Famous Porcupine: George

George was born to a poor family in the rough Pigtown neighborhood of Baltimore. His parents were kept busy trying to make ends meet. His father worked a variety of jobs including as a lightning rod salesman and streetcar operator. He eventually came to own a combination grocery store and bar where he and his wife worked most days.

Childhood wasn’t easy for George, and he wasn’t an easy child. Of the seven siblings born after him, all but one died in infancy, and George thought his mother blamed him. “I think my mother hated me,” he once told a friend.

George ran wild as a young child. He had tons of energy and was always on the move. He later reported that he drank whiskey and beer when in the saloon when his father wasn’t watching. He threw rocks at police officers. When he was seven, he was chewing tobacco and refused to go to school.

His hot-tempered father was at a loss and couldn’t figure out what to do with young George. His sister later reported that his father would “whip him unmerciful.” She also said that their mother warned her husband that he was going to hurt the boy, but the whippings continued—and didn’t seem to do any good.

When he was seven years old, he was placed in an orphanage and reformatory: St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Upon entry, he was recorded as “incorrigible.” Things continued to be tough for young George. He was teased by the other boys, and his family almost never visited him. He once told a student, “I guess I’m too big and ugly for anyone to come and see me.” His mother died when he was 12.