Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-12-11
LFrom the Philadelphia Press.I
Thaddeus Stevens-Anecdotes of his
Early Life.

The early portion Of the great mans
life abounds in story and adventure,
characteristic of manly, determined and
energetic boyhood, the narrative OF
which urlng the latter years of his life
afforded the listener mirthiul enter
tHinnent.
Joe's Pond was a favorite bathing
place for the boys. This sheet of water
he described as about one and a halt
miles in width, and as cold as a spring
The perfection of the art of swimming
IN their y0uthfuI eyes, was successful
tFiP ECross the pond. The feat young
Thaddeus accomplished more than
once. He said he thought in this ac.
comptishment he could have equalled
Byron, and swan the Bosphorus a.
easily as that gentleman did.
At one time his school-masteF was
broad-sbouldered Irishman. During p
very severe winter the bears encTouch
ed on the settlement, and iE became the
duty of all good citizens to enlist In q
war Of determination. The teacher
marshaled his pupils,and, at their head.
vRntured to obstruct noted beaF-Dath,
be being armed with q long rife, well
loaded and primed, and the boys with
clubs and q miscellaneous assortment
of weapons. The baying of the do0s
soon indicated that the game was up
and the cracking of the bushes that the
bear was approaching He came on to
1 = few feet of where the army were post
ed, and rearing up, his fore feet resting
on a large log, he hesteated while he
/ anuffed the danger ahead. The teacher
sounded the charge, saying to the boys
'tlgow, I'Il show you rale specimen Ol
bear-shOoting 7" But his impetuosity
/ overcame his discretion, and rushing
| upon the astonished animal he demOl-
/ ished him with the butt end of his rifle
When laughed at by the boys, and raj
lied on his forgetfuiness by Thaddeu'
as spokesman for them, he blandly
said, Gan what's the use of powder anC
ball, when the thing of itself made suct
an Elegant tshelalah.'
He was a great athlete, was strone
and active, and the impediments result
ing from his crippled condition wer,
overcome by trained muscular devel
opment. He was particularly fond o
| horseback riding, and was one of tn,
most daring and best trained riders o
the country. Deer hunting was ia
vOrite pastime of his early manhood
and his fund Of story in this particula
was limitless. He quite recently saiC
hat until he reached his thirty -eightl
: year he knew of no professional mai
who took so much outdoor exercise
Since that time, however, his life hR
been sedentary in the extreme, and la
borious as we'll.
In early youth he was sickly ant
quite lame. An old lady, perhaps We
living, in the neighbOrhOod Ofhis birth
place, who was schoo1Gaate, in narrH
ting his early history a short time ag
J said; "I remember him as though
was yesterday; folks never Huppose
they would be able to raise him, bu
: they did. He was still and Quiet-likC
different from the rest of the boys, an
: sometimes they'd laugh at him, boy
: like, and mimic his impipg walk
They didn't mean any harm, but Thad
= deus was a sensitive little fellow, and
rRukled him. I've always though
that's the reason, perhaps, he has neve
been back to the old homestead"
Who can tell how much of the powe
! OF the after man may have bee
wrought into his character by the crut
= struggle of that early warfare2 2 Ho'
/ many men who, a generation hence, ai
! 20 stand as giants among their kind, al
: to-day concealed among the hills
Q their nativity, and struggling With Il
same romantic heHOism against Oh
sane odds IN l3ta'S battle?