Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-07-03
GARFIELD'S LIFE.
A CONFLICT. SKETCH OF 1T.

Prepared specially for the sunday lNTELLI
GENCER
Although Mr.. Garfield WI one Of the best
known aud personally one of the mos. pop
ular OF public men in this country. aud the
events of his life have been rendered fresh
ly familiar to the public by his candidacy
and election to the presidency, his tragic
fate invests the story with Few
and pathetic interest. OF the many men
who have, under the blessings Of cur fee
institutions, risen from Obscurity to emil
nence reaching the very highest office, the
tale of no one S life has in it more Of TO
mantle interest than his progress from the
tow path to the White House.
Ancestry.
His male ancestors came to these shores
in tile company who came over in the ship
which bore Governor Winthrop 20 Massa-
chusetts, and it is absolutely certain that
his ancestor, Edward Garfield, was one of
the one hundred and six proprietors Of
Waterton, now lovely suburb of Boston,
for he is So recorded in 1855. He was
either of Saxon OF Welsh stock.
Edward was the father Of another
Edward, who had son Benjamin, who
was the father of Thomas. The sixth in
line was Solomon, whose brother Abraham
fought at Concord. aud who himself Was
the first pioneer OF the family to move
westward. His son Thomas was born in
a New York clearing, and that Thomas
was the father Of Abraham and grand
father Of James A. The latter, on his
mothers side, was of the l'allou Niuge
not) stock. The G,rii:ld> We're men of
great physical strength James's father
was a famous wrestler, and his grand
father carried 800 pound grindstone
home, 4 mile, without rest, for it.
Abraham Garfield was 'sbOund out "
at IS but moved westward after the girl
of his youths choice, and married tho
woman who became the mother OF a
president when he was 10 and she 4 year
younger. He struck out for the wilderness
of Orange, Ohio, fifteen miles from
Mentor, taking Il half-brother with him.
There was but one house within seven
miles of them. They erected log cabin
and both lived in it until another was
built, and then went to work to cut
a hole in the forest. There, Oh
the 18th of November, 1881, James A.
Garfield, the youngest of four children,
was born. When he was IS months old il
fire broke ont in the woods which was ap,
preaching Abram Ga,field's 'clearing,
near his wheat. With all his tremendous
physical energy he fought that fire all day
long, by ditching, clearing away the
leaves, or other meth IDS. by doing the
work of ten men he saved his Gro. and di-
verted the fire. lie came in at night,
heated aud exhausted, and got suddenly
chilled. For a day or two he suffered i'll
tenscly, when u Iuack doctor camc along
and said, :" You are in danger, Garfield"
and put Il blister around his throat, which
drew every particle of inflammation in his
body into Garfield's throat, and he chokcd
to death ut thirty three, in the fulness OF
his strength Immediately before his
death he got up and walked across the
room. looked out at his oxen and called
them by name, went back and sat down
on the bed, and said, "Eliza, | have
brought you four young saplings into these
woods. Take care of them" And he
died, sitting up against the head OF his
bed.
The cncrgy..of the widow and the help
fulncss of her boys in their struggle
with poverty made it Il victory. She
gave "a little corner of her farm rs Il site
for he lng school house and thus got cdu
cati"nal facilities for her boys. Young
james was IN apt scholar. He carly Won
Il New Testament prize rs a reader, and
developed prniigious memory; all the
while imbibing the Disciples" or Scam
hclIitc" religious faith of his piOus mother.
From 12 to IA he read stories, travel and
history finished arithmetic and grammar.
When he was ii 81 Il he worked ut boil
ing "black salts" from the ashes of
burned logs. lie got nine dollars i
month and was boarded. Then lie
worked in 'haying" season, and
took a :wo- year old colt for pay
money being rarely paid. All he carhcd
went into the common stock OF the FAINT
ly. At 1G he "mule " 4 hand and man's
wages at hayins and chopped 100 cords of
before the mast on = lake vessel. but was
tlissusted at the spectacle 0: drunken sail
ors and drunken captain and at Il ecu
sons suggestion went to driving a mule
upon the canal tow path. One feature OF
this singular experience which was ot
special value to him afterward, was his
learning to steer, and something about the
navigation Of the Ohio rivcr-in expert
cnce that served him iu the army, when
he rendered valuable service to his com
mand in eastern Kentucky i'm all likelihood
saved his men from starving, 10y pi!ot!n5
a boat sent for supplies, when no profess
sional OF band would undertake the peril
Gus duty. Ike stood at the wheel for
forty toul hours out of forty eight, and
saved his boat from being wrecked.
His Education.
Five months of dangerous fever resolved
his mother 20 direct him to intellectual
labors, aud his brother and schoo'
teacher named Bates, aiGel him to the
school ut Chester, and t, Geauga seminal
ry, where he met his future wilc III Lu
crctia Rudolph.
When the term closed James went TO
work laying. and took a job with a car
penter. There was house to be built in
Chester, and he got the job Of cutting out
the siding ut two cents Il board. He went
back to the fall term aud fought his way
through to the end Of the year, paying I'LL
his expenses and having a few dollars left.
He then presented himself for examina-
ton, to get a certificate to teach school,
which hc readily obtained, and taught his
first district school, ssbesinnins two weeks
before he Was eighteen. lie received
twelve dollars a month, ''bDartied round'
and had the usual rough and tumble cx
periences of the frontier schoo! master,
fiogging the big boys. The Disciples
preacher touched his heart and Joined
him with the church. BY that time the
institution at Hiram, which was the pro-
duct mainly Of tho educational zeal and
liberaiity Of the Disciples" was bciig
started. and its fresh enthusiasm called
Garfield to it, when lie began
to translate Latin with Cesar, and
where with Jealous companions he prose-
cuted his studies for several years, becom,
inc whaL his denomination calTS'' a preach