the county. (the El Dorado Times, September 24, 1923)
FUNERAL UNKNOWN YOUTH TOMORROW
Services will be held at Byrd Brothers at 4 o'clock; Give fitting funeral
Three give dollar each
To assist in defraying the burial expenses in connection with the interment of "Somebody's Boy" tomorrow afternoon, the nucleus of a subscription was left at The Times office this afternoon by George B. Sharp, A. P. Berresshire and C. E. Dunlap, each contributing $1.
The body of somebody's son, who was found on the Santa Fe main line track, one mile south of De Graff a week ago yesterday morning will be given a fitting burial tomorrow afternoon, Frank Byrd, manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, announced this morning.
Funeral services will be held at the home at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church has been asked by Mr. Byrd to officiate. Members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1, of which Mr. Pannell is scoutmaster probably will be pallbearers. Music also is being arranged.
Burial will be made in West Cemetery J. H. Sandifer, who is a member of the board of directors of the West Cemetery Association, has informed Mr. Byrd that a lot will be burnished free of charge for the body.
Mr. Byrd will bury the body in a coffin which retails for over $100. He also will see that the body is properly dressed.
I will stand the entire expense myself, said Mr. Byrd, unless someone offers to assist with the burial. I believe the boy should be given a proper burial, despite the fact efforts to identify the body have been in vain.
There is some agitation for the three men's civic clubs and the Elks Lodge to pay part or all the expenses connected with the burial. A. J. Sedgwick, exalted ruler of the Elks, will present the matter to the lodge at its next meeting. The civic clubs probably will take the project up at their next gatherings.
In addition to this several El Doradoans have offered to pay part of the funeral expenses. Mr. Byrd appreciates this, but will make no move to collect for the expenses attached to his work. Those who desire to give can call at the Byrd Funeral Home.
It was determined late yesterday afternoon that the body was not that of Lawrence Keen of Phoenix, Mo. The father of the Keen boy told Mr. Byrd over the telephone that he received a letter from his son which was written after the body of the unidentified youth was found on the railroad track. At that time, the Keen boy was in Washington.
Few other efforts to identify the body have been made the past 24 hours. Since the body has been held at the funeral home, however, several thousand persons have viewed it. (The El Dorado Times, September 27, 1923)
HOLD SERVICE FOR YOUTH LATE TODAY
Body of Unknown Boy to Be Buried in West Cemetery; Many Give
Funeral services over the body of the unknown 17 year old boy who was found the morning of September 18 on the main line track of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, one mile wouth of De Graff, where he was killed when a train struck him and severed his right arm and leg, will be held late this afternoon at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home 200 South Star Street.
Yesterday it was announced the services would be started at 4 o'clock. It was said this morning it probably would be a trifle later, however, as members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1 will be pallbearers and they will not be dismissed from school until late this afternoon.
The scouts who will be pallbearers are: Norris Thompson, Lloyd Adams, Harold Campbell, Clair gallant, Byron Richey and Pearl Barnes.
The services will be in charge of Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church. The body will be buried in East Cemetery, a lot at that place having been furnished by the Cemetery Association.
This morning, the body was placed in a casket which retails for over $100. The body also was nicely dressed by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home. The body was then removed from the morgue into the funeral parlors where it had been viewed by a large number of persons at an early hour this afternoon.
Flowers were arriving at the funeral home this morning for the services. The Hampton Floral Shop sent a large bouquet of American Beauty Roses.
Since the announcement was made yesterday that the body of the unidentified youth would be given a proper burial, many El Doradoans have called at the funeral home to give small sums of money to help defray the burial expenses. Mr. Byrd announced yesterday he would meet the expense himself if no one else offered to help. It is believe a sufficient sum will given to pay Mr. Byrd for all he has done to give the body a proper burial and attempt to find some relatives of the boy. The total expense will be about $150.
At the joint meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Club last evening about $40 was raised to defray the funeral expenses. (El Dorado Times, September 18, 1923)
HUNDRED PASS BIER OF UNIDENTIFIED BOY
Somebody's son is lying today under the wide and starry sky.
The body, which has been held since September 18 at the morgue at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home was laid to rest late yesterday afternoon in West Cemetery. A brief, but impressive and beautiful funeral service was conducted by Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church.
The funeral was one of the largest ever held at the funeral home and was largely attended by women and girls.
It was not an idle curious assemblage that passed the bier for a last look at the face of lad, whom none had been able to identify. More than half of those in attendance were persons who have missing sons and who have haunted the funeral home the past 10 days hoping to recognize the likeness of their absent one.
There are no friends to whom we can express what we feel in our hearts. Mr. Pannell said. But if there were no friends, there were mourners mothers they were with hearts yearning hungrily for the sons who do not write home and shedding tears of sympathy for that other mother who may be tonight putting plate in its accustomed place on the table and saying with a fair characteristic of the mother heart "He will surely come today."
Few mothers went to the service yesterday who did not have a floral offering. The casket was latterly banked with blossoms. Hot house roses were there in their profusion and may bouquets of garden flowers gathered and arranged orderly for the sake of the mother who will wait eagerly for her son's return.
"The tragedy is not ended," one mother was overheard today. "His mother will never lose hope. To her dying day, she will watch for him."
