Sam knelt down in the mud and rainwater and put his arms around the huddled child, saying, "Son, I am not going to hurt you but you are wet and cold, let me take you to my home and get you warm and dry. Then we can call your folks."
At that, the boy began to sob, "They don't want me anymore. They kicked me out of the car and drove off!" The child was heaving great, shuddering sobs, his whole body shaking.
Sam picked the boy up and held him to his chest. He said, "We will worry about all that as soon as you are warm and dry, let's go home." He put the child on the seat of the truck, making sure he was securely belted in before going around to the driver's side and climbing in. He flipped the heater on high and started for his home. He was thinking, "How could anyone just dump a child out in this awful storm?"
He drove up to the house and shut down the truck. Going around to the other side, he opened the door and gently picked the boy up off the seat. The child was still sobbing and Sam held him tight so that he would know that he was not going to be dropped! He opened the door to the kitchen and hollered for Hanna, his cook/housekeeper.
Hanna was a large black woman who had worked for Sam since she was a young girl. She rushed into the kitchen and saw Sam holding the boy. Hanna was boss in her kitchen, she reached for the child and told Sam to go fill the bath with warm water. Hanna knew how to comfort hurt boys, she and Thomas, her late husband, had raised six boys, one of whom was a Doctor in Whimple's Crossing.
When Sam had the tub filled, she directed him to go call Joey, her Doctor son, and tell him to beat his britches getting here! While Sam was phoning Joey, Hanna undressed the boy to his undershorts and then told him to shuck off his shorts and get in the warm water. The boy shyly did as he was told, holding the washcloth across his private parts. Hanna smiled and said, "You can wash those parts, AFTER I get the rest of you clean." She shampooed his hair and then saw his back. She screamed and Sam came running, what he saw made his blood boil! The child had been whipped! Just then, Dr. Joey stepped into his Mamma's kitchen, calling her name. Hanna shouted, "Joey, you get yourself in here this minute!"
When she showed her son what she had seen, he ground his teeth and said, "Mister Sam, you gotta call Sheriff Benson right away!"
While Sam was calling the sheriff, Joey knelt beside the tub and examined the boy. By this time, the child had stopped crying and was looking hopefully at Dr. Joey and Mr. Sam. Joey picked him up and dried him off, "Son, will you let me check you out, I am a doctor?" The boy shook his head, yes and Joey took him into the guest bedroom off the kitchen. He turned on the lights and started to examine the boy closely, when he looked at the boys legs, he let out his own cry. Hanna came running in and Joey told her to sit with the child for a few minutes. Joey then went to Sam, "Mr. Sam....."
Sam interrupted him saying, "For goodness sakes, Joey, we have known each other for near forty years, can't you just call me Sam?"
Joey grinned and replied, "Only if Mamma says it's OK!" Continuing, he said, "That boy has been sexually molested, RAPED! I am going to wait 'til Jeff Benson gets here, you don't need any problems with that bigot!"
The sheriff took his own time getting there, the child was nearly asleep before he came strutting into the kitchen, without even knocking! Sam immediately blocked his way and the bloated sheriff started to draw back his fist when he heard a gun cocking behind him.
There stood Hanna with a 12 gauge shotgun in her hands. She said, "You behave or I swear we have an intruder who broke into the house!"
The good sheriff was a coward and a bully, but he knew when to back down, fast! Joey had been on the phone and just then, flashing blue and red lights drove into the yard and two South Carolina State Troopers stepped out of their car and came to the door. Hanna let them in and Sheriff Benson started to bluster, "You guys got no jurisdiction here!"
The Trooper in charge replied, "We got a report of an abused child being here, THAT makes it our jurisdiction!" He continued, "Now you just trot your fat butt out of here while we investigate this crime!" He muttered not quite under his breath, "God, I can't stand that fat fool!" Trooper Bill Jensen sat at the kitchen table with Sam and was asking him how he found the child, "Sam, what do you know of the boy?"
Sam replied, "Billy, all I know is what he told me, that his parents had tossed him out of their car and had driven off, leaving him alongside the road in the rain." He and Sam had been schoolmates and had even gone to college together.
Just then, Hanna came into the room, holding a towel-wrapped little boy in her arms. He was snuggled up to her and had his arms around her neck. Bill Jensen stood and tickled the boy, he had Grandsons of his own and knew how to gain a boy's trust. The small boy began to giggle and Bill reached out to take him. He went back to the table and held the child on his lap, "Son, we can't just keep calling you boy, will you tell me your name?"
The boy nodded his head, "I am Billy Callum and we used to live down at Catherville, but my stepfather sold the house last week."
Bill grinned and said, "Well, Billy, you and I have the same name, I am Billy also!" Little Billy giggled and held on to the Trooper even tighter. Bill then asked, "Can you tell us what happened to you?"
Little Billy began to sob, "My stepfather did nasty things to me last night and then told my momma that they were moving and there was no room for me!" Little Billy started crying even harder and tears were running down the old Trooper's face also.
They learned that little Billy was ten years old and was an only child. While the Trooper and Billy were talking, Sam was on the phone to his cousin, Jeremy Whimple, "Jerry, I have a boy here who was tossed out like dirty trash. I want you to fix it with Judge Parsons so that he STAYS here with me!"
The lawyer replied, "Sam, are you sure?"
Sam nearly screamed at his cousin, "Jerry, you KNOW I have the room and the means to raise this boy, do whatever you lawyers do, but MAKE IT HAPPEN! OK?"
Jerry replied, "OK, Sam, calm down. I don't see any problems, except maybe with our bigot sheriff."
Sam just said, "DO IT!" and hung up.
Trooper Bill and his assistant, Trooper Jim Wallace, got all their paperwork completed and told Sam that a CPS officer would be around in a day or so. Sam didn't tell them about what he had told Jerry to do! Doctor Joey applied some salves to Billy's back and rectum and told Sam to bring the boy into the office first thing in the morning.
Sam started to carry Little Billy into the guest room, but he clamped onto Sam's neck in fear. Sam then asked Hanna to make up the couch in his bedroom as a place the boy could sleep. Billy was nearly asleep by the time Sam gently laid him between the sheets. Sam decided he might as well go to bed himself, it was going to be a busy day tomorrow!
Sam had barely gotten to sleep when he was awakened by a tugging on his arm and a little voice saying, "Please Mr. Sam, I'm scared. Can I sleep with you?" Sam held the covers as the small boy clambered into bed with him and snuggled up with a death grip on his arm. Within seconds, the boy was back asleep with a huge smile on his face. It was the best night's sleep Sam could remember having since his wife had passed away!
Sam and Billy both were still smiling the next morning as Hanna put breakfast on the table. She thought to herself, "That is best smile Mr. Sam has had since Miz Marylou died!"
Shortly after breakfast, Jerry Whimple arrived with an armload of papers. He sat down with a cup of coffee and looked at Billy and Sam. He said, "Billy, do you like Mr. Sam?"
Billy looked first at Sam and then said, "Oh, yes! He is cuddly!"
Jerry about choked on his coffee to keep from laughing, "Cuddly, huh? Then, I guess you don't want to stay here?" Billy started to cry and Jerry, realizing his mistake, leaned over the boy and said, "I got a paper here that says you can stay here FOREVER!" He pulled a paper out of the stack that said on the top, "CERTIFICATE OF PERMANENT CUSTODY"!
Billy wasn't sure exactly what that meant and looked a little confused. Sam spoke up, "That means you can live here for as long as you want!"
Billy screamed and ran to Sam, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. He said, "Can I call you Daddy?" It took Sam more than a few moments to gain control of himself, before he could reply.
Jerry whispered in Sam's ear, "Johnny Parsons says that after one year you can apply for adoption!" Sam just nodded his head as he squeezed Billy to his chest! Hanna was at the sink, hiding her tears from the men.
Billy and Sam were in deep conversation with each other, they did not even notice Jerry quietly leaving and Hanna finding something to do in another room! Billy was sitting on Sam's lap and Sam said, "Billy, we need to go see Dr. Joey and also get you some clothes. Golly, what you have are in really bad shape."
Billy nodded, "Momma never had any money for clothes for me. Can I have some real Jeans and new sneakers?"
Sam suddenly found his tongue thick and it was difficult to speak. He grabbed up Billy and they headed out to the truck. They had just enough time for a quick run to Anderson and still make it to Dr. Joey's before noon!
