The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1868-03-27
The Early Life of B. F. Wade.

General James 5. Brisbin is wri
ting series of "Ben. Wade Papers.
From the first of these we take thu
following paragraphs:
B. F. Wade was boSn at Feeding
Hills Parish, West Springfield, Mas
sachusetts, on the 9th day of Octo
Der, 1900, and is therefore in the six
ty-eighth year of his age. His faith
er, James Wade, was soldier in tn,
War of the Revolution, and fough
at Concord, and Lexington, ant
Bunker Hill. lie was made prisoner
in one of the battles, and confined al
Halifax for long time His mother
was the daughter of a Presbyterian
clergyman, and a woman of grea
force of character and strength o.
mind. The venerable Senator Otter
speaks Of his mother, dead long, long
ago, and his eye will brighten, anC
his voice grow soft with emotion yet
when he tells of 'that good New
England mother" His mother
taught him 70 spell and read, ant
having kept the small library of hel
father, Benjamin read the dozer
books in it through several times
While his father was in the war fight
ing for the independence of his coun
try, the good mother was at hom,
taking care of the children. Th,
family, to use Mr.. Wade's own Ian
guage, "was one Of the poorest il
New England, and the mother coult
barely find enough food and clothing
for the children. There were ter
children, of whom Benjamin was the
youngest and ugliest.
We will here relate an anecdote oil
MI. Wade, which will serve to show
what kind of 10y he was, and poin
a moral for our American youth. He
had borrowed a history of farmer
snd one evening left it on the window
bottom, and the sash being up, the
wind blew the rain in during the
night and ruined the hook. Much
mortified, young Benjamin mex
morning went to the farmer and TOLD
him what had happened, and said
that although he was too poor to pay
for the book, he was willing to WORK
it out. A bargain was made. and
when the season opened up, Benja
min worked seven days for the far
rner to pay for the book. Mr. Wade
says the most difficult thing to solve
he ever met with, was algebra. He
was working on farm when he com
menced studying it; he had 10 one
to show him, and he read it over fifty
times without understanding it. OF
ten, when following the plow, ht
thought for hours over the mysterious
signs and letters in the book, unit
they seemed as large as the palm oil
his hand. He had looked at them SC
often they were constantly before his
eyes, as clearly as il they were paint
ell on canvas, but he could make
nothing out of them. Gradually he
began to comprehend them, and he
has not forgotten to this day the
propositions he then studied and
solved. When about eighteen, Mr.
Wade came to the conclusion thai
the East was poor place for young
man, aad determined to ssai his tor.
tune in the far West. With seven
dollars in his pocket, a pack upor
his back, in which was his clothes
and a stout stick, young Wade SCI
out on foot to walk from Massachu
setts to Illinois, by way of New
York, for he was determined to see
the great city, about which he haG
heard so much.
Mr.. Wade, after q tedious journey
reached Ashtabula county, Ohio
where he had a brother living
Here he was persuaded to stop for .
few weeks, and the snow falling il
the meantime, he determined to worl
until spring, and then cross the lake
in a boat to Detroit, and make his
way from there to Chicago on foot
That winter he chopped cord wood
at fifty cents per cord and found
During the long winter nights he read
the Bible through by the light of pine
knots piled on the hearth of the rude
cabin where he slept. Often ht
would lay for hours on his back, Will
his head to the fire, and long after
his comrades had gone to sleep, pore
over the sacred writings; but we re-
gret to say he is not even to this day
a piOus man, though still an attentiy,
reader of the Scriptures.
The writer has often spoken to hin
about his habit of swearing, ant
urged him to discontinue SO wicked
and useless practice. but all in vain
old as he is, enrage him and he will
swear like a trooper.
During the years 1921 and 1872:
young Wade chopped wood, rollet
logs and grubbed in the summer
time, teaching a school in winter -
In the fall of 1923 a drover employ
ed him to assist in driving cattle, an(
Wade led steer in front of the here
all the way from Ohio to New York
His little pack was tied on the back
of the oX's horns, and with a rope t.
lead him by, Our future Statesman
logged along day after day. While
riding out not many years ago will
a colleague, the old Senator passed .
drove Of cattle, and when he heart
the boy with the lead steer call on
in the nasal twang peculiar 10 dro
vers, "Come boys, come, ah-O- q
a-h-o-a!" he laughed heartily, ant
said to the distinguished gentleman
by his side, "that reminds me o
when / was boy, and used to cal
the herd just So"
Wade walked six times from Obi,
to New York, and on one of thes,
trips came near losing his life. H,
was leading q steer as usual in from
of the drove, when he came to Ion.
covered bridge. The gate keeper
according to the rules, would not al
low only a few of the herd to pas!
over at time, lest their weight sho''
injure the bridge. Wade started
with the advance guard, but the cat
tie IN the rear becoming frightened
rushed into the bridge and stamped
ed. Young Wade made haste to run
but finding he could not reach tn
other end before the frantic csttl
would be upon him and trample hin
to death, he ran to one of the posts
and springing up caught hold of th
brace, and drew himself up as hig
as possible. He could barely kee
his legs out of the way of the horn