After the services and the body had been taken to its final resting place, little groups of women lingered on the lawn weeping quietly and talking together seemingly loathe to leave the place where their own sons might have been lying.
One young girl has visited the morgue each day for a week fearing the unknown boy was her cousin, yet failing to fully identify him. She was loathe yesterday to relinquish the possibility that the boy might be the relative she sought.
A mother who has not slept since the body was found on the Santa Fe track near De Graff because her own son was missing was overjoyed yesterday when the youth returned after 7 months absence. She brought him to Mr. Byrd and said, I just wanted you to see that my boy is alive." The boy had just neglected to write home.
In a most touching address, Mr. Parnnell said in part:
"Today we are called upon quietly, sympathetically and reverently to perform a similar service to one unknown to us. Too young, probably to have rendered great service of distinction for his country, yet he is a son of America; we cannot call him by name; we know nothing of his life, his home, his parents, his friends or his associations. We can only say, as so vividly expressed in The Times some few days ago, "He is somebody's boy."
The speaker spoke reverentially of the Unknown warrior, whom the nation delights to honor in recognition of the sacrifice he and a vast number of others whom he represents made for his country.
As the Unknown Warrior represents the untold numbers of companions in warfare who shared with him the great sacrifice in humanity's cause; tho, this unknown lad represents another class; he represents another class a great number of lads, unknown to us who are mere wanderers on the earth whose very lives are a tragedy, said Mr. Parnell.
Was it not a most pathetic thing to read of the number of parents who had made inquiries (September 29, 1923)
LETTERS MAY LEAD TO IDENTIFICATION
Three Initials Found on Shirt Worn by Boy Killed on the Track A Week Ago
Urges A Fitting Burial for Boy
If the body of the unidentified youth at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home is not claimed by a relative or friend, shall it be given a fitting burial?
The Times is in receipt of a letter today from a subscriber who believes it should. The announcement was made yesterday that the body probably will be buried by the county at the County Farm unless it is identified.
I think the people of El Dorado should see that the body is given a proper burial says the letter. Can't there be something done before it is too late? My neighbors and I will help pay the expenses. Who else will offer to help?
Three dimly printed letters, about half an inch high which are believed to be either H. E. R. or W. E. R. have been found on the collar, band of the blue shirt, which was worn by the unidentified 17 year old boy whose body was found on the Santa Fe main line track a mile south of De Graff a week ago this morning.
The letters were discovered last evening by Frank Byrd manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, where the body is being held. He observed them in the glare of the electric light.
The letters could scarcely be seen at first, and Mr. Byrd had difficulty in making visitors at the home last night believe he had found new evidence, which may lead to the identification of the body. After the neck bank was washed the letters could be seen much plainer, but still it could not be determined this morning if the first letter is an "H" or "W." The second letter also is exceedingly dim, but it is certain the third letter is an "R."
It was believed today the body of the boy might be identified as that of Lawrence Keen, son of Charles Keen of Phoenix, Mo. Mr. Byrd is in communication with Mr. Keen. The body was partially identified as that of Young Keen yesterday by an acquaintance of the family.
Two large bouquets of flowers were sent to the funeral home last night to be placed near the body of the boy. One was given an El Dorado woman who has partially identified the body as that of her nephew. At times the woman is said to be convinced the body is that of her nephew and later she declares it does not answer the description of it in every way. Because of this, the woman told Mr. Byrd she desired to send a floral offering to the home. (September 1923, El Dorado Times)
FAIL TO IDENTIFY BODY OF YOUTH
It's the same old story today.
The body of somebody's son still lies at the morgue of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star street, unidentified. The boy who is believed to have been about seventeen years old was killed a week ago tonight when a train struck him on the main line of the Santa Fe about a mile south of De Graff. His right arm and leg were severed.
Frank Byrd, manager of the home, reports several scores of people have viewed the body the past 24 hours. They have called at the morgue day and night. Two strangers were at the home at 1:30 o'clock this morning, it was believed the body would be identified. A letter was received by the police from Noel, Mo., which contained the description of a missing boy. It tallied in many ways with the body at the Byrd Brothers morgue. It was determined the body was not that of the Noel youth because it is about three inches too short. The Noel boy also had blue eyes, while those of the dead youth are brown. (The El Dorado Times, September 25, 1923)
NOTE: Bio info provided by Lipstiklady (#46775660)
Permission given Nov 9, 2013
Hundreds Viewed the Body at Funeral Home Yesterday; Body is Changing
Identification of the body of the 17 year old boy who was found on the Santa Fe Tracks north of El Dorado last Wednesday morning, has not been made.
The body which is being held at the Byrd Brothers funeral home 200 South Star Street has been viewed by several thousand people the past five days. It is estimated by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home that at least 1,500 persons called at the place yesterday. There was a constant stream of callers throughout the day and until a late hour last night. A number of those who viewed the body over the weekend came from a distance.
Mr. Byrd does not believe the body will be identified. It is not in the best of condition, because of the house hundreds of times it has been touched. The lips and eye lids have been moved many times to give those who it was believed might be able to identify the boy, an opportunity to see the eyes and teeth. The bruises on the head are becoming brown and the entire color of the body is changing. Mr. Byrd says the body has kept remarkably well however, in view of the conditions under which the boy was killed and the large number of persons who have attempted to identify it.