Sam took Billy to Penny's and the boy went first to the cheap, no-name clothes rack. Sam shook his head at the boy and led him to the "Wrangler's" rack and proceeded to load up their cart with jeans, shirts, underwear, socks and a cowboy hat! Billy's eyes got bigger and bigger and finally he started crying, "Daddy, I can't wear all these clothes!"
Sam smiled and said, "Not in one day, but how about for all week?"
Billy got a shocked look on his face, "You mean, I can change clothes EVERY DAY?"
Sam just smiled and asked the clerk where the shoe department was. Poor Billy went goggle-eyed when Sam put three pair of sneakers in the cart AND a pair of cowboy boots!
He was an excited little boy by the time they got to Dr. Joey's Clinic. He changed into his new clothes right there in the truck before he would go to see the doctor! He marched into Dr. Joey's office wearing his new Wrangler Jeans, a checkered cowboy shirt and his new boots. Sam had to make him leave the cowboy hat in the truck, much to Billy's unhappiness! Dr. Joey gave Billy a complete physical and drew a blood sample. He did it so quick, Billy forgot to say, "Ouch!"
While Sam was speaking with Dr. Joey, Billy wandered out to Sam's truck, looking for his new cowboy hat. The two men suddenly heard Billy screaming and hollering, "Let me go, HELP, you are hurting me!" They ran out to the curb in time to see the Sheriff trying to stuff Billy into the backseat of his car. Without thinking, Dr. Sam remembered his Marine Corps training and landed on the Sheriff's back with a strangle hold on the man's jugular!
Sheriff Benson started shouting, "You gonna pay for that, boy!"
About that time, the town gossip, Jenny Gill showed up, "Why Sheriff Benson, are you into stealing little boys?" She turned to Sam saying, "I saw everything, Jeff Benson was trying to kidnap that sweet little boy! I saw it all!"
The Sheriff was struggling to get to his gun while Dr Joey was standing on his hand, doing as much damage to the man's fingers as he could! Just then, Bill Jensen, Supervising State Trooper drove up and jumped out of his car. He said, "Jeff Benson, you are under arrest for attempted kidnapping and assault on a minor!"
The Sheriff screamed, "I was making a legal arrest of a runaway!"
The Troopers smiled, "Not this time Jeff, BOY, Jenny Gill has already told everyone in town how you are into small boys! I suggest you turn in your badge and run before anyone else "remembers" what you did to them! Like my Grandson, Carl? Want to discuss THAT?"
The Sheriff ran for his car, and the next morning his badge was found on his desk and the County Sheriff's car was missing. The car was recovered in Atlanta but nobody ever heard from Jeff Benson again.
Sam brought Billy back home and carried him into the house, the boy was worn out from all the excitement and fell asleep even before he could eat his lunch! Hanna came in from doing her grocery shopping, her laughter hardly contained. She looked at Sam, "What did you boys do to Sheriff Benson?" Sam looked at her in question, so she said, "His Momma has a "For Sale" sign in front of her house and there is a Mayflower Moving Van loading up all her furniture!"
Sam only said, "Talk to Jenny Gill!"
Hanna laughed, "I already did, you boys do mighty good work!"
Sam let Billy sleep until late afternoon, then he woke him up, saying, "Billy, lets you and me take a walk before supper, OK?" Sam wanted to know if the incident with the Sheriff had scared the little boy.
Billy answered, "No, Daddy, you and Dr. Joey were there so quick, I didn't have time to get scared!"
They walked a little further through the City Park and a flash of something caught both their eyes. Billy suddenly dropped Sam's hand and ran into the bushes, with Sam frantically chased behind him. Sam finally caught up to Billy in a small opening behind a tool shed. Billy was holding a little boy, who was struggling and crying.
Billy screamed, "Daddy, help me, this is Kelly and he is my friend!"
Sam picked up the struggling boy, who started screaming, "Don't hurt me, I didn't do nothing!"
Sam sat down on a nearby park bench and soothed the frightened child.
Billy came up to Sam, "Daddy, can we take Kelly home with us, he don't have no place to live no more. My old Momma used to feed him, but she gone now."
Sam got the boy quieted down and asked him, "Son, do you live around here?"
The boy looked down at the ground and mumbled, "I sleeps in that shed, sir."
Sam thought to himself, "Dear God, do they come in pairs?" He gently picked up the boy and headed to his home, Billy walking at his side. He stepped in the kitchen, calling for Hanna, "Better call Joey back here and that Trooper, Bill Jensen. We got us another boy!"
He carried the boy into the bathroom and started to clean him up, the smell of urine and semen so strong it was overpowering. He gently washed the child and got him clean. He told Billy to bring some of his new clothes so Kelly wouldn't have to put the dirty ones back on. Sam really wanted to save them for the crime lab! Billy was happy to share his clothes with Kelly and by the time Trooper Jensen got there, both boys were gobbling Hanna's special medicine for hurt boys, chicken soup and saltine crackers!
Bill Jensen looked at Sam, "Are you figuring on setting up a home for boys here?"
Sam laughed, but it struck a chord with him. Dr. Joey had come over to check Kelly out and Sam asked him to come into the den to talk with him. Sam said, "Joey, how many boys could live here in this big old house?"
Joey looked hard at Sam before answering, "Mr. Sam, have you been bit by the homeless boy bug?"
Sam shook his head and replied, "Yeah Joey, I guess I have." He continued, "I Got Jerry Whimple working on custody for Kelly, too!"
Joey said, "You are a good man, Samuel Whimple, you got Mamma and my vote, Sign me up as House Doctor!"
They didn't see Hanna standing in the doorway, she said, "Make mine House Mamma!" She went out on the back porch to have her a good Mother type cry, so the little boys didn't see her tears.
That evening, while the boys were having their bath, Sam called his cousin, Jerry and told him to start the paperwork for a Boy's Home. Jerry started to argue, Sam yelled at him, "I don't give a damn how much it costs, I have more money than I could ever spend in a dozen lifetimes. Just do it, hang the cost! New building, FINE, send a contractor with your bill!" He hung up on his cousin!
Hanna overheard Sam's end of the conversation, she thought, "Mr. Sam, you gonna get a whole heap of help after I talk with Jenny Gill!" Talk to the town gossip she did, the very next day. Hanna spotted Jenny Gill at the Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store and she just casually mentioned that Mr. Whimple was gonna open a home and school for homeless boys.
Before lunch, the news was all over town, the Ladies' Social Circle down at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church had it all discussed on how they were going to start a Clothing Closet for Mr. Sam's boys! Not to be outdone, The Ladies Altar Society at St. Joseph's Catholic Church had started a toy drive for the Homeless Boys over at Mr. Sam's! The Cross and Robe Society at St. Alban's Episcopal Church started collecting shoes for Mr. Sam's kids!
By the time Sam and the two boys got home from Dr. Joey's, Hanna was laughing so hard, she had to sit down. Sam looked at her and threw up his hands, the back porch was covered with boxes of clothing, shoes, toys, even packages of school paper and pencils were piled in the corner! Sam asked, "Jenny Gill?"
All Hanna could do was nod her head, "Yes." She couldn't catch her breath for her laughter! She finally was able to say, "Mr. Sam, you better get that Boy's Home built quick before Miss Jenny starts delivering boys!
That evening, Jerry brought over Stan Howard, a local building contractor and the three of them sat down to talk about a Boy's Home. Sam insisted that it be big enough to house a hundred boys, Jerry couldn't see the sense of that, so finally Sam said, "My money, my program. Live with it! Stan Howard told them he had a contract architect that he would get started on concept drawing they could take to the state for approval. Sam looked him square in the eye and said, "DO IT YESTERDAY!" He looked at Sam in question, who said, "Look, in a day and a half, I got me two boys, will I have four boys by tomorrow?"
It was a beautiful late summer evening, Billy had come running into the kitchen breathlessly, shouting, "Daddy, Daddy, come quick!!!"
Sam had been in his office going over cost estimates for the construction materials when he heard Billy shout. He came running out into the kitchen and Billy grabbed his hand, dragging him out the back door. Hanna, sensing trouble, followed as Billy pulled Sam along the sidewalk to a nearby drainage ditch, half full of stagnant rainwater. Sam could hear crying coming from the culvert, so he jumped into the water and waded, hip deep in nasty, muddy water, into the culvert that ran under the road. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom in the pipe, he saw two little boys being held protectively by a young teen boy.
