I found this gem last night searching through the Google News Archives. The “young lad” is my grandfather, my dad’s dad. The article is from June 15, 1915. While it states my grandfather’s age is 10, he was actually soon to turn 6.
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“While watching the circus parade at Thirty-second and Clybourn streets, Monday morning, William Rathkamp Jr., 10 years old, 23 Thirty-fourth street, was run down by a brewery wagon and seriously injured bout the head, face and shoulders.
When witnesses of the accident went to the assistance of the boy, he was unconscious and his head and face covered with blood.
It was at first feared that the lad had been internally injured, but an examination by Dr. F. R. Farrell, 3001 Clybourn street, showed the lad was not injured that badly.”
You can almost imagine Dr. Farrell telling his parents, “Ahhh, just rub some dirt on his face and give the lad a beer! And while you’re at it, get ‘im a haircut. He looks like a damn girl!”