White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1861-05-16

present at the Capital. and obtained the
great bulk Of the material composing the
Biographies. from the subjects them.
selves. Without farther preface. we sui.
NIT the pictures -
JOHN ALKxASDEl MARTIN.
As you enter the Senate Chamber, your at
tention is attracted BY the remarkable appear.
ance ofN Senator, who always appears to be
busy writing. This is John A. Martin, of At
Gibson County-named in honor of John the
Baptist and Alexander the Great. He is the
Oldest member Of the Senate, being 81 years
old next Spring. He is grandson Of Martin
Luther, and son of Martin Van Buren, by his
6rst father. and brother to the Martin.sals.
In his childhood, he was of such diminutive
proportions, that be Was called q Mdrtinet.
When quite young, Mr.. Martin displayed ex-
traordinary mechanical genius, in the invention
of . miniature house designed to be placed on
the tops of barns or high poles, for the accom-
modatios Of birds, which, in honor of the in
ventor, was called Martin Box" name
which it bears to this day. Young Martin
founded the FIRST newspaper in Pennsylvania
from which circumstance he was called Mar
tin the Founding" Seth Hurd, Simon Came
ron and Benjamin Franklin served their ap-
prenticeshp under him. At an early day in
the Anti-Slarery excitement, Martin took an
active part in favor of Freedom, and Gid such
effective service, that he was called "Free.
dom's Champion" Wherever he went, he al
ways carried the American flag with him. At
that period, life-like portrait Of him was ia
ken, which he has since had engraved, and uses
a. vignette for his paper. He is a man Of
much native humor. and his numerous witt.
cisms, some years ago, earned for him the title
of Martin Chuzzlewit" Some three years
since. be came to Kansas, and took charge Of
the Atchison paper, the name of which he chan
ged to champion" as q compliment to Cham
pion Vaughan. Mr.. Martin is of a religious
bent Of mind, and belongs to the sect known as
"Omish," or 4" Hooker Mennomtes"-wearing
. very long white beard. He is likewise de-
cided political partisan, ofthe Republican school.
His practice is always to vote the straight tick
et-indeed, those who know him best, give it
ss their belief that be would vote for any man
that could be nominated on Republican tick
ct, with the exception of William II. Seward.
Pending the late Atchison City election, he left
his seat in the Senate, and returned home to
fight the battle in favor Of the Union, and saved
the day. They counted his vote 10, and the
Union majority was 6s. Martin is the repre-.
sentative man of the Pomeroy interest in the
Senate. This is reliable, for he says it himself
It is said that he once acted as Secretary of a
political meeting. Like all distinguished men,
Mr.. Martin has his peculiarities. One of them
is. Al unconquerable aversion to seeing his
name in print:
n. \. pUTroS.
That pale, spare-built man whom you see
sitting yonder. is the Senator from Brown,
H. Rush Dutton, 50 named, It is we'll known,
after H. Rush. He was left an orphan. at an
early age, by the death of his aunt, and his ed.
ucation devolved upon bis father He early
gave indications of extraordinary musical tai
ent. He afterwards published book of Music,
and travelled over the country giving concerts.
In his travels he wandered to Kansas, where he
rather liked it, and concluded to stay. He &C
cordingly purchased lot in Hiawatha, and set.
tied down as q Hard-Shell Baptist preacher.
He is married man, and has sixteen children.
AsAHEL LOWE.
Mr.. Lowe, Representative from Doniphan
County, was born in q balloon, over Lake Erie,
at an early day in the history of the West.
The balloon alighting in Ohio, the passengers
we're taken captive by the Wyandotte Indians,
and all except the infant tortured at the stake.
The name of his parents was never known, and
he obtained his name in a novel manner. A
party Of hunters we're passing near the Wyan-
botte Village, and seeing white child. enticed
him away. Many of the Indians could speak
the English language, and 1t seems they had
given the child the name of Asa. An old In
dian, seeing the boy going away, cried after
him, "Asa, hellsp" Pursuit was made, but
the hunters escaped with the boy; and, not
knowing his real name, q whim seized them to
name him after the exclamation of the Indian.
By transmogrifcation of the syllables, they
rendered the name "Asahel Le,ce" From the
circumstances attending his early life, be is to
this day frequently called "Lore the poor In
diam" The passion for ballooning was born
with him, and he frequently makes aerial voy.
ages. He is widely known as Professor Lowe,
the Aeronaut.
WILLIAM X. caIMIs
Mr.. Crimes is one of the Atchison County
His fathers name was Grimes;
his mothers also-likewiee bis grandmother's
He was formerly Governor of Iowa, and after
wards United States Senator from that State;
but becoming disgusted with Iowa, in conse-
quence of a failure of the crops, he removed to
Kansas Mr.. Grimes is a gentleman of the old
school. He possesses great kindness Of heart,
md dresses in very plain s,yle-his coat being
of gray homespun, very ancient. and kept con- |
SANITY buttoned down in front. He is very
much respected and beloved by all his neigh
,ors. A few years ago, he narrowly escaped
ieath from the kick of q GOWN fact, at one
lime the doctors pronounced him dead. When
he melancholy news spread among the neigh
'ors, one of them composed the celebrated yer.
es, commencing
"Oh Crimes 10 dead, that good old man."
SAMUEL LArPIS,
senator from Nemaha, is Frenchman, and was
'orn in Paris. During the Reign of Tenor, he