The older boy was waving a baseball bat, he screamed at Sam, "Go away, you ain't takin' my brothers away from me!"
Sam said to the boy, "Son, just let me help you take care of your brothers. NOBODY will take them from you!"
The boy, screamed back, "That old hag from CPS already tried!"
Sam, desperate to get the boys out of that water before a water moccasin came by, held out his empty hands and said, "Son I promise you she won't get you or your brothers, now, please come with me to my house."
Just then, Hanna waded through the muddy water and stood where the older boy could see her, "Boys, I got supper on the stove, let's get y'all cleaned up and a hot meal in you. THEN we can talk all this out."
She held her hands out to the little boys and one said, "Ellie, I's cold and hungry maybe she give us somthin' to eat."
The boy looked at Sam, "YOU swear t'God you ain't from CPS!"
Sam said, "Yes, I swear, now let's get you out of this creepy place!" He led the three boys out into the daylight, they were nothing but skin and bones, their dirty faces haggard and sores around their mouths and eyes. Sam turned to Billy, telling him to run get Dr. Joey as fast as he can. Hanna picked up one little boy and Sam picked up the other and they started for the house. The older boy hard on their heels!
They got to the washroom and Sam told the boys to toss out their clothes and Miss Hanna would wash them. He then slipped into the washroom and was horrified, the older boy had whip and belt marks on his back, his genitals were bruised and bleeding and there was a deep infected cut on his thigh. Sam went to the teen and hugged him, the boy began crying in great desperate sobs, "Sir, take my brothers, I will leave right now, you don't want a sinner in your house."
Sam held him even tighter, "Son, you can't be a sinner, you have your brothers to look after. Stay and help me look after them."
The boy looked at Sam, "Bu, bu, But I think I am queer, sir."
Sam exclaimed, "You are hungry and dirty, THAT'S what you are! Now, help me bathe your brothers, Dr. Joey is on his way over to help you!"
Just then Joe burst into the room and the teen screamed, "Don't hit me, I am leaving!"
Sam grabbed the boy's arms and held him, cuddling him in his embrace, "Son, forget all this, you are safe here, let's get everyone cleaned up." He hollered out to Billy and Kelly to bring an assortment of clothes for the boys until we can buy them new clothing.
They finally determined that the teen was Elliot James, aged 16 years, and his brothers Paul, 8 and Art, 5. Elliot had rescued his two little brothers from an abusive foster home and he had run away from a group home, where bigger boys had attacked him and hurt him sexually. Dr. Joey's temper was just barely under control and his Momma, Hanna, was throwing things in the kitchen!
Sam had to change the bath water three times before the two little boys were clean. He told Elliot to wash himself, but all the frightened teen could do was sit in the warm water and cry. Sam knelt down and gently washed the boy and thinking it would have been easier to cut all his hair off than get it clean. When Elliot was finally clean, Sam led him out to the kitchen, still wrapped in a clean, dry bath towel. The boy had a shock of fiery red hair on his head that went in all directions, he was covered with freckles on his face and shoulders and, like his two brothers, his eyes were bright green!
Hanna stuck her head in the refrigerator so the boys would not see her crying, "Who could hurt these beautiful little boys?"
Elliot said to Hanna, "Please, Ma'm, can you give something for my brothers to eat, they haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
Hanna grabbed the teen and hugged him fiercely, "Ellie, I am gonna stuff you and your brothers like Christmas Turkeys, now you sit yourself down for breakfast!"
He replied, "But Ma'm, it ain't breakfast time."
Hanna cut him off, "Ellie, what I'm gonna feed you and your brothers will be like breakfast lunch and supper all in one! And you forget that Ma'm stuff and just call me Miss Hanna! You hear me?"
Elliot grinned and said, "Yes m.... eeeer Miss Hanna!" as he began to shovel pecan pancakes with butter and real maple syrup into his mouth. His brothers, Art and Paul were not far behind him!
By the time every petty state clerk had gotten his or her initials on the plans, Sam was ready to scream. The day after the approvals were signed, the hole for the basement was started. Sam wanted to make up for lost time, so he authorized a second crew to work on the project. Within a week, they were pouring concrete! With two crews working, the Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home rapidly took shape.
Sam was having a second cup of coffee and was talking to himself, "How am I going to find someone to run this place?"
Hanna was beside him, picking up dirty breakfast dishes. She looked at Sam, "Mr. Sam, my younger son, Phillip is just getting out of the Marine Corps, he is a Supply Sergeant."
Sam replied, "Tell him to come see me, I remember Phil as a hardworking boy, years ago!"
Hanna walked to the kitchen telephone and called her home to tell Phillip to get over and talk to Mr. Sam RIGHT NOW! Phil was still in uniform, but he knew better than to not obey his Momma! He knocked on the door and Sam opened it, not expecting to see Phillip Bascome that soon! After talking with Phil, Sam hired him that very day!
As fall began to arrive with its brightly colored leaves, Sam enjoyed sitting on the porch, watching the building crew erect the Boy's Home. All his boys were in school and it was peaceful and quiet in the house. Suddenly, one of the carpenters screamed, "STOP," at the crane operator who was swinging a load of lumber up to the second floor. He watched as the man jumped into the basement, curious, Sam got up and followed the carpenter.
As he entered the darkened basement, he heard voices and a child crying, "Please mister, let me go, I didn't take anything! I was just resting here where it was dry." Sam found the carpenter holding a frightened boy in his arms, the boy was struggling to get away.
Sam ran to the pair and said, "Son, this is a dangerous place for you to play."
The boy said through his tears, "I were just resting here, I will go as soon as this man lets me down."
By now, the carpenter was in tears himself, he said to Sam, "Look, this boy has been sleeping here, can you add him to your brood?" Continuing, he said, "I thought I saw him yesterday, but I wasn't sure, so I kept watch today."
Sam looked at the name on the man's shirt and said, "Mr. Thomas, how about you bring this boy up to the house and we get him cleaned up?" Sam thought to himself, "This man needs to be part of the Boy's Home!" Sam led the way to Hanna's kitchen, she had seen the men bringing a boy, so she knew that something was up. When they got there, Sam asked the boy, "Who are you and where do you come from?"
The boy replied, "My name was Tony Ellis, but my stepfather told me he didn't want me anymore and to get out of the house. I am 12 years old and come from Dalton."
Sam stiffened in anger, "Tony, you are still Tony Ellis, let's get you a bath and some lunch in you." He took the boy into the bathroom and filled the tub for him, telling him to wash and he would be right back. He rushed back into the kitchen before the carpenter could leave, "Mr. Thomas, would you like a job helping me take care of homeless boys?"
Jake Thomas heaved a great sob, "Sir, I have a degree in Social Service, but this was the only job that would hire me."
Sam replied, "Why is that?"
The man looked down at his feet before answering, "Sir, I am gay and nobody wants a queer around!"
Sam began to get angry, "Jake, do you abuse children?"
Jake shouted, "NO WAY, I am happy with my boyfriend. He is a Child Counselor at the University!"
Sam smiled, "Well, then, when can you start and maybe I ought to talk to your boyfriend, also?"
Jake hugged Sam, "God Bless you, Mr. Sam, I can start right now!" Jake went into the bathroom and helped Tony scrub many days' worth of grime and mud out of his hair. He brought a shiny, clean blond-haired Tony, all wrapped in a clean bath towel, out for Miss Hanna to stuff with food.
Sam thought to himself, we better get that Boy's Home built before I run out of bedrooms! He then whispered to Jake, "I had better not ever hear that word, queer, again. You hear?"
Jake smiled and said, "YES SIR!"
As the framework went up, it seemed like construction was going faster, as soon the outside walls and the roof were in place, the workmen began adding inside walls and plumbing. Winter started to close in, all the outside construction was completed and the builders could work inside, out of the winter weather.
Sam and Hanna now were caring for six boys, Sam was never happier than when all six were seated at the table making food disappear! He had his cousin, Jerry, hard at work making sure the CPS didn't try to take HIS BOYS away from them! Bill Jensen, the State Trooper who had assisted them, recently retired and was a regular visitor. One day, Sam asked him how he liked retirement.
Bill's immediate reply was, "I Hate it!"
