The Loss of a Young Street Merchant
Cecil Higginbotham, a twelve-year-old newsboy, passes away after a long illness, leaving his peers to mourn.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The first death in the Newsboys' union occurred at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, when Cecil Higginbotham succumbed to heart disease, aged 12 years, 5 months, at 51 West Stewart street. Cecil, who was a brother of Arthur Higginbotham, the secretary of the union, was taken ill with pleuro-pneumonia last March and has been ill ever since. The boy was well known to the public, for he had sold the Post-Intelligencer, his usual place of business being in the neighborhood of Front and Columbia streets for the last three years. He never missed a morning and, just before his death, told his brother he wanted to get well so that he could sell the paper again. He was a favorite among the newsboys who visited him often during his illness. The funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon under the auspices of the Newsboys' union, which bears the funeral expenses.
“Just before his death he told his brother he wanted to get well so that he could sell the paper again.”
This reflects the harsh realities of childhood and labor in late 19th-century Seattle. The solidarity of the Newsboys' union highlights the vital, informal support networks created by working youth.
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