Montague reunited

Norfolkan to be Reunited with Son he thought Dead

Ten years ago on May 19, 1930, James Montague, now 72, Norfolk, who hadn’t heard from his son, Jim, for some time, read in a Sioux City newspaper that the bodies of three unidentified murdered youths, about 19, had been found in a vacant lot in Brooklyn, N. Y.

As his son was about 20 years old and was living in New York city at that time, the father thought young Jim might have been among the slain trio.  As time passed, and he didn’t hear from his son, the Norfolkan became more and more convinced in his mind that the boy had been killed.

He wrote a number of letters to Brooklyn and New York city authorities and to the bureau of missing persons, but was unable to find any trace of his son,  Finally, after many months had elapsed, Montague gave up his son as dead.

Mourned for 10 Years

For almost ten years he mourned the loss of the boy.

His sadness now has turned to joy and anticipation because he has received from his “dead” son a letter saying he was coming to Norfolk to visit in July.

The forthcoming reunion between father and son resulted from the latter’s having to go to a New York city hospital for emergency treatment several days ago.

At the hospital, the young man was asked to sign a card giving the name of a relative.  He wrote down the name of his sister, Anna Montague, and gave her address as 414 North Tenth street, Norfolk, Neb.  He didn’t know his sister was married and her name is Mrs. Larry Meenan, and that she is now residing in Los Angles.

“Couldn’t Believe It”

When the card reached Norfolk, postal employee, knowing Anna Montague no longer lived in this city, but is the daughter of James Montague, delivered it to the father.  That was James Montague’s first information his missing son was alive.  “I could hardly believe it because I had given him up as dead,” he stated.

Overjoyed, Mr. Montague’s first thought was to write to a niece, Miss Grace King, in New York city asking her to go to the hospital to see young Jim,  He sent her an air mail letter and at the same time sent a telegram to the bureau of missing persons, asking it to get in touch with the young man.

In a few days, the father received a letter from his son who stated that about ten years ago he lost his job and “started to drifting around.”  He also wrote that he put off writing to his father and as the months went by it became harder and harder to break down and write home, and as a result he just neglected to let his parent know his whereabouts.

Young Jim also promised his father he would be home in July for what probably will be the happiest day in James Montague’s life.

Source:  The Norfolk Daily News, Friday May 31, 1940, page 2.