It is probably if the body is not identified within the next couple of days it will be buried at the county farm. If this is done, Mr. Byrd will have charge of the burial as he has the contract with the county. (the El Dorado Times, September 24, 1923)
FUNERAL UNKNOWN YOUTH TOMORROW
Services will be held at Byrd Brothers at 4 o'clock; Give fitting funeral
Three give dollar each
To assist in defraying the burial expenses in connection with the interment of "Somebody's Boy" tomorrow afternoon, the nucleus of a subscription was left at The Times office this afternoon by George B. Sharp, A. P. Berresshire and C. E. Dunlap, each contributing $1.
The body of somebody's son, who was found on the Santa Fe main line track, one mile south of De Graff a week ago yesterday morning will be given a fitting burial tomorrow afternoon, Frank Byrd, manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, announced this morning.
Funeral services will be held at the home at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church has been asked by Mr. Byrd to officiate. Members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1, of which Mr. Pannell is scoutmaster probably will be pallbearers. Music also is being arranged.
Burial will be made in West Cemetery J. H. Sandifer, who is a member of the board of directors of the West Cemetery Association, has informed Mr. Byrd that a lot will be burnished free of charge for the body.
Mr. Byrd will bury the body in a coffin which retails for over $100. He also will see that the body is properly dressed.
I will stand the entire expense myself, said Mr. Byrd, unless someone offers to assist with the burial. I believe the boy should be given a proper burial, despite the fact efforts to identify the body have been in vain.
There is some agitation for the three men's civic clubs and the Elks Lodge to pay part or all the expenses connected with the burial. A. J. Sedgwick, exalted ruler of the Elks, will present the matter to the lodge at its next meeting. The civic clubs probably will take the project up at their next gatherings.
In addition to this several El Doradoans have offered to pay part of the funeral expenses. Mr. Byrd appreciates this, but will make no move to collect for the expenses attached to his work. Those who desire to give can call at the Byrd Funeral Home.
It was determined late yesterday afternoon that the body was not that of Lawrence Keen of Phoenix, Mo. The father of the Keen boy told Mr. Byrd over the telephone that he received a letter from his son which was written after the body of the unidentified youth was found on the railroad track. At that time, the Keen boy was in Washington.
Few other efforts to identify the body have been made the past 24 hours. Since the body has been held at the funeral home, however, several thousand persons have viewed it. (The El Dorado Times, September 27, 1923)
HOLD SERVICE FOR YOUTH LATE TODAY
Body of Unknown Boy to Be Buried in West Cemetery; Many Give
Funeral services over the body of the unknown 17 year old boy who was found the morning of September 18 on the main line track of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, one mile wouth of De Graff, where he was killed when a train struck him and severed his right arm and leg, will be held late this afternoon at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home 200 South Star Street.
Yesterday it was announced the services would be started at 4 o'clock. It was said this morning it probably would be a trifle later, however, as members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1 will be pallbearers and they will not be dismissed from school until late this afternoon.
The scouts who will be pallbearers are: Norris Thompson, Lloyd Adams, Harold Campbell, Clair gallant, Byron Richey and Pearl Barnes.
The services will be in charge of Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church. The body will be buried in East Cemetery, a lot at that place having been furnished by the Cemetery Association.
This morning, the body was placed in a casket which retails for over $100. The body also was nicely dressed by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home. The body was then removed from the morgue into the funeral parlors where it had been viewed by a large number of persons at an early hour this afternoon.
Flowers were arriving at the funeral home this morning for the services. The Hampton Floral Shop sent a large bouquet of American Beauty Roses.
Since the announcement was made yesterday that the body of the unidentified youth would be given a proper burial, many El Doradoans have called at the funeral home to give small sums of money to help defray the burial expenses. Mr. Byrd announced yesterday he would meet the expense himself if no one else offered to help. It is believe a sufficient sum will given to pay Mr. Byrd for all he has done to give the body a proper burial and attempt to find some relatives of the boy. The total expense will be about $150.
At the joint meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Club last evening about $40 was raised to defray the funeral expenses. (El Dorado Times, September 18, 1923)
HUNDRED PASS BIER OF UNIDENTIFIED BOY
Somebody's son is lying today under the wide and starry sky.
The body, which has been held since September 18 at the morgue at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home was laid to rest late yesterday afternoon in West Cemetery. A brief, but impressive and beautiful funeral service was conducted by Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church.
The funeral was one of the largest ever held at the funeral home and was largely attended by women and girls.
It was not an idle curious assemblage that passed the bier for a last look at the face of lad, whom none had been able to identify. More than half of those in attendance were persons who have missing sons and who have haunted the funeral home the past 10 days hoping to recognize the likeness of their absent one.
There are no friends to whom we can express what we feel in our hearts. Mr. Pannell said. But if there were no friends, there were mourners mothers they were with hearts yearning hungrily for the sons who do not write home and shedding tears of sympathy for that other mother who may be tonight putting plate in its accustomed place on the table and saying with a fair characteristic of the mother heart "He will surely come today."
Few mothers went to the service yesterday who did not have a floral offering. The casket was latterly banked with blossoms. Hot house roses were there in their profusion and may bouquets of garden flowers gathered and arranged orderly for the sake of the mother who will wait eagerly for her son's return.
