Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1908 — BOYS WERE ALL SICK AND GLAD TO GET HOME [ARTICLE]

BOYS WERE ALL SICK AND GLAD TO GET HOME

K. CX K. A. Boys ftfade HI By Home Cooking and Have a Bad Night of it Thursday.

“I tell you,” said Rev. Parrett, the leading chaperone of the K. O. K. A. boys, “but I was glad to see the break ol day Friday morning.’’ The boys' camp broke up a day earlier than had been the Intention. The reason for it was the fact that all the boys were very sick Thursday night It was Thursday that the mothers of the boys and several girls visited the camp and took over a lot of good feed for tbe boys. Every one was hungry and all ate heartily. Among the things prepared was chicken and noodles. It had been pre pared the night before and left in tbe granite kettles and evidently ptomaine had formed, tor all who partook of the chicken or the noodles became sick during the night Not only were Rev. Parrett and Walter Lee and all but two of the twenty-three boys sick, but most of the women and girls and Judge Hanley* and Attorney Honan, who partook of the dinner, were made very Bick after the r return to Rensselaer. ' The boys suffered from cramps and were in great agony, and "Brownievilie’’ was in misery for many hourg, and It was this fact that elicited the remark by Rev, Parrett that he welcomed daylight. He did not sleep a wink the entire night long, being busy all tbe time either because of his own or some of the boys’ sickness. The nature of the sickness would not permit of newspaper description, but suffice it to say that when daylight came there was a most remarkable condition existing about the camp as well as a well beaten pathway down the river. The sickness was of only a few hours duration and all had been seised at about the same

time and shortly after day break all were feeling much better again, but all were weak and tired and it was decided to break camp at once and return home. When home was reached on the 6:32 train it was learned that those from Rensselaer who had participated in the dinner bad also been made quite sick. While the cause is a little in question it is probable that ptomaine poisoning from tbe chicken was responsible for the sickness. The boys had a fine time, but they were all willing to hit the hay tn their own homes Friday night and they will not care for another camp before next summer, when Rev. Parrett hopes to be able- to take the boys to the Winona Boy’s City. From Friday's Dally. boys have had a fine time and the experience they gained will be of great benefit to them. Yesterday ten of their mothers and seven small girls chaperoned by Mrs. E. P. Honan, went over on tbe morning train and spent the day with the campers. The boys bad recived an inkling of their coming and met tbe hack containing the visitors quite a way down the road. The kids were very curious as to what tbe numerous kettles and baskets contained, but bad their curiosity satisfied when dinner hour arrived. The day was spent in bathing, games and an unsuccessful attempt at fishing. On Wednesday tbe Westslde Baglas, of Monticeiio, accepted a challenge of the Rensselaer youngsters for a game of baseball, and went to the camp and trimmed the K. O. K. A.’s by such a large score that the count was lost.