Sam said, "Do you think you could work here with the boys?"
Bill grinned, "Heck, I thought you would never ask, when do I start?"
Sam chuckled, "How about yesterday?"
Now Sam had three employees for the Boy's Home and it wasn't even completed yet! Christmas was nearing and Sam was determined to make it a special time for his boys, he felt sure none of them had ever had a really great Christmas! Soon, mysterious packages began to find their way to a basement storeroom beneath the house. The boys were curious, but Sam just smiled and told them it was for later.
As the season got closer, the smells from Hanna's kitchen got more and more interesting, she was baking her special chocolate fruitcake as six pairs of eyes followed her every move! She waved her spoon at them as she chased them out of her kitchen, each boy had a handful of freshly baked cookies to munch on!
Finally, Christmas Eve arrived and each boy was dressed in their best clothes, ready to attend Christmas Eve Service at St. Alban's Episcopal Church. Sam ushered the boys in, followed by Hanna and her sons Joe and Phil. Bill Jensen and his wife brought up the rear. When they were all seated, the pastor, Father Gil, smiled and said, "We welcome you boys from Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home, I hope you come back often."
He then started the service and, as the first hymn was sung, the entire congregation stared in wonder as a clear, alto voice sang out, "Hark The Herald......" It was Tony Ellis, he had his eyes closed as he sang the hymn from memory. Father Gil was astounded that such a beautiful voice could come from such a small boy! He was going to make sure that small boy was included in the Children's Choir! After the service, everyone was crowded around the boys, wanting to meet this boy who had such a wondrous voice! Tony shyly hid behind Sam's leg until Father Gil came up behind him and picked Tony up, hugging him gently. Tony was very shy, but when the good pastor praised his singing and asked him to sing in the choir, Tony beamed and said that he would.
By the time everyone got back to the house, several of the boys had fallen asleep. Sam and Bill got them all to bed while Hanna made them some hot chocolate. The boys still awake, went to sleep with a chocolate moustache and happy dreams. Phil helped Bill and Sam bring up the gifts from the storeroom and stacked them all around the Christmas Tree in the front Parlor, except for a large brown envelope that he put on a branch, high up, next to the angel. Sam sat in a chair thinking that it was going to be fun watching the boy's faces in the morning. It was well after midnight and both Phil and Bill had already left, promising to be back first thing in the morning.
Sam headed to his own bed, finding it already occupied by Billy and Kelly. He snuggled down in between the two boys, they just wrapped their arms around Sam's and continued sleeping. A few minutes after 7 am, Sam heard a little voice, "Mr. Sam, Mr. Sam, come quick, Santa Claus has been here!"
Little Art and Paul James were hopping up and down like two little bunny rabbits. They grabbed Sam's hands and tried to pull him out of bed. By this time, Billy and Kelly were awake and, at the mention of Santa Claus, they were jumping out of bed. Sam started to laugh, "Hey, Billy, are you missing something?" Billy's face turned bright red, he had gotten up earlier and had forgotten to put his pajama bottoms back on after using the toilet! He raced for the bathroom to retrieve his bottoms before following the rest of the boys out to the kitchen.
Elliot opened the door to the front Parlor and his eyes went wide open, he gasped and said, "THERE ARE PILES AND PILES OF PRESENTS!" All the boys peeked into the room, none were sure they were supposed to be there!
Sam said, "Let's go see what Santa has brought us." The boys piled into the room and Sam sat in the big easy chair, watching with a huge smile on his face. He said, "Art, you are the youngest, how about you distributing the packages, Ellie will help you read the names."
Art picked up the first present and he recognized his own name on the card, Sam had him put it on the couch and get another present. The next one had his name also, as did the next! Finally, he came to one that had Kelly's name, he took it over to Kelly and handed it to him. Kelly just stared at the box, not opening it.
Sam said, "Kel, are you going to open your present?"
Kelly replied, "I never got a present before, what do I do?"
Sam gulped his tears back and showed him how to open the box. The little boy's eyes got huge, inside was a remote-controlled race car! He hugged it to him and just sat there holding that car against his chest. The next present was for Billy, it was a set of Hardy Boy's Mystery stories. Billy sat down and started reading the first one. Finally, Art came to a box that had his brother's name on it and he dragged it over to Elliot. It was too big for him to lift, as Elliot began opening the box, his face became more and more excited, it was a desktop computer! Elliot jumped up and ran to Sam, flinging himself into Sam's waiting arms. Sam rubbed the boy's back and held him for many minutes before Elliot could even speak. He whispered into Sam's ear, "Thank you, .......DADDY!"
Finally, all the gifts had been distributed and Sam said, "Art, are you going to open your gifts?"
The boy looked up, "You mean those are for me, JUST ME?"
Sam replied, "Just for you!" The first box he opened had nothing in it.
Art looked bewildered, so Sam said, "Look again." Art finally found a piece of paper in the bottom of the box, he brought it to Sam, who read it, "Look on the front porch."
Art ran out the front door and started to scream, "A bike, a bike!" There was a small, bright red bicycle, complete with training wheels sitting on the porch! Paul was sitting, looking dejected, all he got was socks and a shirt.
Sam said, "Paul, try on your shirt." Paul nodded his head and looked sad as he pulled on the new shirt. Just then, a piece of paper fell out of the shirt and Paul looked at it. It said, "Look on the back porch."
Paul ran helter-skelter out the back door where a bright blue junior bicycle was propped up next to the railing! Paul screamed his delight and Elliot smiled at Sam and said, "Thanks, Dad!"
Sam said, "There is one more package to be opened." The boys looked at him, so he continued, "Billy, I see a big envelope up by the angel, how about you bringing it to me?" Billy had Elliot lift him up and he carefully pulled the envelope off the tree and brought it to Sam. Sam pretended to read the front of the envelope, "It says for Billy and Kelly!" He handed the envelope to Billy and Kelly looked on as he opened it. Billy began to scream, the paper he pulled out said, "CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION" and it had both his and Kelly's name on it!
Everyone in the house heard Billy's scream, "DADDY!"
Kelly didn't understand what all the commotion was about, so Elliot whispered in his ear, "Kelly, now Mr. Sam is your REAL DADDY!" Kelly collapsed on the floor in tears.
Sam picked him up and cuddled him, "It's forever and ever now, Kel!" Billy and Kelly hugged each other, soaking their pajamas in tears.
By now, Hanna had Christmas Morning Breakfast ready and there were six hungry boys, not to say anything about several hungry adults ready to eat! The only sounds for a while were those associated with the consumption of vast amounts of Miss Hanna's cooking!
They had just celebrated Easter when the mailman brought a huge envelope addressed to Sam, it was the final Occupancy Permit for Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home! All the boys decided they wanted to live together, so they began occupying the first floor apartments. Phil had already moved in, so there was a mentor already in place for them. As they were carrying their belongings in the front door, four scruffy looking boys were watching them, longing in their eyes.
Phil noticed them and approached where they were standing. They tensed up, making ready to run when Phil said, "Hi boys, would you like to see inside?"
The oldest of them replied, "Yeah, but you don't want us dirtying up those nice rugs."
Phil knelt down beside the boys saying, "You really want to live here, don't you?"
The boys began to cry and their spokesman said, "Yes, but we don't know who to pay."
Phil wrapped his arms around the dirty boys and said, "Come on, you just paid me, let's get you cleaned up and settled in your new home."
The oldest boy said, tears flowing down his filthy face, "Sir, you want us?"
Phil took the boy's hand and pulled him to his chest, "Son, yes we want you and all boys like you. Come and join us." He suddenly had four sobbing boys hanging on his arms. Bill noticed what was happening and he quietly walked out the door and held out his arms. He was immediately swamped by boys.
The men led the boys into the building and had Dr. Joey take a look at them. As soon as Dr. Joey gave them an OK, they took them to a newly furnished room that had four beds in it, four desks and a huge walk-in closet. He told the boys to toss their clothes in the garbage can and follow him to the showers.
One boy backed off, "No, I don't want a cold water shower!"
Bill laughed and told him he could use all the hot water he wanted, the only cold water showers were out at the swimming pool! He led the boys to the shower room that served two apartments. The building had a shower room for every two apartments, and Elliot was in the shower, making sure his two brothers got clean. He spotted the four new boys and hollered at them to join his brothers in the hot water. Pretty soon they were all friends in the steamy room. Elliot showed them where the towels were stacked and the four new boys went timidly back to their new room. There, Bill and Phil had gotten new clothes out of the locker provided by the church ladies, the boys couldn't believe that they were being given new clothes and not having to pay for them.
