(This story was originally written and recorded for Retrocast #40, released on February 26, 2026.)

14-year-old Clara Parsons and 17-year-old Peter Gunn were both orphans being raised in Chicago by family members.

Clara, whose mother was deceased and, for whatever reason, was not being raised by her father, although he was still alive. Instead, she was being raised by her grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth McGregor, who lived at 2828 Will Cox Avenue. Clara had lived with her for the previous five years.

As for Peter, he’d been brought up by his grandfather, David Nicholson, but for unspecified reasons, he was now living with his uncle, Alexander Gunn, who lived at 314 South Francisco Avenue, also in Chicago.

As with so many young romances, Clara and Peter met while attending the Calhoun Public School. Clara was in the sixth grade, and Peter was in eighth. During his vacations, Peter would drive a grocery wagon. (Side note: that school is now closed, but it stood at the corner of West Jackson Boulevard and South Francisco Avenue, basically just a block from where his uncle lived. The original building appears to have been demolished and a new building constructed in its place.)

The two desperately desired to be married, but they were fearful of telling their foster parents about what they wanted to do.

Then, one day, Clara came home with a cheap silver chain and a cross around her neck. Of course, it was a gift from Peter and her grandmother. She just expressed her disdain for “that Gunn orphan”. She was determined to keep the young couple apart, and she promised Clara a new dress.

On June 27, 1915, Grandma gave Clara $5 (~$160 today) to go purchase supplies for the new dress. Well, Clara took the money, but instead of returning home with the items, she opted to spend the day with Peter. They purchased popcorn and soda, and then they went for a ride on the streetcars. But afterward, Clara was afraid to return home without the correct change. But Peter told her not to worry.

Did she go home?

Of course not. Boyfriend Peter had a much better solution. It rained all that evening, so Clara spent the night sheltered in the back of Peter’s home. The next morning, they used the remaining money to head out into the real world and start a new life for themselves. They were going to live on their own.

It wouldn’t be until seventeen days later, during the evening of July 13, 1915, that two detectives would cut through the thick brush along the Des Plaines River just outside of La Grange, Illinois. And under an oak tree, they could see the glow of a fading fire. And beside the fire, they found Clara and Peter sound asleep, huddled together to stay warm.

The detectives aroused the two young lovers, and, instinctively, Peter jumped to his feet with his fists clenched, and he was ready to defend himself. He blurted out, “Leave us alone”.

To which one of the detectives said, “Come on, Peter. Come on, Clara. Vacation is over. Everything is all right. We are going back to Grandpa and Grandma. They are waiting for you back in the city and are worried”.

And with that, the two ended their half-month wandering through the Garden of Eden.

The two were in great shape healthwise, but they didn’t look it. Their hair was unkempt, their clothing was in tatters, and their lips were stained from the berries that they had been eating.

Peter was taken to the Warren Avenue police station, while Clara was turned over to the juvenile detention home.

Each then told of what had happened. We’ll start with Clara, and then we’ll hear from Peter.

Clara’s Story

“It was fine to get out in the air where there was grass and trees. We walked all day long through the woods. We played down on the riverbank and waded in the water. It was all so new.

“It rained the second night. We didn’t know where we were. At first, I was afraid it was dark and there was lightning. But Peter made a little tent out of his raincoat. Then we built a fire and sat under the tree and told stories until I fell asleep.

“We went into La Grange and bought things. Sometimes we would eat in the railroad station, but most of the time we’d go down to the river and have our meals on the bank. It was fun.

“Soon the money ran out. My shoes had fallen to pieces from the wet grass and my dress was all torn. We were awfully hungry and cold sometimes. Peter went away one day and brought me back a piece of an old blanket and I made it do for a skirt.

“Peter used to go out and bring back potatoes. He brought them from some of the campers at Western Springs, and sometimes I would walk with him. One night when it rained, they let us have a tent, but it wasn’t as nice as the fire and the raincoat out under the trees.

“Peter also learned how to dive in the river. He would stand on the bank and wait till some little fishes swam by. Then he would jump in and grab them. I used to gather wild gooseberries and cook the little fishes on hot stones and have a fine dinner.

“Sometimes it was lonely and many times I was afraid, but Peter never left me alone at night. We would build the fire up high and tell stories and plan things until we fell asleep. I never wanted to leave. I would like to be there now.”

Peter’s Story

“It was great. Sometimes there wasn’t enough to eat and it gets awful cold and wet out there, too, and it looks like it just kept raining most of the time. But Clara never complained once.

“I used to do everything I could to get things to eat. Sometimes I would walk miles and beg from campers. Once I sneaked away and went home and got a good meal. I filled my pockets up with things to eat and brought them back. Clara was waiting by the fire under the oak tree. She had gathered a lot of berries. We had a big dinner that night.

“I guess we would have been out there yet if it hadn’t been for some boy friends of mine that I asked to bring food out to us. I think they told the police where to find us.”

Police Lieutenant D.C. Fitzgerald at the Warren Avenue station stated, ‘You newspaper fellows have sort of overdone that call of the wild business. This looks to me, however, like a real example of it. There they were, two healthy young animals, who were primitive enough to get back to nature and live on it. Can you imagine a grocery boy diving for fish in a river and a Chicago school girl living on wild berries?”

So, you’re probably wondering, did the cave boy and the cave girl, as they were anointed by the press, ever marry?

Well, I can’t say for certain, but if I track down the correct Clara Parsons on Ancestry, she didn’t marry Peter. Instead, she married Harry Seabaugh in January 1920 when she was 19 years of age. The two raised five children together, and she passed away on February 9, 1994, at 95 years of age.

As for Peter, I did find him listed in the 1910 census. His complete name was really George Peter Gunn, and he was born in Scotland. He married Ethel Barber on July 13, 1917. That would place him somewhere in the 19 or 20-year age range at the time of their union. But after that, he just seemed to vanish. I couldn’t find out any more information about him.