ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Long before Rockford became known as a manufacturing powerhouse, an 8-year-old newspaper carrier named Dick Tebbetts was one of the most familiar faces in its downtown district.
The young newsboy who also went by “Dickie” and “Richie,” spent his days selling copies of the Rockford Daily Republic at train stations and busy street corners, helping support his mother and seven siblings. More than 120 years later, he is remembered not only for the brutal crime that took his life, but also for the determination and optimism he showed while living it.
In the early 1900s, child labor laws were far less restrictive than they are today, and it was not unusual to see children working to help support their families. Dick was among the most industrious of Rockford’s young newspaper carriers…