One little boy asked Phil, "Do I have to do sex things with you for these clothes?"
Phil nearly chomped his lip off, trying to keep from screaming! He gently told the boys that they would never have to do those kinds of things at Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home. The only things they would have to do is eat good meals, take regular showers and go to school!
After the boys had dressed, Phil took them to the new cafeteria, where Hannah was fixing supper for the boys. She had them line up with trays and she started loading their plates. Today's supper was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green peas and coleslaw. She told them to come back for dessert after they had eaten their fill of supper.
One boy timidly brought his plate back saying, "Please Missus, could I have some more meatloaf?" Hanna smiled and placed two more slices of meatloaf on his plate and ladled a dipper of gravy, also. The other boys saw that and they rushed their plates back for more.
Hanna said, "Boys you can have all you want, but don't forget to leave room for strawberry pie and whipped cream!"
Their heads swiveled around, "There's more?" By the time the boys had eaten their fill, all their tummies were groaning in overload. It would be several days before the boys realized that there would be plenty of food at EVERY meal, EVERY day!
By the end of the first week, ten boys had been added. Hanna hired two cooks and several helpers to run the cafeteria under her supervision and Bill located two more house mentors down at the Navy Reserve Center in Anderson. The boys were all in school and Sam had the local nursery owner and his crew planting shrubbery around the new building. He thought he heard somebody crying, but then it stopped, so he just figured he was hearing things. He turned to go back in the building when he heard it again, he waved at Phil through the window to come outside. Together, they began to search the grounds and, finally, near the trash dumpster, they spotted a teen boy holding a bundle in his arms.
The boy was crying and saying, "Johnny, I am so sorry, I am so sorry." He looked up as the two men approached him, but there was nowhere he could run. He sat on the dirt and sobbed.
Sam knelt beside him and said, "Son, why are you so distressed, can we help you?"
The boy replied, 'I tried, sir, I tried, but I just can't help my baby brother!" He began to sob great heaving sobs, the boy was near to collapsing. Bill came up and tried to take the bundle from him, the boy shrieked, "NOOOOOOO, you can't take my brother, Johnny!"
Bill said, "Son, I am not taking Johnny from you, let's get you both inside and see what is wrong, ok?"
The boy let Bill take the bundle and they all went inside the office, Sam signaled Phil to get Dr. Joey right away! Bill opened the bundle and found a small baby boy, surprisingly clean and well cared for. Sam held the young teen and said, "Is this your brother, Johnny?"
The boy replied, "Yes sir, our parents were killed in a car crash and they put Johnny in a care center and me in an orphanage. We are brothers, I cannot lose him, he is all I got left of my family!"
By that time, Dr. Joey arrived and said, "Son, let's you and I check out your little brother, come on!" He took the two boys into the First Aid Room and examined the baby. He asked the teen what their name was.
The boy said, "I am Kenneth Holmes and this is Johnny Holmes."
Joey said, "OK, Ken, Johnny is looking great, let me take a look at you." He had the boy strip down to his underwear and grimaced at what he saw. The boy was covered in bruises and was bleeding from his rectum. He said, "Ken, tell me the truth, what happened to you?"
Ken began to cry again, "The place they sent me, the big boys did things to me, I had to get away and I couldn't leave Johnny!"
Dr. Joey hugged the boy and said, "If you want, you can live here and I KNOW that nobody will hurt either you or Johnny. Do you want me to talk to Mr. Sam about it?" The boy nodded through his tears, almost afraid to hope or believe in salvation.
Joey called for Sam, who was standing just outside the door and had heard everything. He sat in the chair and pulled Ken onto his lap, "Kenny, nobody will hurt you here and we can care for your brother, too. Right now, are you hungry?"
The boy nodded, "Yes," so Sam had him sit down while he got some clothes out of the locker.
When he returned, he said, "Let's leave Johnny with Dr. Joey for a few minutes so you can get a hot shower."
Ken was reluctant to leave his brother, but he did as Sam asked. He found another boy, who had bright red hair like his own, in the shower and he showed Kenny where the soap was and how to pull a towel out of the locker. When he returned, Dr. Joey put some salve on his hurt places and Sam helped him get dressed in new clothes and shoes. Sam finally gave up trying to comb Ken's hair, it was bright red and stood up like a weed patch!
Dr. Joey located a baby carrier for Johnny and they all went to the cafeteria, where Hanna was getting ready for supper. Sam asked her if she could feed a hungry boy and she immediately began loading up a plate of southern fried chicken, potato salad and fries. Kenny looked at the plate hungrily, hoping that he would get something to eat also. Sam walked them over to the nearest table and had the boy sit down. He then put the plate in front of Ken and told him to eat up! Kenny stared at the plate, "This is for me?"
Sam replied, "Sure is, unless you don't like fried chicken!" The boy dove into the food like he was starving, he probably was! Hanna brought over a warmed baby bottle filled with formula and started feeding the baby herself. It was a race, who finished first and both boys wanted seconds! Sam asked if he wanted a room by himself or would he like to room with the boy who helped him in the shower, Elliot James and his brothers.
Ken said, "Could we stay with Elliot, I liked him, he was nice to me."
Sam told him that was fine and that they would move a crib into the room for Johnny.
Phil had mentoring duty for the night and Sam was exhausted, he had spent the entire day struggling with a manpower schedule and was no closer to completion than he was when he started it! He had sat on the edge of his bed and was starting to take off his shoes when he heard a scuffling noise outside his window. It had to be something on the front porch, he listened and didn't hear it again, so he supposed it was just the wind.
As he bent over again to untie his shoe, the noise came even louder and then someone said, "I gotta sit down, I cannot go any further!" He was sure the voice belonged to a young boy. His first thought was that some of the boys were outside playing nighttime hide and seek, but he remembered that Phil had locked the doors to the Boy's Home so they couldn't be opened from the outside. He decided maybe he should go check and see what was going on. He quietly walked to the front door and opened it, throwing the light switch on as the door opened. He quickly stepped out onto the porch and confronted four teen boys standing there. The boys tried to run past Sam and get away, but he blocked their exit.
One of the boys suddenly fell to the floor and started crying, "Please Mister, I need help, please, I will do anything you want me to do!"
Sam knelt beside the boy and said, "Son, are you hurt"
The boy replied, "My crutch, its broke!" He pulled a broken crutch from off the floor and showed it to Sam.
Sam looked at the other boys and asked, "Do you guys need help, also?"
As Sam was picking the fallen boy up off the floor, the other three boys came up to Sam and asked, "Is this that new boy's home, where guys like us can get off the streets?"
About that time, Hanna, who was getting ready to go home herself, heard the commotion and stepped out onto the porch. She heard what the boys had said, so she replied, "I'll bet you boys have eaten yet tonight!"
One boy muttered, "Not any, all day!"
Hanna swept her arms around the three boys and started pulling them into the house, "You boys wash your hands while I dish up some of this stew and heat it for you." While the boys were washing, she quickly cut slices of her fresh home-baked bread and slathered it with butter and raspberry jam. Sam had gotten the fourth boy into the house by picking him up and carrying him, all four boys looked longingly at those pieces of bread. Hanna said, "Well, are ya' gonna eat it or look at it?" Within seconds, the bread had disappeared and there were four sets of eyes looking for more! By that time, the stew was hot and Hanna ladled it out into bowls and set one before each boy, along with another piece of bread and utensils. She poured a large glass of milk for each boy and almost before she could turn around, each boy was holding up his bowl and asking for more! It took two more refills of both stew and milk to fill up those four boys.
Sam had stepped into his office and called Dr. Joey and asked him to come over to check out some boys. He groaned, "Maybe I had better move in with you!"
Sam laughed and said, "Sure, bring your own toothbrush!"
While they were waiting for Dr. Joey, Sam got their names, Carl and Wayne Forester, Grant Beck and the boy with the broken crutch was Gordon Keller. Gordon was the oldest and he started their story, "We was all living at that Church Home down near Clemson University, but they didn't like us much. Finally, the Reverend tol' us to git out, they don't like our kind there."
Sam asked, "Your kind?"