"The tragedy is not ended," one mother was overheard today. "His mother will never lose hope. To her dying day, she will watch for him."
After the services and the body had been taken to its final resting place, little groups of women lingered on the lawn weeping quietly and talking together seemingly loathe to leave the place where their own sons might have been lying.
One young girl has visited the morgue each day for a week fearing the unknown boy was her cousin, yet failing to fully identify him. She was loathe yesterday to relinquish the possibility that the boy might be the relative she sought.
A mother who has not slept since the body was found on the Santa Fe track near De Graff because her own son was missing was overjoyed yesterday when the youth returned after 7 months absence. She brought him to Mr. Byrd and said, I just wanted you to see that my boy is alive." The boy had just neglected to write home.
In a most touching address, Mr. Parnnell said in part:
"Today we are called upon quietly, sympathetically and reverently to perform a similar service to one unknown to us. Too young, probably to have rendered great service of distinction for his country, yet he is a son of America; we cannot call him by name; we know nothing of his life, his home, his parents, his friends or his associations. We can only say, as so vividly expressed in The Times some few days ago, "He is somebody's boy."
The speaker spoke reverentially of the Unknown warrior, whom the nation delights to honor in recognition of the sacrifice he and a vast number of others whom he represents made for his country.
As the Unknown Warrior represents the untold numbers of companions in warfare who shared with him the great sacrifice in humanity's cause; tho, this unknown lad represents another class; he represents another class a great number of lads, unknown to us who are mere wanderers on the earth whose very lives are a tragedy, said Mr. Parnell.
Was it not a most pathetic thing to read of the number of parents who had made inquiries (September 29, 1923)
LETTERS MAY LEAD TO IDENTIFICATION
Three Initials Found on Shirt Worn by Boy Killed on the Track A Week Ago
Urges A Fitting Burial for Boy
If the body of the unidentified youth at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home is not claimed by a relative or friend, shall it be given a fitting burial?
The Times is in receipt of a letter today from a subscriber who believes it should. The announcement was made yesterday that the body probably will be buried by the county at the County Farm unless it is identified.
I think the people of El Dorado should see that the body is given a proper burial says the letter. Can't there be something done before it is too late? My neighbors and I will help pay the expenses. Who else will offer to help?
Three dimly printed letters, about half an inch high which are believed to be either H. E. R. or W. E. R. have been found on the collar, band of the blue shirt, which was worn by the unidentified 17 year old boy whose body was found on the Santa Fe main line track a mile south of De Graff a week ago this morning.
The letters were discovered last evening by Frank Byrd manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, where the body is being held. He observed them in the glare of the electric light.
The letters could scarcely be seen at first, and Mr. Byrd had difficulty in making visitors at the home last night believe he had found new evidence, which may lead to the identification of the body. After the neck bank was washed the letters could be seen much plainer, but still it could not be determined this morning if the first letter is an "H" or "W." The second letter also is exceedingly dim, but it is certain the third letter is an "R."
It was believed today the body of the boy might be identified as that of Lawrence Keen, son of Charles Keen of Phoenix, Mo. Mr. Byrd is in communication with Mr. Keen. The body was partially identified as that of Young Keen yesterday by an acquaintance of the family.
Two large bouquets of flowers were sent to the funeral home last night to be placed near the body of the boy. One was given an El Dorado woman who has partially identified the body as that of her nephew. At times the woman is said to be convinced the body is that of her nephew and later she declares it does not answer the description of it in every way. Because of this, the woman told Mr. Byrd she desired to send a floral offering to the home. (September 1923, El Dorado Times)
FAIL TO IDENTIFY BODY OF YOUTH
It's the same old story today.
The body of somebody's son still lies at the morgue of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star street, unidentified. The boy who is believed to have been about seventeen years old was killed a week ago tonight when a train struck him on the main line of the Santa Fe about a mile south of De Graff. His right arm and leg were severed.
Frank Byrd, manager of the home, reports several scores of people have viewed the body the past 24 hours. They have called at the morgue day and night. Two strangers were at the home at 1:30 o'clock this morning, it was believed the body would be identified. A letter was received by the police from Noel, Mo., which contained the description of a missing boy. It tallied in many ways with the body at the Byrd Brothers morgue. It was determined the body was not that of the Noel youth because it is about three inches too short. The Noel boy also had blue eyes, while those of the dead youth are brown. (The El Dorado Times, September 25, 1923)
NOTE: Bio info provided by Lipstiklady (#46775660)
Permission given Nov 9, 2013
STILL UNABLE TO IDENTIFY YOUTH
Hundreds Viewed the Body at Funeral Home Yesterday; Body is Changing
Identification of the body of the 17 year old boy who was found on the Santa Fe Tracks north of El Dorado last Wednesday morning, has not been made.
The body which is being held at the Byrd Brothers funeral home 200 South Star Street has been viewed by several thousand people the past five days. It is estimated by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home that at least 1,500 persons called at the place yesterday. There was a constant stream of callers throughout the day and until a late hour last night. A number of those who viewed the body over the weekend came from a distance.
