Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-03-02
FROM FARM TO SENATE
ASketch Of Hon. Henry G. Davis,
q Foremost Citizen
OF THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA.
His Progress to Riches and IrAuence-ln
Legislature and Congress-His
Great Enterprises-Secrets
of Success.


Etr York Weekly Tribune, February Ii.
Elk Senator Henry Garrison Davis, OF
West Virginia, Is an interesting charac-
ter. He is believed to be the largest
single owner OF coal and timber lands
In the United States, having about 1OO,-
900 sores. He has also been a success
full man. He might almost he called a
Southern Puritan, so strict are his
principles. He is almost always right
on practical business matters in Con-
gress, such as the Tariff, the Silver
Question, Specie Resumption, etc. He
ought to be a Republican; and he prob
ably would be one to-day had it not
been for one of those trivial incidents
which often change the whole current
of strong mems lives. He is the most
successful business man and politician
combined that has been produced in
West Virginia.
In Appearance
he is a man pleasant to see. He Is
| solidly built, but with an angular and
| sinewy rather than TOtuDd figure, a lit.
| tie above medium height, with a slight
| stoop in heavy shoulders that suggests
DAYS and nights of bard work; long
| and narrow head, we'll covered with
hair originally dark, but now beginning
to show the frosts of age, and resolute
face generally illuminated with smile.
His gray eyes have kindly but shrewd
twinkle that speaks Of abundant good
humOr and confidence in his ability,
and the nose is prominent enough to
have entitled the owner to q Marshalate
under the first Napoleon. The capacious
mouth, although curving upward at the
corners, closes squarely in repose, and
the lower part OF the face, half conceal
ed by a trim gray beard, slopes Off into
well. defined Jaws that indicate tenacity
and determination. Any physiogno.
mist would set the owner Of these feat.
ures down as q man whe combined
good social qualities with businesspush
and enterprise, who might well own
the 10000 00 or more with which Mr.,
Davis is credited, and who might rea-
sOnably expect the success to which he
has attained in everything which has
ever engaged his attention.
JarIy Days on Farm and Railroad.
Mr.. Davis began work early. His
father, Caleb Davis, was WelShman
by descent if not by birth, who at one
| tine was a prosperous merchant in Il tl-
timore, but engaged in railroad build
| ing as contractor and lost his fortune.
| He built the little town Of Woodstock,
| in Maryland; and there Henry G.. Da-
Wig, the oldest of his four children, was
born November lG, 1923. a few years
later the fater died. The mother, whose
| maiden name was Louisa Brown, and
who belonged to Scotch Irish family
| from which Arthur p. German, pres
eDt Senator from Maryland, is direct
| descendant, was left with the care, sup
port and government Of her children.
| She had the will OF her race, and she
! gave her children an excellent training.
| They were poor and were obliged to be
saving and economical, and they were
| trained to the strictest integrity and the
most earnest industry. The necessity
for work in the family was greater than
the opportunity for study. While q
mere boy Henry went to work on the
farm of ex. Governor Howard OF Waver-
ly. Here he managed to add something
| to the rudments OF his meagre English
education.
The Roy Was willing,
smart and active, and he became sort
OF superintendent Oh the farm. He
made friends there, and, when he had
reached the age OF nincteen, one OF those
| frieuds, Did DR.. WOOdside, the first su.
perinteudeut Of the Baltimore and Ohio
| railroad, thin running from Baltimore
10 Cumberland, gave him q place as
brakeman of u freight train Oil that
road.
RaiIrOading was then In its infancy.
There were no telegraph lines to aid it,
| and no means Of communicating with
the train after it had started for its des.
| tinatiOn. l. was thought impossible to
| run a train during the night. Delays
were frequent and accidents numerous.
1t took practical skill. nerve and energy
to surm0unt the difficulties which daily
confronted the trainmen. Young Davis
| liked Bis work, and he went into il with
an honest and ambitious desire to JUS
tify the recommendation OF his old
friend, DR.. Woodside. In the first place
he atten led strictly to business, and he
never neglected to do anything that
would promote the interests OF his
road, no matter whether 1t put him 10
extra trouble or not. This attention,
even to small details, and willingness to
take trouble, have been marked and
leading traits OF Mr.. Davis all his life.
While riding on, horseback along the
road, he has often got down to toss
stones out of the way with his own
hand and many time he has alighted
IN the same way to pull up weed on
the farm that bad arrested his eye.
An Opportunity Seized
His willingness to work was what
made him a conductor of the road.
There had been wreck. The road had
to be cleared up. There was great
deal of work to do. He rallied the men
and went at it with tremendous zeal {;
and it was while he was rushing things
in this way that he was noticed by the
president of the road, who had come to
the scene of the disaster, and who pres
emily remarked to him: ave have
use for you in more important work"
He was made freight conductor and
subsequently q passenger conductor.
Each new call upon him found him
ready. AS his energy and willing dis
POSITION became known to the company
he was promoted steadily. At the age
ofthirty he was supervisor of trains.
Mr.. Davis was always strictly tenn
perate in his habits, aud he had the
kindred virtue Of economy in expenses,
both impressed into him by the excel
lent training OF his mother. He saved
all the money he could, and although
always assisting 10 support his mother,
was not too poor, when he became su.
pervisor of trains, to marry his, present
wife, daughter OF Judge Bant, Of
Frederick, Md.
In Business for Himself.
Mr.. Davis settled at Piedmont, the
centre of the Cumberland bituminous
coal region, So the agent Of the B. & o..
II. R. at that point, and there began in q
moderate way his work OF developing
that section. The Cumberland coal
field was at that time practically un-
opened, but the resources Of the neigh
borhood both in coal and lumber were
apparent to Mr.. Daviss foresight. He
was always q live man and was espe-
| oiallv wide VA e tn 0nnOrtu mites He