Gordon replied, "We's been friend's all our lives an' we wanted to sleep all in the same room."
Sam laughed, "Well guys, our room are supposed to have four boys in each one, think maybe you could be happy here?"
Grant spoke up, "What we gotta do to be allowed to stay here?"
Sam began to get the idea that somehow the boys had been made to pay for their keep. He replied, "All you have to do is go to school, eat regularly and a few chores, like picking up your dirty socks and taking a hot shower every day!"
Carl was the smallest boy, he said, "We don't gotta do sex stuff with you or the older boys?"
Sam picked the little boy up and said, "Carl, you NEVER have to do that!" Sam resolved then and there that the Church Home was going to be closed!
Just then, Dr. Joey walked in the door and took in the scene. He looked at Sam, "Sam, are we doing this wholesale now?"
Sam replied, "Joey, start looking them over, I got to make a call to the State Trooper Division!"
Joey gave each boy a quick physical, he didn't like most of what he saw, but with proper care and a whole lot of his Momma's cooking, all four boys would recover.
Sam came back from his telephone call, still huffing and puffing his anger, "Boys, is it ok if I put you up here in the house and we get you settled in your own rooms tomorrow? It's getting kind of late now and everybody needs a shower before they go to bed." The boys all agreed and after the luxury of a hot shower, plenty of soap and as many clean dry towels as were needed, they were soon sound asleep, all four of them cuddled in the same double bed. Sam, now, was totally exhausted and was desperate to slide between his covers and get some sleep. Had he known what morning was bringing, he might have hidden in the basement or even run away from home himself!
The next day started as a beautiful, sunny day, that is, until the quiet was pierced by Hanna's scream, "Mr. Sam, come quick, HELP!"
Sam went running to the kitchen and most of the boys in the house on his heels. Hanna was standing in the doorway, shaking like a leaf in a tornado! On the porch, just outside the kitchen door were ten grubby little boys between the ages of 6 and 14 years old! They were dressed in filthy clothing, ripped and torn, some with fresh blood stains. They all had bruises and bloody scabs on their arms and faces and one boy had his arm wrapped in a bloody rag! Poor Hanna sat down on the floor and started pulling boys to her, she hugged them and soothed them, soon, all were crying.
Sam finally determined that the boys had been living in the woods and that some older boys had found them and beat them all. As Sam looked up, he saw horrible words spray painted across the new front door of Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home - "FAGGOT HALL" in bright red paint! He was so angry, he decided then and there to follow up on a thought he had several days earlier. He asked Kenny to go over to the home and ask Phil to come see him immediately. They started bringing the new boys into the house and get them calmed down.
Phil came and Bill was with him, Sam asked Phil, "Are you still in the Marine Reserve?" Phil said that he was, so Sam continued, "I want you to go there and see if there are any young Marine Reservists who need jobs. If there are, bring them here for interviews, we are going to start our own police force! Take the 20-passenger van, fill it up if you can!"
Even with the older boys' assistance, it was two hours before the boys were cleaned up enough for Dr. Joey to examine them! He took three boys over to the clinic for x-rays, they had broken arms, all three of them! Word soon got out in town about what happened to the boys, mothers and fathers brought clothing and shoes for the boys, some of it had been purchased that morning! Sam looked out the front window and saw a crowd of children just standing out there, some had books, some had teddy bears, and some had just a blanket or favorite toy to be given to a hurt boy!
He opened the door and the Captain of the High School Football Team, Herb Walton, stepped forward, "Mr. Whimple, we heard that some of your boys are hurt, may we come in and give them comfort?"
Sam was dumbfounded, "Of course, come right in."
Soon, every hurt or frightened boy was sitting on a High School Boy's lap, being cuddled or read to or just held. The smaller children brought in toys and books and favorite things they thought would bring comfort to another boy. Mothers came in and helped Hanna fix meals and Fathers came to help set up furniture and beds in the dorm room for the new boys. By the end of the day, all the boys had been made comfortable in their new rooms and those boys who were able, went outside with the High School Boys, who organized a baseball game and a soccer match that lasted all afternoon.
When the afternoon came to an end, Herb Walton, the Football Team Captain came to Sam, "Sir, this is Johnny O'Connel, our Co-Captain, we will be back every Saturday afternoon to help with these boys."
Just then, Phil drove up with a van filled with brawny young Marine Veterans!
Phil went to Sam and said, "Sam, I got us a Sergeant, three Corporals and twelve Marines! They all need jobs and they all want to work HERE!"
Sam spoke privately with each man and was so impressed, he hired them all. He was going to show them what had been painted on the wall, but as he turned, he saw three Fathers and their sons scrubbing the offensive words off the wall! He brought the Sergeant and the three Corporals into the kitchen, the others were already playing with the boys, who looked at these brawny young men with hero worship in their eyes! Sam sat them all down at the kitchen table, each with a cup of coffee and asked for ideas on a private security force.
The Sergeant, Robert Matthews, said, "Why not make it like a military organization? We could even have some of the boys as cadets!"
Everyone liked that idea, Phil, who had been a Marine Supply Sergeant, said, "We can buy surplus uniforms, all brand new, and dress out our security AND our cadets. It will make them stand out and proud!"
Everyone thought that a fine idea, so Sam looked at Phil, who replied, "OK, OK, I will get right on it!"
Within two days, the Boy's Home Campus was regularly patrolled and a week later, two cadets were added to each patrol! The Whimple Crossing Marine Corps was off and running! The cadets had a waiting list, each boy had to wait until Phil could find uniforms small enough!
That night, Sam had just sat down to his supper, Phil and Dr. Joey were eating with him. There was a knock on the door, Phil jumped up to answer it. Corporal Higgins was at the door, he was the Guard Supervisor that evening, he had six boys and he wanted to know what he should do with them.
Sam squeaked, "New Boys?"
The Corporal answered, straight-faced, "Yes sir, you want I should toss'em back 'till morning?"
A chorus of boy's voices behind him screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!"
Sergeant Matthews was right behind the boys, "Don't worry, if Mr. Sam won't take you, I WILL!"
Sam started to laugh, "Of course, we will take them!"
He looked at Phil and Dr. Joey, they both put their forks down saying, "Sam, you owe me another supper!"
It took a couple of hours, but all six boys suddenly found themselves dressed in clean clothes, after a hot shower they all went to bed with full tummies for the first time that they could remember. At "Lights out" Phil was walking the hall, in almost every room he heard boys crying. He stopped and comforted every crying boy, telling them that they were safe now and nobody was going to hurt them. One little boy said, "Sssss Sir, do we get to eat like this every day?"
Phil leaned over the boy and tickled his ribs, "No, not every day, some days are even better!" The boy was giggling uncontrollably as Phil's fingers raked his ribs. By 11 O'clock, all the boys were asleep and it was time for Phil to cry, he went to his room and bawled, "How could little boys be so neglected, so hurt and still be so brave about the future?"
The next morning, Corporal Whittaker, who had the Security Duty that morning, stopped Sam as he was walking around the building, "Sir, my baby brother, Kyle, is getting out of the Navy. He is just back from Iraq, where he was a Medic serving with the Marines in the field." He continued, "He is looking for a job and hasn't been able to find anything."
Sam thought for a moment and then replied, "Ask him to come see me, I think it is time we gave Dr. Joey some help."
The Corporal grinned, "He stayed with me in my room last night, let me go get him!"
Sam laughed, "I've been set up, huh?"
The Corporal just chuckled as he went to get his brother. Sam was impressed with Kyle Whittaker and hired him that day, telling him to order anything he felt he needed in the First aid Room. He also assigned a different room to the Whittaker brothers so they could continue to live together.
The very next day, one of the boys was playing baseball and slid into second base. He suddenly screamed, "My leg, my leg!" One of the ball players ran to the First Aid Room to get help and Kyle came running. He was pretty sure the boy's leg was broken, so he gently carried him to the treatment room and called Dr. Joey.
By the time Dr. Joey got there, Kyle had the boy stabilized and ready for the Doctor to examine. Joey was impressed with Kyle's handling of the injury and doubly impressed as Kyle helped him set the break! Dr. Joey later told Sam that Kyle was as good a doctor as anyone he had seen!
