THE PUBLIC MIND: MAN THANKS CITY FOR KINDNESS YEARS AGO

To the Editor:

As a young teenager, I left Birmingham, Ala., in 1946 with a magazine sales company. We stopped off in major cities along the way west. We were taught a sales pitch which was a lie that we were selling magazines to work our way through college. They gave us money every day until we got a long way from home. As a young boy raised on a farm in Alabama, my parents passed away when I was 8-10 years of age so it was exciting to go to California and work my way out there, but when we got in Omaha, Nebraska, if I did not sell enough magazines to pay my way, they would take me out at night and put me out on some county road and I walked back to town selling magazines on the way, back to the hotel where we were staying. This was called Moonlighting to pay our expenses.

So in Omaha, Neb., they left me and took all my clothes except what I had on. I had 50 cents to get back to Alabama on. I got in Cape Girardeau on a Saturday evening. I could not catch a ride on weekends because people had their family in with them. So, being broke and hungry, I went to your police department and asked them if they would lock me up in their jail and feed me until Monday morning, as I was afraid something mean would happen. They could have arrested and held me for a while, which I was scared of because I was raised not to do wrong.

But your great police department put me up in a hotel and gave me money for food. I have never forgot this good deed and I have tried to do the same for young boys since. I coached little league baseball for 27 years and I always told my players what a great blessing your police department did for me. I am retired now, working with youths in our area. I have always wanted to come back to your great city but I guess this is the only way I can thank your police department and your kind people. May God bless all of you and thanks again.

Douglas Bunn

Columbiana, Ala.