Mr. Byrd does not believe the body will be identified. It is not in the best of condition, because of the house hundreds of times it has been touched. The lips and eye lids have been moved many times to give those who it was believed might be able to identify the boy, an opportunity to see the eyes and teeth. The bruises on the head are becoming brown and the entire color of the body is changing. Mr. Byrd says the body has kept remarkably well however, in view of the conditions under which the boy was killed and the large number of persons who have attempted to identify it.
It is probably if the body is not identified within the next couple of days it will be buried at the county farm. If this is done, Mr. Byrd will have charge of the burial as he has the contract with the county. (the El Dorado Times, September 24, 1923)
FUNERAL UNKNOWN YOUTH TOMORROW
Services will be held at Byrd Brothers at 4 o'clock; Give fitting funeral
Three give dollar each
To assist in defraying the burial expenses in connection with the interment of "Somebody's Boy" tomorrow afternoon, the nucleus of a subscription was left at The Times office this afternoon by George B. Sharp, A. P. Berresshire and C. E. Dunlap, each contributing $1.
The body of somebody's son, who was found on the Santa Fe main line track, one mile south of De Graff a week ago yesterday morning will be given a fitting burial tomorrow afternoon, Frank Byrd, manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, announced this morning.
Funeral services will be held at the home at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church has been asked by Mr. Byrd to officiate. Members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1, of which Mr. Pannell is scoutmaster probably will be pallbearers. Music also is being arranged.
Burial will be made in West Cemetery J. H. Sandifer, who is a member of the board of directors of the West Cemetery Association, has informed Mr. Byrd that a lot will be burnished free of charge for the body.
Mr. Byrd will bury the body in a coffin which retails for over $100. He also will see that the body is properly dressed.
I will stand the entire expense myself, said Mr. Byrd, unless someone offers to assist with the burial. I believe the boy should be given a proper burial, despite the fact efforts to identify the body have been in vain.
There is some agitation for the three men's civic clubs and the Elks Lodge to pay part or all the expenses connected with the burial. A. J. Sedgwick, exalted ruler of the Elks, will present the matter to the lodge at its next meeting. The civic clubs probably will take the project up at their next gatherings.
In addition to this several El Doradoans have offered to pay part of the funeral expenses. Mr. Byrd appreciates this, but will make no move to collect for the expenses attached to his work. Those who desire to give can call at the Byrd Funeral Home.
It was determined late yesterday afternoon that the body was not that of Lawrence Keen of Phoenix, Mo. The father of the Keen boy told Mr. Byrd over the telephone that he received a letter from his son which was written after the body of the unidentified youth was found on the railroad track. At that time, the Keen boy was in Washington.
Few other efforts to identify the body have been made the past 24 hours. Since the body has been held at the funeral home, however, several thousand persons have viewed it. (The El Dorado Times, September 27, 1923)
HOLD SERVICE FOR YOUTH LATE TODAY
Body of Unknown Boy to Be Buried in West Cemetery; Many Give
Funeral services over the body of the unknown 17 year old boy who was found the morning of September 18 on the main line track of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, one mile wouth of De Graff, where he was killed when a train struck him and severed his right arm and leg, will be held late this afternoon at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home 200 South Star Street.
Yesterday it was announced the services would be started at 4 o'clock. It was said this morning it probably would be a trifle later, however, as members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1 will be pallbearers and they will not be dismissed from school until late this afternoon.
The scouts who will be pallbearers are: Norris Thompson, Lloyd Adams, Harold Campbell, Clair gallant, Byron Richey and Pearl Barnes.
The services will be in charge of Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church. The body will be buried in East Cemetery, a lot at that place having been furnished by the Cemetery Association.
This morning, the body was placed in a casket which retails for over $100. The body also was nicely dressed by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home. The body was then removed from the morgue into the funeral parlors where it had been viewed by a large number of persons at an early hour this afternoon.
Flowers were arriving at the funeral home this morning for the services. The Hampton Floral Shop sent a large bouquet of American Beauty Roses.
Since the announcement was made yesterday that the body of the unidentified youth would be given a proper burial, many El Doradoans have called at the funeral home to give small sums of money to help defray the burial expenses. Mr. Byrd announced yesterday he would meet the expense himself if no one else offered to help. It is believe a sufficient sum will given to pay Mr. Byrd for all he has done to give the body a proper burial and attempt to find some relatives of the boy. The total expense will be about $150.
At the joint meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Club last evening about $40 was raised to defray the funeral expenses. (El Dorado Times, September 18, 1923)
HUNDRED PASS BIER OF UNIDENTIFIED BOY
Somebody's son is lying today under the wide and starry sky.
The body, which has been held since September 18 at the morgue at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home was laid to rest late yesterday afternoon in West Cemetery. A brief, but impressive and beautiful funeral service was conducted by Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church.
The funeral was one of the largest ever held at the funeral home and was largely attended by women and girls.
It was not an idle curious assemblage that passed the bier for a last look at the face of lad, whom none had been able to identify. More than half of those in attendance were persons who have missing sons and who have haunted the funeral home the past 10 days hoping to recognize the likeness of their absent one.
There are no friends to whom we can express what we feel in our hearts. Mr. Pannell said. But if there were no friends, there were mourners mothers they were with hearts yearning hungrily for the sons who do not write home and shedding tears of sympathy for that other mother who may be tonight putting plate in its accustomed place on the table and saying with a fair characteristic of the mother heart "He will surely come today."
