this is before Crutchie was a newsies.Crutchies mom died and his dad left him, crutchie was left alone of the streets of Manhattan.He was only 11 he didn't know what to do, crutchie can barely get anywhere with his crutch. His leg is always hurting him,Crutchie was cold and all alone with nothing not even food. But one day crutchie decided to go pick flowers but near the refuge but he didn't know what that was. He was picking up flowers until someone who was escaping the refuge bumped into him