Young Boy Struck and Is Left Unconscious on the Street. . . Owen Ham Hurries Lad to Doctor Thinking Him His Own; Daughter Finds Mistake. . . Eugene Harris Found Lad Lying on John Street Near Post Office and Hurried Him to Mr. Ham; It Turns Out That He Is G. E. Cogdell’s Boy; He’s All Right Now
Every day in every way queerer and queerer things are happening.
“Here’s your boy,” said Gene Harris to Owen Ham, local bicycle repairman. “Somebody ran over him on his bicycle around near the post office.”
Mr. Ham dropped a monkey wrench he had in his right hand and received the limp body of a 10-year-old youngster into his arms.
“Lord, how did it happen?” he asked, and before a reply could be given, he rushed to the sidewalk and an automobile and hurried with the unconscious form to Dr. W. H. Cobbs’ office. Dr. Cobb threw on his white operating apron in that efficient way of his and waved Mr. Ham to place the boy on the operating table.
“I’ve got to get some of my folks up here right now,” he went on, is eyes taking in the blood-stained face of the boy.
“Pearl,” he hurried on at the telephone a second later “Hurry down to Dr. Cobb’s office and quick. Gordon has been hit by an automobile and about killed.”
Pearl was in the office in a few minutes . somewhat younger than her father and not quite so easily “flustrated,” she strode over to gaze in the inert face on the operating table.
“Why, Pa, that ain’t Gordon,” she said. Gordon had on a blue shirt and this boy has on a white one.”
“You’re crazy, don’t I know my own boy?”
“But it ain’t him, just he same,” replied Pearl.
Calmed by his daughter’s air of assurance, Mr. Ham for the first time took a calm look at the lad, and sure enough, it wasn’t his boy.
The boy revived a bit and told Dr. Cobb that his name was Cogdell, Roy Cogdell.
“Why that’s G.E. Cogdell’s boy,” cut in Mr. Ham, light breaking on his confused soul.
A telephone brought Mr. Cogdell and he identified the boy has his son, Roy, aged 10 years.
Mr. Harris, employed at Weil Bros., had found the youngster lying unconscious on John street near the post office and was told that his name was Ham, had rushed him to the shop of the latter.
Last night Mr. Cogdell said that he had never been unable to find out how the boy was hurt, however, that the fender of a passing motorist had scraped the lad’s bicycle, throwing him to the pavement, his head striking the curb stone.
“He was much better today,” said Mr. Cogdell last night, and I think he will be able to go back to school Monday.”
“Well,” said Mr. Ham, “I never had [lines obscured]. But he did look like my boy, just the same size and with his face all bloody and me excited, I see how it happened.”
From the front page of the Goldsboro News, Sunday, Nov. 14, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064755/1926-11-14/ed-1/seq-1/