Few mothers went to the service yesterday who did not have a floral offering. The casket was latterly banked with blossoms. Hot house roses were there in their profusion and may bouquets of garden flowers gathered and arranged orderly for the sake of the mother who will wait eagerly for her son's return.
"The tragedy is not ended," one mother was overheard today. "His mother will never lose hope. To her dying day, she will watch for him."
After the services and the body had been taken to its final resting place, little groups of women lingered on the lawn weeping quietly and talking together seemingly loathe to leave the place where their own sons might have been lying.
One young girl has visited the morgue each day for a week fearing the unknown boy was her cousin, yet failing to fully identify him. She was loathe yesterday to relinquish the possibility that the boy might be the relative she sought.
A mother who has not slept since the body was found on the Santa Fe track near De Graff because her own son was missing was overjoyed yesterday when the youth returned after 7 months absence. She brought him to Mr. Byrd and said, I just wanted you to see that my boy is alive." The boy had just neglected to write home.
In a most touching address, Mr. Parnnell said in part:
"Today we are called upon quietly, sympathetically and reverently to perform a similar service to one unknown to us. Too young, probably to have rendered great service of distinction for his country, yet he is a son of America; we cannot call him by name; we know nothing of his life, his home, his parents, his friends or his associations. We can only say, as so vividly expressed in The Times some few days ago, "He is somebody's boy."
The speaker spoke reverentially of the Unknown warrior, whom the nation delights to honor in recognition of the sacrifice he and a vast number of others whom he represents made for his country.
As the Unknown Warrior represents the untold numbers of companions in warfare who shared with him the great sacrifice in humanity's cause; tho, this unknown lad represents another class; he represents another class a great number of lads, unknown to us who are mere wanderers on the earth whose very lives are a tragedy, said Mr. Parnell.
Was it not a most pathetic thing to read of the number of parents who had made inquiries (September 29, 1923)
LETTERS MAY LEAD TO IDENTIFICATION
Three Initials Found on Shirt Worn by Boy Killed on the Track A Week Ago
Urges A Fitting Burial for Boy
If the body of the unidentified youth at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home is not claimed by a relative or friend, shall it be given a fitting burial?
The Times is in receipt of a letter today from a subscriber who believes it should. The announcement was made yesterday that the body probably will be buried by the county at the County Farm unless it is identified.
I think the people of El Dorado should see that the body is given a proper burial says the letter. Can't there be something done before it is too late? My neighbors and I will help pay the expenses. Who else will offer to help?
Three dimly printed letters, about half an inch high which are believed to be either H. E. R. or W. E. R. have been found on the collar, band of the blue shirt, which was worn by the unidentified 17 year old boy whose body was found on the Santa Fe main line track a mile south of De Graff a week ago this morning.
The letters were discovered last evening by Frank Byrd manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, where the body is being held. He observed them in the glare of the electric light.
The letters could scarcely be seen at first, and Mr. Byrd had difficulty in making visitors at the home last night believe he had found new evidence, which may lead to the identification of the body. After the neck bank was washed the letters could be seen much plainer, but still it could not be determined this morning if the first letter is an "H" or "W." The second letter also is exceedingly dim, but it is certain the third letter is an "R."
It was believed today the body of the boy might be identified as that of Lawrence Keen, son of Charles Keen of Phoenix, Mo. Mr. Byrd is in communication with Mr. Keen. The body was partially identified as that of Young Keen yesterday by an acquaintance of the family.
Two large bouquets of flowers were sent to the funeral home last night to be placed near the body of the boy. One was given an El Dorado woman who has partially identified the body as that of her nephew. At times the woman is said to be convinced the body is that of her nephew and later she declares it does not answer the description of it in every way. Because of this, the woman told Mr. Byrd she desired to send a floral offering to the home. (September 1923, El Dorado Times)
FAIL TO IDENTIFY BODY OF YOUTH
It's the same old story today.
The body of somebody's son still lies at the morgue of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star street, unidentified. The boy who is believed to have been about seventeen years old was killed a week ago tonight when a train struck him on the main line of the Santa Fe about a mile south of De Graff. His right arm and leg were severed.
Frank Byrd, manager of the home, reports several scores of people have viewed the body the past 24 hours. They have called at the morgue day and night. Two strangers were at the home at 1:30 o'clock this morning, it was believed the body would be identified. A letter was received by the police from Noel, Mo., which contained the description of a missing boy. It tallied in many ways with the body at the Byrd Brothers morgue. It was determined the body was not that of the Noel youth because it is about three inches too short. The Noel boy also had blue eyes, while those of the dead youth are brown. (The El Dorado Times, September 25, 1923)
NOTE: Bio info provided by Lipstiklady (#46775660)
Permission given Nov 9, 2013
Hundreds Viewed the Body at Funeral Home Yesterday; Body is Changing
Identification of the body of the 17 year old boy who was found on the Santa Fe Tracks north of El Dorado last Wednesday morning, has not been made.
The body which is being held at the Byrd Brothers funeral home 200 South Star Street has been viewed by several thousand people the past five days. It is estimated by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home that at least 1,500 persons called at the place yesterday. There was a constant stream of callers throughout the day and until a late hour last night. A number of those who viewed the body over the weekend came from a distance.
