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Coal
For The Poor
9 Year Old Boy Gives Coal He Won to Poor Family
The spirit of Christmas this morning was personified in a small 9-year-old Jack Forrest. Accompanied by his father, John Forrest, Sr., 2645 Garfield Street, the boy walked into the office of the Charity Organization and explained that he has just won a ton of coal at a drawing conducted by an O Street coal dealer.
“We have coal in our cellar,” the boy stated, and I am sure that there are lots of poor people in Lincoln who need this ton of coal worse than we do. So I want to give it to some people who haven't any.”
Secretary Prevey thanked the small donor and told him that the organization would place the coal where it was worst needed. The boy then expressed a desire to visit the family to whom his give was to go. Father and son were given an address in northwest Lincoln and walked out of the office.
A half hour later a very sober faced boy visited Secretary Prevey.
“I think that those people needed that coal all right,” he confided. “We went out there and there was hardly any furniture in the house and no fire in the stove. There were two little children who looked so cold and I felt so sorry for them.”
”Father,” he said, turning to the older Forrest. “I am awfully glad that I won that coal, because if some one else had got it maybe those little children wouldn't have had any fire to sit beside tonight while they waited for Santa Claus.”
The Lincoln Daily, Lincoln, Nebraska, Wednesday Evening, December 24, 1913
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