Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-10-26
JOHN P. JONES.


1t does not often happen just on the eve
Of close election, and especially in
times like the present, Of party perturba-
tion and political peril, thst the candid
ate for a high and warmly contested
Office meets with the extraordinary good
fortune that has recently befallen Sena.
tor Jones.
When he left New York the middle Of
july for his home in Nevada, where a
campaign for the Senatorship of that
State was before him, he was, in his own
estimation, broken in fortune, although
FIVE years before he was worth not less
than 100000. He has, however re-
Gently recovered about one fourth of it.
In financial matters Senator Jones has
had ratf err a checkered career, having
made and spen. two or three good-sized
fortunes in his lifetime, and he is yet on
the sunny side Of fifty. While his finan-
cia affairs have been some what diyers-
fed, politically he has had very smooth
sailing. Though nom inally a Republi
can, he belonged TO no party, but is in his
own State emphstically the first choice of
both parties. Early in the summer. when
the financial cloud hung darkest over his
personal affairs, leading politicians Of both
parties FASTENED to assure him in advance
of their unanimous preference for him
over any cand idate thatseould possibly be
named, and that no money would be re-
quired on his part for the expenses of the
campaign. In Congress he belongs more
to the whole country and the whole peo-
pie than to any faction or to any class.
He is cosmopolitan in his nature, and
could not possibly be made a narrow,
scheming poth0use politician.
Senator Jones was born in England, in
January, 1929, on the banks Of tie Wye
n small nyer which runs between Wales
and the mainland. His parents were
Welsh, and had always lived on the other
side of the river until short time pre-
vious to the birth of tais distinguished
member oil their household: go that really
he is of Welsh origin rather than English,
but is American iatEe" ;han either.
This country has produced few men
more thoroughly and ihstinctvely hes
own than the Anglo Saxon here Aention-
ed. He loves her SOIL and her pecul lar
institutions as few native Americans love
them. When asked in the summer if he
intended to visit the Worlds Exposition
at Paris, he replied: Il do not; between
the Atlantic and Pacific slopes L find
abundant scope for nay ambition"
In 1880, when the subject of this sketch
was eighteen months of age, the family
removed to America, and the year fol
lowing settled in Cleveland. Ohio, where
the children were raisel, and educated in
the public schools of that city,.
OF the early life of Senator Jones, the
Hon. Andrew Freese, for many years
Superintendent of Schools in that city,
writes us follows:
He was
RARE SPECIMEN OF A BOY,
Finely developed physically and intel
lectaally, not one in "A thousand having a
face SO intelligent as he.
His father was man OF more thar
ordinary intelligence, and had much orig
iHal independent thought.
CHS notions OF education for boys were
he bad six other sons-thal they should
DO trained to many habits, and taught
some branches of practical industry. He
owned large marble factory, and all
through the boyhood of joins, he was
mere or less engaged in assisting his ia
Their at his work. He attended school a
less number of months in tho year than
the average city boy, but when there he
always outstripped Lis associates, who
put in their whole time.
physically lie had an unusually fine
development, and the writer WAS led to
notice him on this account long before he
reached the High School.
Having passed all the lower grades as
first in his class, he reached the Academic
Department at the age OF fifteen, where
he at once took a high stand as schol
ar.
'He eycelled in the higher msthemat
les, and was especially fond CT all those
branches of study which required the
exercise of vigorous thought.
I'm extemporaneo debate be also ex-
celed, and in the discussions held as
school exercise he had no match.
"He had a quick, keen sense Of honor,
and most heartily despised mean action.
In this feature of his character he was
especially marked, standing out and
apart from the average hga school stu
dent.
"Wben he selected his piece for deca.
nation it was usually an extract from
some orator who pleaded FOR a down
trodden people. Robert Emmsts de-
tense ofhimseli at his trial for treason
wsS speech that he used to rehearse with
great feeling aud effect.
AT an early age he felt the Importance
Of doing something in the worlds great
enterprise. lie often talked with me
long and seriously about lite's unsolved
problems, and the part he should take in
the worlds great drama.
"He finally called one day and made
the surprising statement that he would
sail for California on the day following,
and that he had called to
BID ME- G00D-BY.
81 parted from him with more regret
than | ever took farewell Of any pupil
in my life.
II did not sea him again for twenty
years, when he called at my residence, "a
man OF Meakh and a mem her of fha