Mr. Byrd does not believe the body will be identified. It is not in the best of condition, because of the house hundreds of times it has been touched. The lips and eye lids have been moved many times to give those who it was believed might be able to identify the boy, an opportunity to see the eyes and teeth. The bruises on the head are becoming brown and the entire color of the body is changing. Mr. Byrd says the body has kept remarkably well however, in view of the conditions under which the boy was killed and the large number of persons who have attempted to identify it.
It is probably if the body is not identified within the next couple of days it will be buried at the county farm. If this is done, Mr. Byrd will have charge of the burial as he has the contract with the county. (the El Dorado Times, September 24, 1923)
FUNERAL UNKNOWN YOUTH TOMORROW
Services will be held at Byrd Brothers at 4 o'clock; Give fitting funeral
Three give dollar each
To assist in defraying the burial expenses in connection with the interment of "Somebody's Boy" tomorrow afternoon, the nucleus of a subscription was left at The Times office this afternoon by George B. Sharp, A. P. Berresshire and C. E. Dunlap, each contributing $1.
The body of somebody's son, who was found on the Santa Fe main line track, one mile south of De Graff a week ago yesterday morning will be given a fitting burial tomorrow afternoon, Frank Byrd, manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, announced this morning.
Funeral services will be held at the home at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church has been asked by Mr. Byrd to officiate. Members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1, of which Mr. Pannell is scoutmaster probably will be pallbearers. Music also is being arranged.
Burial will be made in West Cemetery J. H. Sandifer, who is a member of the board of directors of the West Cemetery Association, has informed Mr. Byrd that a lot will be burnished free of charge for the body.
Mr. Byrd will bury the body in a coffin which retails for over $100. He also will see that the body is properly dressed.
I will stand the entire expense myself, said Mr. Byrd, unless someone offers to assist with the burial. I believe the boy should be given a proper burial, despite the fact efforts to identify the body have been in vain.
There is some agitation for the three men's civic clubs and the Elks Lodge to pay part or all the expenses connected with the burial. A. J. Sedgwick, exalted ruler of the Elks, will present the matter to the lodge at its next meeting. The civic clubs probably will take the project up at their next gatherings.
In addition to this several El Doradoans have offered to pay part of the funeral expenses. Mr. Byrd appreciates this, but will make no move to collect for the expenses attached to his work. Those who desire to give can call at the Byrd Funeral Home.
It was determined late yesterday afternoon that the body was not that of Lawrence Keen of Phoenix, Mo. The father of the Keen boy told Mr. Byrd over the telephone that he received a letter from his son which was written after the body of the unidentified youth was found on the railroad track. At that time, the Keen boy was in Washington.
Few other efforts to identify the body have been made the past 24 hours. Since the body has been held at the funeral home, however, several thousand persons have viewed it. (The El Dorado Times, September 27, 1923)
HOLD SERVICE FOR YOUTH LATE TODAY
Body of Unknown Boy to Be Buried in West Cemetery; Many Give
Funeral services over the body of the unknown 17 year old boy who was found the morning of September 18 on the main line track of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, one mile wouth of De Graff, where he was killed when a train struck him and severed his right arm and leg, will be held late this afternoon at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home 200 South Star Street.
Yesterday it was announced the services would be started at 4 o'clock. It was said this morning it probably would be a trifle later, however, as members of Boy Scout Troop No. 1 will be pallbearers and they will not be dismissed from school until late this afternoon.
The scouts who will be pallbearers are: Norris Thompson, Lloyd Adams, Harold Campbell, Clair gallant, Byron Richey and Pearl Barnes.
The services will be in charge of Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church. The body will be buried in East Cemetery, a lot at that place having been furnished by the Cemetery Association.
This morning, the body was placed in a casket which retails for over $100. The body also was nicely dressed by Frank Byrd, manager of the Funeral Home. The body was then removed from the morgue into the funeral parlors where it had been viewed by a large number of persons at an early hour this afternoon.
Flowers were arriving at the funeral home this morning for the services. The Hampton Floral Shop sent a large bouquet of American Beauty Roses.
Since the announcement was made yesterday that the body of the unidentified youth would be given a proper burial, many El Doradoans have called at the funeral home to give small sums of money to help defray the burial expenses. Mr. Byrd announced yesterday he would meet the expense himself if no one else offered to help. It is believe a sufficient sum will given to pay Mr. Byrd for all he has done to give the body a proper burial and attempt to find some relatives of the boy. The total expense will be about $150.
At the joint meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Club last evening about $40 was raised to defray the funeral expenses. (El Dorado Times, September 18, 1923)
HUNDRED PASS BIER OF UNIDENTIFIED BOY
Somebody's son is lying today under the wide and starry sky.
The body, which has been held since September 18 at the morgue at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home was laid to rest late yesterday afternoon in West Cemetery. A brief, but impressive and beautiful funeral service was conducted by Rev. A. W. Pannell, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church.
The funeral was one of the largest ever held at the funeral home and was largely attended by women and girls.
It was not an idle curious assemblage that passed the bier for a last look at the face of lad, whom none had been able to identify. More than half of those in attendance were persons who have missing sons and who have haunted the funeral home the past 10 days hoping to recognize the likeness of their absent one.
