The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-16

portunltes, and we are convinced that
being an eyewitness is only one of his
| phases. He has many others. He began
life as " the first white child" born in any
given Western town. In some towns he
makes up nearly one-half the population.
Madison, in this State, is notable exam
pie. BY actual count there are in that
village thirty-five g first white children"
It's the only capital some of them have,
and they get along very we'll on it. An
odd feature in many Of their cases is that
while each could get number Of repu-
table old citizens to swear that he was the
first white child" he could hardly find
any one reckless enough to say that he has
grown up white man.
But this, we take it, is greatly due to
his after history. When in school he did
all the smart and dangerous things. He
ployed the trick and the other fellow got
the licking. He saw mad dogs and es-
capped their fangs by his own cleverness,
and when fishing he always saw sea SER
pents and things of monstrous kind.
When he came of age he began polling
the casting vote in elections carried BY
one majority. He has sent men to Con-
gress, elected Governors and even chosen
q President by this wonderful faculty.
And he frequently travelled great distances
and suffered considerable losses to cast
that vote.
He went into business and always had
most marvellous financial escapes. Some
times he was lucky, at others unlucky,
but always remarkable. When banks
were breaking he was always the last man
to draw his deposits before the doors
closed. Large counterfeits were never
discovered till they had left his possess
sion. But he always missed his mark in
real estate. He was implored to take the
best corner lot in each city and village in
the West for "the price of pair of
boots" If he had only foreseen the
changes ahead he could have had a quar-
ter section in the heart of the city, as easy
as not. He'd have been millionaire If
he had taken the chances.
In the army it was the man next to him
that was shot, always. He cheek was Oft
en- grazed, but the other fellows brains
were distributed. He was the first man in
a charge and the last to surrender. He
pulled down the eneny's flag and ran up
ours, though it was no part of his duty
to do either. He shone at fires and rail-
way disasters. Last to leave burning
hotel or a steamboat, he was the first to
discover leak in the reservoir or the ap-
pIVdCn u LOfnduO. lie was numerous
at the great Chicago confiagration, and
crossed each of the bridges as it tottered
and fell.
He has had dull time of it lately, and
till the strike occurred was not much in
demand. The old stories were growing
stale and drinks precarfous. There was
vast shrinkage in his market value, and
we are not quite certain that he was not
at the bottorn of the strike. Certainly
it's nuts for him. He stood in dangers
van, saw all the carnage, and reveled in
gore. He became the terrible "eye-wit-
ness," and his tale is in all the papers.
In Chicago he saw the streets run red
with blood; he saw the grape and can-
ster rammed home, felt it almost Craze
his cheek, and cast his uninjured but ap-
palled eye down the swaths of slain.
We have no wish to rob him Of his pleas
ire or his occupation. He will circulate.
ind tell his story, and it will grow more
and boring as he proceeds.
But we must lift up our voice in warn
ng against him, for we regard him as too
T. Lultitudinous and unreliable. .-Mflsoau-
,ea Sentinel l