Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1912 — Put “Laziest Boy in Chicago” on Diet [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Put “Laziest Boy in Chicago” on Diet

CHICAGO. —Three full hours before he had finished his daily thirteen hour snooze—or rather, daily-nightly snooze—Hermann Davis, 17 years old, “the laziest boy in Chicago,” was rudely awakened from his snoring slumber shortly after 2 o’clock the other morning by a policeman at the home of the boy’s grandmother. Hermann had not been disturbed before he had finished Ms sleep as far back as he could re> member. He looked at the bluecoat, decided he could not be annoyed, and, rolling over, started once more to snore. Another roogh shake by the policeman brought the boy out of bed onto the floor, where he yawningly protested against such treatment and went back to sleep. Exasperated, the officer finally- managed to keep the boy awake long enough to get him dressed and then took him to the Chicago avenue station, where his mother, Mrs, Ida McGraw, was pacing the office in a rage. “There he is now!” she shouted angrily. “Look at him. He’s the laziest boy In the world. I want him locked up and made to work.” Hermann looked, wearied of it all and answered the accusations of his

parent with stretches, yawns and! sleepy blinkings. “Look id this. This Is what he doe* all day and night,” and the woman: thrust a piece of paper into the hands* of the desk sergeant. It read: “Rises at noon. Eats a hearty combination breakfast-lunch. Spends the afternoon at nickel theaters. Returns, home to supper at six. Takes a nap* until 7:80. Visits more nickel theaters. Retires to bed promptly ati 10:30.” “We’ll have to turn him over to Ju-t venile court officers,” said the ser-i geant “They'll pat him on the ‘nal work, no eat’ diet He should he ex-: amined for the hook worm or the ‘sleeping sickness.’ lH take charge of him.” He looked around for Hermann. The boy was fast asleep in a chair in the corner. The mother fled.