There are no friends to whom we can express what we feel in our hearts. Mr. Pannell said. But if there were no friends, there were mourners mothers they were with hearts yearning hungrily for the sons who do not write home and shedding tears of sympathy for that other mother who may be tonight putting plate in its accustomed place on the table and saying with a fair characteristic of the mother heart "He will surely come today."
Few mothers went to the service yesterday who did not have a floral offering. The casket was latterly banked with blossoms. Hot house roses were there in their profusion and may bouquets of garden flowers gathered and arranged orderly for the sake of the mother who will wait eagerly for her son's return.
"The tragedy is not ended," one mother was overheard today. "His mother will never lose hope. To her dying day, she will watch for him."
After the services and the body had been taken to its final resting place, little groups of women lingered on the lawn weeping quietly and talking together seemingly loathe to leave the place where their own sons might have been lying.
One young girl has visited the morgue each day for a week fearing the unknown boy was her cousin, yet failing to fully identify him. She was loathe yesterday to relinquish the possibility that the boy might be the relative she sought.
A mother who has not slept since the body was found on the Santa Fe track near De Graff because her own son was missing was overjoyed yesterday when the youth returned after 7 months absence. She brought him to Mr. Byrd and said, I just wanted you to see that my boy is alive." The boy had just neglected to write home.
In a most touching address, Mr. Parnnell said in part:
"Today we are called upon quietly, sympathetically and reverently to perform a similar service to one unknown to us. Too young, probably to have rendered great service of distinction for his country, yet he is a son of America; we cannot call him by name; we know nothing of his life, his home, his parents, his friends or his associations. We can only say, as so vividly expressed in The Times some few days ago, "He is somebody's boy."
The speaker spoke reverentially of the Unknown warrior, whom the nation delights to honor in recognition of the sacrifice he and a vast number of others whom he represents made for his country.
As the Unknown Warrior represents the untold numbers of companions in warfare who shared with him the great sacrifice in humanity's cause; tho, this unknown lad represents another class; he represents another class a great number of lads, unknown to us who are mere wanderers on the earth whose very lives are a tragedy, said Mr. Parnell.
Was it not a most pathetic thing to read of the number of parents who had made inquiries (September 29, 1923)
LETTERS MAY LEAD TO IDENTIFICATION
Three Initials Found on Shirt Worn by Boy Killed on the Track A Week Ago
Urges A Fitting Burial for Boy
If the body of the unidentified youth at the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home is not claimed by a relative or friend, shall it be given a fitting burial?
The Times is in receipt of a letter today from a subscriber who believes it should. The announcement was made yesterday that the body probably will be buried by the county at the County Farm unless it is identified.
I think the people of El Dorado should see that the body is given a proper burial says the letter. Can't there be something done before it is too late? My neighbors and I will help pay the expenses. Who else will offer to help?
Three dimly printed letters, about half an inch high which are believed to be either H. E. R. or W. E. R. have been found on the collar, band of the blue shirt, which was worn by the unidentified 17 year old boy whose body was found on the Santa Fe main line track a mile south of De Graff a week ago this morning.
The letters were discovered last evening by Frank Byrd manager of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star Street, where the body is being held. He observed them in the glare of the electric light.
The letters could scarcely be seen at first, and Mr. Byrd had difficulty in making visitors at the home last night believe he had found new evidence, which may lead to the identification of the body. After the neck bank was washed the letters could be seen much plainer, but still it could not be determined this morning if the first letter is an "H" or "W." The second letter also is exceedingly dim, but it is certain the third letter is an "R."
It was believed today the body of the boy might be identified as that of Lawrence Keen, son of Charles Keen of Phoenix, Mo. Mr. Byrd is in communication with Mr. Keen. The body was partially identified as that of Young Keen yesterday by an acquaintance of the family.
Two large bouquets of flowers were sent to the funeral home last night to be placed near the body of the boy. One was given an El Dorado woman who has partially identified the body as that of her nephew. At times the woman is said to be convinced the body is that of her nephew and later she declares it does not answer the description of it in every way. Because of this, the woman told Mr. Byrd she desired to send a floral offering to the home. (September 1923, El Dorado Times)
FAIL TO IDENTIFY BODY OF YOUTH
It's the same old story today.
The body of somebody's son still lies at the morgue of the Byrd Brothers Funeral Home, 200 South Star street, unidentified. The boy who is believed to have been about seventeen years old was killed a week ago tonight when a train struck him on the main line of the Santa Fe about a mile south of De Graff. His right arm and leg were severed.
Frank Byrd, manager of the home, reports several scores of people have viewed the body the past 24 hours. They have called at the morgue day and night. Two strangers were at the home at 1:30 o'clock this morning, it was believed the body would be identified. A letter was received by the police from Noel, Mo., which contained the description of a missing boy. It tallied in many ways with the body at the Byrd Brothers morgue. It was determined the body was not that of the Noel youth because it is about three inches too short. The Noel boy also had blue eyes, while those of the dead youth are brown. (The El Dorado Times, September 25, 1923)
NOTE: Bio info provided by Lipstiklady (#46775660)
Permission given Nov 9, 2013
Inscription
"Here Lies Unidentified Youth" Ag'd about 17
Killed by the cars near DeGraff, Kan
