Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-06-13
A Plucky Vermont Boy.

About fifteen years agoa young man
barely out of his teens, stepped off the train
on the Cleyeland& Toledo (now Lake Shore)
railroad at Oberlin, Ohio, carpet-bag in
hand, and inquired for the nearest hotel
lie was directed to Chauncey Wack's
famous house, not far from the depot, and
at once proceeded thither and engaged 4
room.
Our hero registered at Wack's innocently
enough, and then started up town to pros
pect. Being the son of a clergyman in
Vermont, and having but a few shillings in
has pocket, he naturally sought out the good
citizens of Oberlin in his quest of employ
ment At first they lent ready ear to his
story, and inquired into particulars, but
as soon as they learned that he was stop
ping at Wack's they fled dismayed. The
young man, after several incidents of this
kind, strangely suspected that he had got
INTO smallpox hospital; but being
plueky and self-reliant, he determined to
make the best of it and be under obiga-
! tions to nobody.
A few days later shingle dangled from a
little shop, saying to the passerby, House
and Sign Painting and look within
disclosed the young Vermonter deep in the
combinations of white lead and linseed oil
soon from morn till night he could be seen
perched on his ladder around town, reno
vatlng walls and making his marks. Skill
and perseverance brought him employment,
and he continued to board at Wack's And
even worse, then he actually had the audac-
Ity to accompany Miss Helen Wack, then
beautiful and accomplished miss in her
teens, to lectures and public entertain
ments.
Careful mothers expOstulated with their
sons about asSociating with him, and if the
impertinent offspring asked for reasons,
they were triumphantly overwhelmed with
the reply, d" He boards is at Wack' :" This
was clincher, and thereafter no further
questions were asked.
The rebellion broke out, and among the
first to take an active part in the work of
raising recruits was this plucky, indepen
dent painter.
\ few months later the telegraphic re-
ports of the blOodiest battles in the South
contained especial mention of the gallantry
of Lieut. -, of the Artillery. Already
the young man had in n great measure
atoned for the sin of boarding at Wack' :
by the active part hc had taken in the war
and when at length he revisited the town
on a brief leave of absence, his society was
somewhat courted by the literary and lead
ing citizens. They thought they could dis
cover something very manly about him, and
began to wonder why they had not observed
1t sooner.
\ year later and the poor painter was
captain of artillery and in command of
Fort He'll, in front of Petersburgh His
name was in everybody mouth, and it was
considered an honor to grasp his manly
hand
After peace came. the first official act of
this Captain was to return to Oberlin and
make a bride Of Miss Helen Wack. Ober-
lin then actually rejoiced with him and
bade him - God speed as he left for
Alabama
After a time he returned to Ohio and
started large manufacturing establish
ment at Sandusky. Some two years since,
having amassed a handsome fortune, he
went to Arkansas. and eventually became
President Of and built the Arkansas Cen
tral railroad
To-day, that poour boy who ran away
from his Green Mountain home, went to
Oberlin, started paint-shop without ever
handling n brush before in his life, fought
his way up 10 4 captaincy, married the
prettiest girl in Oberlin, and made his for
tune, is Hon. Stephen W. Dorsey, United
States Senator from Arkansas \ nobler
heart than Steve Dorsey's never beat, and
no one who has known him as a hoy and
man, will be grudge him his good fortune.
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