Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-10-23
JIM BLAINE STORIES
The Early Life of the Maine Senate
1n Lancaster Ohio.

The Early Life of the Maine senator
IN Lancaster Ohio.
Lancaster Cor. Chicago Inter-Ocean.
When Blaine VS. boy, his mother,
who was living in Washington county,
Pa. sent him over here to go to school,
and he lived in Senator Ewing's family,
and slept with young Tom, in the house
next to Sherman's, on the corner. Tom
and he were playmates and sworn friends,
and stole apples together in the orchards
that sit on the hills east of the court
house. Blaine lived here two years; was
prepared for college at the Lancaster
| Academy, and when he left, entered JEFF
fersOn College, of Pennsylvania, as stu
dent. After graduating there he drifted
| into Kentucky to teach school, and Ken
tucky gave him his very excellent wife.
From Kentucky he wandered off to
Maine as an editor, and became famous.
When Blaine was here, " Cump" Sher-
man was at West Point, and John was a
'' big Boy'' at the academy.
was wandering about town this even
| ing and met an old residenter. He was
| in his shirt sleeves, and bent over cane.
! AS I asked him question about the Sher-
man place, he sat down to rest, and wiped
the Derspiration out of the wrinkles of
| his face.
ssDid YOU know John Sherman when
he was a boy?'' 1 asked.
EsTo be sure, to be sure, y he said; "I've
know'd the Shermans ever sence pve
knOw'd anybody, an that's long time" "
'What sort of boy was John!"
He was a likely boy, but no one never
'spected he'd make so much on himself as
he has. John was quiet boy, and wasn't
| up to much sport; but 'Cump,' he was
alters great on, havin' a good time. If
was to have picked any one on 'em out to
have been a big man [ should ha' said
Charley, who was a Jedge, and died not
/ To vVrrC thn nla-
liest of the lot.''
g What kind of man was their father
the old Judge?''
''WaaI, he was alters a good deal
starchy. John favOrs him more than the
other boys. sCunp' is more like his
mother. She was a Stoddard, an an ex-
cellent woman she was, too. She died
when John was very young"
Glow old were you when John was {
young man here?"
g was man grown; I reckon was fif
teen years or so older than him.
'' Which was liked the best here of the
boys?'
the boys, bnt the grown folks though
we'll of John. He was a well-behaveC
boy, and Cump was alters up to all sort
o. scrapes. Sometimes folks though
that boy Cump would go to the bad, sure
It's amazin' how he has come up"
Do you recollect Blaine, when he wa
a boy here? ?''
''To be sure; to be sure. I seen hin
\ here only last week, an I'd known hin
, if I'd seen him in Chiny. He was jim
Blaine all over. Jim was a wild boy, lik
Cump Sherman. How he did cut up!
said the old man, musing. "There's lot
o. folks here who knows Jim Blaine, an
he haint been back here much, neither
And it was surprisin' the way Blain
knowed everybody he hadn't seen fO
years gone. Why, there was John Eg
gers; he used to run with Blaine. Ii
folks lived alongside o. old man Ewing
and him an Blaine was alters together
, like as two peas. Last week John Eg
gers went down to the depot and wake
up and says he to Blaine, How dy d.
Mr.. Blaine; you're grayer than when
saw you last An says Blaine, 'JOh
Eggers, you old sinner, l know you, an
he didn't leave off shakin' hands for ffN
minutes. Blaine hadn't seen John fl
mOre'n thirty years, yet he knew him IL
minute he set his eyes on his face, an
they stood there and talked about VIII
they used to do when they was boy
D while all the folks was standin' arour
t irwin to shake hands with Blaine.'
find that Ewing is not at all popul;
here: his fellow tOwnsmen do not regal
him with the greatest confidence.