The summer was rapidly ending so Sam went to talk with the school board. What he wanted was for the board to supply teachers and he would provide classrooms and teaching materials. The School Board was happy to accommodate Sam, they were having a hard time providing classroom space as it was! Five teachers were assigned to Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home. All the boys groaned, they were not anxious to go back to school! By now, the Home had sixty boys living there, so those boys who were in Senior High School were sent by bus to the school in town, all the other boys would go to class right there at the Home.
Sergeant Matthews stopped Sam in the hallway, "Sir, I have Elementary and Junior High School Teaching Credentials, I would like to start a class for our JROTC Cadets." He continued, "I can get books and materials from the Marine Corps and we can have Junior Cadets and JROTC Cadets." Sam liked the idea so he told the Sergeant to get started right away. Sergeant Matthews turned and gave a "Thumbs Up" signal to a group of boys standing nearby and they all whooped and hollered, yelling, "Right On, Sergeant Matt!"
Sam thought to himself, "A setup, AGAIN!" As he continued to walk around he thought, "We now have sixty boys, how long before all the rooms are full?" He went back to his office and called the contractor, "Stan, I think we had better start thinking about a second building, we are already up to sixty boys!"
Stan Howard replied, "Let's do the second building right and provide for expansion!"
Sam gave him the "go-ahead" to begin drawing plans for an additional two hundred boys!
The Security Patrol had been reporting suspected intruders for the last several days, but had been unable to catch anyone. One morning Art James came to Sam, "Mr. Sam, Elliot did not sleep in his bed last night and we can't find him anywhere!"
Sam immediately called Sergeant Matthews on the new hand-held radio he had on his belt, "Sergeant, we have a missing boy, meet me in the lobby!"
Sam ran for the lobby and was confronted by all the Whimple's Crossing Marines and several JROTC Cadets. They spread out and searched the entire premises, but found no trace of Elliot James. His brothers, Art and Paul were sitting with Jake, in tears. Sam had them spread out and search a second time, but still, there was no trace of the boy.
About the time Sam was going to call in the State Troopers, a State Trooper Captain drove into the yard and got out of his car. He walked up to Sam and said, "Mr. Whimple, Sir, Are you missing one of your boys?"
Sam looked at the Trooper, dread in his eyes, "Yes, a 16-year-old boy with red hair."
The Trooper Captain replied, "I think you had best come with me, sir."
Jake Thomas was standing beside Sam and grabbed him before he went down. Jake said to the Trooper, "I am Jake Thomas, the Home Counselor, I think it would be best if I accompany Mr. Whimple."
The Trooper Captain nodded sadly and replied, "Yes, that would be best, you can both ride with me."
They drove to the County Hospital in Anderson and walked in the door of the morgue. Sam was already in tears, afraid of what he was going to see. The Trooper nodded to the attendant, who drew a privacy curtain around the men and then pulled out a drawer from the wall. On the drawer was a body of a red-haired boy, someone had carved the word FAGGOT on his chest. The boy was dead and it was Elliot.
Sam screamed and collapsed in Jake's arms. Both men were in tears and the Trooper Captain was struggling to hold his own tears back. The Trooper and Jake half carried Sam out to the office where he could sit down, his eyes were streaming tears in his misery. Jake gave the officials the information about Elliot and asked when the body would be released. Sam was in no condition to speak, so Jake gave them the name of the only Funeral Parlor in Whimple's Crossing and asked to use the director's phone. He called and spoke to Phil and Sergeant Matthews before asking the Trooper to take them back to The Home.
As they drove into the yard, they saw a JROTC Squad lowering the flag to half mast, Cadets guarded each door and two Cadets came to escort Sam and Jake to the house. Not a word was spoken. Dr. Joey had taken his Momma, Hanna, home, as she had collapsed in her kitchen. Silence reigned throughout the Boy's Home, word began to spread through the small town and folks gathered in the front yard, many sobbing and other barely able to contain their tears.
As darkness approached, candles were handed out by some parents and soon, lighted candles were being held by those in vigil in front of The Home. Herb Walton and Johnny O'Conner, Co-Captains of the Football Team at the High School stepped up on the front porch. Herb held up his hand for quiet, "Folks, I am not a resident of Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home, nor is Johnny, here, but we know all the boys here and love them like brothers. One of our brothers has been cruelly murdered and we are all in tears. Please bear with us, go home and pray for Elliot James, pray for his brothers Art and Paul, pray for all our brothers who live here in The Boy's Home. We will gather here on the day we must bury our Brother, please join us then." He stepped down and people began to return to their homes. As they left, boys asked for their candles and Elliot's Brothers, all those who lived at The Home took up the vigil and spent the night in prayer in front of their Home.
The day of the funeral arrived, a Color Guard had been assembled out of the Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home ROTC Cadets, The High School Football Team Members were the pallbearers. Art and Paul were escorted by the two off-duty Corporals and Sergeant Matthews escorted Sam. All the boys followed as the casket was led from the Entry Hall of The Boy's Home to the nearby Town Cemetery. Father Gil, from St. Alban's Episcopal Church, conducted the service.
Then Kenneth Holmes walked to the front, carrying his baby brother, Johnny, in his arms. He stood for a few moments and then began to speak, "I was new here and a boy made friends with me. He made friends with my baby brother, Johnny. He helped me to get settled and showed me what to do. That boy remained my friend, he helped me in my schoolwork, he babysat Johnny when I wanted to play ball. That boy now lays in that box waiting to be buried. He won't be here for me anymore, but he is still my friend. I don't know how this happened or who did this awful thing, but if you hear me, you who did this, I want you to know that we will find you, we will turn you in and we will see you punished, not for what you did to Elliot but what you did to us and all mankind. You cannot hide, you cannot escape, somewhere, somehow somebody will find you out. You should pray to God now, for forgiveness, because I cannot forgive you, we cannot forgive you and you cannot forgive you. Let us now do this terrible task that Elliot might have some peace."
Ken then reached down and picked up a handful of dirt that he gently poured into that awful hole in the ground. He helped little Johnny do the same and then walked away, his whole body shaking with emotion. Each boy filed past, pouring his dirt onto Elliot's casket and then joining Kenny and Johnny in their tears. Elliot James was, at last, at peace but it would be a long time before his Home Brothers slept easily at night.
The perpetrators of this hideous crime were never apprehended, but four teenage boys disappeared from town that night and were never heard from again. From that day onwards, boys from The Boy's Home always went around in pairs. Sergeant Matthews started a Self-Defense class that was always crowded.
In later years, a graduate of The Boy's Home took the only photograph of Elliot James known to exist and painted his portrait which hangs in the Entry Hall in perpetual honor.
Boys continued to arrive, looking for shelter, for safety and even love. Their lives had been so hideous, they would walk any distance, do any penance, suffer any hardship in order to be allowed admittance to Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home. Again, Sam was getting concerned about having sufficient room for the arriving boys. He sat down with his immediate staff, and his contractor to decide what must be done. They came up with a plan to build two more dormitories and expand the older two. That would give them a capacity of one-thousand boys, surely that would be enough!
Hanna had long since given up trying to cook for her boys, she had a kitchen crew of twenty working around the clock to keep everyone fed! In addition, they opened their version of a burger shack and a pizza parlor that ran 24 hours a day!
Jake hired three more counselors and two academic advisors to counsel the boys, Father Gil from St. Alban's and Reverend Carlisle from St. Andrew's churches held services on alternative Sundays. They ran a bus if a boy wanted to go to St. Joseph's Catholic Church and a Rabbi in Anderson took care of the needs of a couple of Jewish boys.
Sergeant Matthews staff of Marines was expanded to twenty ex-Marines and they had a fully accredited High School MCJROTC unit.
While they were building the new dormitories, Sam had them also build a high school so that no boy had to leave the grounds to go to school! Appropriately, the High School was named Elliot James Memorial High School. Sam collected all the monies donated to the Home and put some of his own with it to create scholarship funds to enable qualified boys to go on to University or College.
Within a few years, graduates of Elliot James gained such a reputation that college and university recruiters made it a point to check the Dean's office for prospective graduates!
