{"id":109,"date":"2010-04-20T06:40:42","date_gmt":"2010-04-20T11:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/?p=109"},"modified":"2010-04-20T06:40:42","modified_gmt":"2010-04-20T11:40:42","slug":"carthage-attorney-charles-wild-defying-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/?p=109","title":{"rendered":"Carthage Attorney Charles Wild: Defying the Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although he was a citizen of Carthage, Charles Wild’s story is worth mentioning on Historic Joplin.\u00a0 As a young boy growing up in Sarcoxie, Wild suffered a bout of scarlet fever.\u00a0 He was left crippled and unable to walk.\u00a0 Wild, however, was undeterred.<\/p>\n

Although he could not play baseball or swim in a country stream, Charles Wild focused on his studies.\u00a0 It was said that as a mere boy he took over as the bookkeeper and business assistant in his father’s nursery in Sarcoxie.\u00a0 Later, when he was older, Charles attended St.\u00a0 Louis Law School (now called St.\u00a0 Louis University).\u00a0 After graduation he opened a successful law practice in St.\u00a0 Louis before he returned to Sarcoxie in 1906 and became the law partner of H.T.\u00a0 Harrison of Carthage.<\/p>\n

What made Charles Wild unique was that although he was unable to walk, he still managed to travel all over town with the aid of a cart that was described as a, \u201csmall box-like affair hung between two large rubber-tired wheels resembling those of a bicycle.\u00a0 The box of the cart is just large enough to admit his body and in this, when he desires to move around, he is strapped.\u00a0 Then, leaning forward, he propels himself by pulling himself along with his hands.\u00a0 He carries wooden blocks which he uses to preserve his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Charles<\/a>

A sketch of Mr. Wild in his cart, as well seated at a table.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wild could travel faster than the average pedestrian unless there was snow on the ground when \u201cit is almost impossible for him to make any progress.\u201d In addition, \u201crough roads and in wet and muddy weather\u201d were a hindrance.<\/p>\n

Despite his physical challenges, he was an accomplished author and attorney, with some of his work published in contemporary publications such as Harper’s and Century Magazine.\u00a0 He was noted as \u201can advocate of great ability before a jury.\u00a0 His physical condition is no handicap to his prowess as a speaker.\u201d Wild would often ask to be taken from his cart and seated in a chair, \u201chis head barely showing above the edge of the table\u201d when he delivered \u201csome of the most highly polished arguments and addresses ever hard in a tribunal of justice in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wild, it was noted, \u201cwas respected by everyone, a friend to whom one can go in time of need, he is not only one of the most able but one of the most beloved men in Carthage.\u201d He depended \u201cupon his own abilities for making his way in the world\u201d and he certainly did.<\/p>\n

Source: Joplin Globe<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although he was a citizen of Carthage, Charles Wild’s story is worth mentioning on Historic Joplin.\u00a0 As a young boy growing up in Sarcoxie, Wild suffered a bout of scarlet fever.\u00a0 He was left crippled and unable to walk.\u00a0 Wild, however, was undeterred. Although he could not play baseball or swim in a country stream, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[421],"tags":[420,319,416,417,419,418,422,423,424,48],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.historicjoplin.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}