Art James excelled in both academics and sports, in his Junior year, he was selected to be Cadet Commanding, Elliot James MCJROTC. In his acceptance address, Cadet Lt. Colonel James said, "......I have two men to thank for all that I am, My older Brother, Elliot, taught me responsibility and honor, My Dad, Mr. Sam, taught me duty, honesty and work ethic. Without any one of these things, a man cannot succeed, he cannot be a leader, he cannot be what he must be to help our brothers. It is my objective for this next year to make Elliot James the finest high school in South Carolina, to make our MCJROTC the finest unit in the country and to make Whimples Crossing the finest Boy's Home in the world! To that end, beginning next weekend, squads of cadets and their advisors will be travelling all over our state to locate and rescue boys with no homes, no help and no hope! I ask you now, who will volunteer?" Every cadet in the auditorium stood up and volunteered!
The very next weekend, ten 20-passenger vans left the front gate and went in different directions. One van that was commanded by Art and driven by Corporal Keel, went as far as Myrtle Beach. Each Van had "Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home Rescue Team" written on each side.
They had stopped for gas just outside Myrtle Beach and decided to eat their packed lunch before going on. As they were eating, a small boy came up to them, "Do you have anything I can eat?"
The pleading in his eyes drew their immediate attention, Art knelt down and said, "Are you hungry?"
The little boy replied, "Oh yes, I have not eaten in two days!"
Art shrieked, "TWO DAYS, here eat my lunch, guys, we need more food!"
Every boy started to pile their sandwiches on the table and they heard a rustling in the bushes. All those boys who had lived on the streets, recognized that sound, they all turned towards the bushes and said, "Come, eat this food, we can get more!"
Eleven little boys crawled out of the bushes and began hungrily eating the sandwiches. Corporal Keel had been given cash for just this sort of emergency, he ran, double time, over to the Burger King and bought $50 worth of hamburgers and brought them back.
When the feeding frenzy finally slowed, Art said, "Guys, we are from Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home, we have all lived like you at one time, but now we are loved and cared for. Would you like to join us?"
The little boys, all 9 to 15 years old, began to cry, "Could we?" .. "Can we?" ... "Will you let us?"
Art held up his hands and said, "If you will join us, climb in now, we return to our home where there are beds, hot showers, clean clothes and full dinner plates waiting for you all!"
The Cadets held the door open to the van and all twelve little boys made a running leap to get inside before someone decided to close the doors! The little boys had full tummies and the safety of the warm van made them all sleepy, it was not long before they were all asleep.
When they arrived back at The Home, twelve proud Cadets carried twelve sleeping boys into the First Aid Room for Dr. Joey and Medic Kyle Whittaker to check over. Art looked up and the whole entrance rotunda was full of new boys being brought in. Dr. Joey and Medic Kyle worked until 2:00 AM getting all the new boys checked out! That one weekend alone brought fifty new boys to The Home.
The Rescue Runs continued each summer, and one rest stop along the Interstate became notorious among boys living on the streets. If you could make it to the rest area at the Clemson Turnoff, someone would get you to Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home! Even the State Troopers would pick up a boy and bring him to The Home.
Corporal Keiser had his Rescue Squad out as far as Greenville and had found no hungry boys wanting a new home. On a hunch, he swung the big van out onto I-85 and headed for the Clemson Turnoff. He parked the van next to the rest area and the Cadets all got out to stretch their legs. As long as they were stopped, the boys decided to eat their lunch, Hanna and her staff had made thick roast beef sandwiches on homemade bread. They were so big, the boys could hardly get their mouths around them.
Kelly was just biting into his sandwich when a small voice behind him said, "Sir, I haven't eaten in three days, could I have your crusts?"
Kelly whipped around and found a tiny boy, dressed in rags and no shoes standing there, shaking in fright. He dropped to his knees and put his arms around the tiny boy, "Here, you can have my sandwich. Are there any more of you boys around here?"
The little boy replied, "Yes, sir, they are hiding in the bushes, but I was so hungry I just couldn't wait until you threw your crusts into the garbage."
While the boy was eating Kelly's sandwich, Kelly stood up and faced the bushes, calling out, "Boys, if you are out there, please come and eat some lunch with us. Maybe we can get you all to a better place, with clean beds, clean clothes and lots of good food. Please come out to us!"
Slowly, a group of ragamuffin boys came out of the bushes, there were twenty boys all crowded around Kelly, their eyes pleading for help. They were so desperate looking, Kelly and his Squad could not keep tears from their eyes, every Cadet willingly gave up his lunch so that a hungry boy might have food in his tummy.
After they had eaten all that the Cadets had, Kelly asked the little boys, who looked to be 10 years old to maybe 15 years old, "Guys, we are from Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home, we have lots of room for you there and you can sleep safe in clean beds and have all the food you can eat. Will you come with us?"
All twenty-one boys crowded into the van, it was dangerously overloaded, but Corporal Keiser wasn't about to leave a single boy behind!
Upon graduation from High School, Art James was offered a scholarship to attend Clemson University, where his older brother, Paul was a Junior. Ken Holmes was graduating and was to receive his Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering that very week. Johnny Holmes was an entering Freshman at Elliot James Memorial High School. Dr. Holmes was already employed at General Electric as a steam turbine design project director. Adam Kelly was reporting to West Point as a plebe cadet and Billy Whimple was a Captain, USMC serving in Okinawa, Japan. Kelly Whimple had just been elected freshman Senator from the State of South Carolina.
Sam was getting older now, he had just turned 87 years old. He would sit on his porch and dream about his boys. There was always a boy sitting near him to make sure he was ok. Sam was beloved by all his boys, never would a day go by that a group of boys would not sit and talk with him, tell him what was going on and all the funny little things that teen boys can get into.
It was a sunny afternoon in the late summer when David Callaghan and Peter Jensen, both High School Seniors, walked up to Sam and sat beside him. They began telling him about a prank someone had pulled in the gym when they noticed his eyes were closed. David reached out for Sam's hand and screamed when he found it cold. David's scream brought others running, soon the yard was filled with crying and sobbing boys, their beloved Mr. Sam was gone from them! He had died as he had lived, surrounded by his boys. Their anguish was monumental, they just stood, sobbing their way through this dreadful moment. Kyle and Dr. Joey came running, but there was nothing they could do, they, also, were caught up in the emotion that was running torrent through Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home!
The boys lowered the flag to half-mast and town folk began to gather, knowing that something terrible had happened. Herb Walton and Johnny O'Conner once again rose to the occasion. They were now partners in Anderson Timber and Land Company, but today, they were just boys trying to ease the hurt of other boys as they did long ago when Elliot James was killed. Herb held up his hand asking for quiet, "Friends, we have lost a great man today, but please, let us work through our sorrow in our own way. We will have a funeral as soon as possible, but right now, please leave us that we may comfort our fellows, our brothers and ease ourselves through this awful loss. For right now, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home, I appoint Dr. Joey Bascome as Director. Now, please go home that we might have our private sorrow and work through our terrible loss."
Two days later, Sam's casket was placed in The Boy's Home Rotunda and his friends, his boys, his family said their last goodbyes to this great and wonderful man. Men, who were once boys, came from all over the country and beyond to pay homage to the man who had saved them.
Major Billy Whimple, USMC flew in the night before with shiny new Major's Oak Leaves on his shoulders. Billy stood before his Dad's casket and spoke, "Friends, Brothers we gather here to pay homage to this man, Samuel Whimple, but he is not here now, he has gone on to a better place. All we have now is his empty shell. What we can do however is pledge ourselves to continue this great and wonderful thing he created, Whimple's Crossing Boy's Home. We cannot, we MUST not allow his dream to fade and die. I have a few statistics you might be interested in; 12,250 boys saved! He never turned a single boy away! The finances have increased 225% over what he started with! 6,327 boys have graduated from college or university! 211 boys have attained doctorate degrees! 75 boys have become medical doctors! 614 boys have become teachers! 106 boys have become religious ministers! 107 boys are currently serving our country in the military! 61 boys serve our country in politics! 1,759 boys own their own businesses! ALL boys, except those now living here have graduated from high school! How much more could a single person give to us? I say, THIS DREAM SHALL NOT FADE, SHALL NOT DIE. MR. SAM LIVES ON IN EACH OF US AND IN ALL THOSE WHO FOLLOW US!"
The JROTC color guard and the Drum and Bugle Corps began the slow march to the Town Cemetery, sounding its terrible dirge. They buried their beloved Mr. Sam, but all pledged themselves in guarantee that his dream would never fail!
Out on the highway, there is an old oak tree with a bronze plaque attached to it. It reads:
THIS IS WHERE MY LIFE BEGAN Billy Whimple |