Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-18

son of Samuel Wilkeson, the journalist, and
was - years old in March. The late civil
war made a soldier OF him before he was 10
Years old He ran away from home and en-
listed III a battery of volunteer artillery. lie
served As a cannoneer in the Army Of the
Potomac through all the fighting from the
Wilderness to the front Of Petersburg: was
mustered out at the end of his term oil en-
Iistmpnt: r.,-enli>ted in the regular army,
and on the same day was promoted from the
ranks to a lieutenantcy in the Fourth | nItei
States artillery.
4 brevet captain in the regular army at
the age of little over Is, he resigned
his commission to enter school OF math
maticS. preparatory To his chosen hte-""FA
of "A mining engineer. In lHo' he Went INTO
the service of the Cambria Iron company, In
Pennsyly ania to qualify hims If for the
management Of their underground property.
He worked as a miner Of coal and iron ore
for two vars. Then, on a disagreement
with the Cambria owners, he accepted eH-
ployment from the Northern Pacific Railroad
company as a civil engineer, and for two
wears took part in locating surveys for
that corporations main line through the
Rocky mountains in Montana across the
plains Of the Columbia. down the north bank
of Puget sound, and across the Cascade
mountains by many routes. He also explored
for the Northern Pacific company the eastern
slope Of the Rocky range, from the Deer
Lodge pass to the north Of the ASSInaboins
river. for coal iron and copper. and
hunted the east bank of the Missouri
river. above Bismarck, for bitumlnous
coal During all this adventurous. and then
most dangerous service, he had a !, 4b acre
farm in Kansas and on it a wife and a baby.
These finally pulled him out OF engineering
and he settled down in Kansas TO raise cattle
and grow wheat Being mighty hunter, he
enlivened the terribly tame business Of cattle
raising with bird shooting on the pralries and
elk hunting on the Rocky mountains, as
well as a little prospecting for gold and sil-
yer, and much consorting with hunters and
prospectors in the Medicine Bow range, He
frequently wrote his experiences for The
Sun, of this city. sketches that will be long
and pleasantly remembered by ali who read
them Finally he freed himself from the
Kansas ranch by leasing it, and bought
A gold placer in the Douglas min
ing district in Wyoming territory.
in sight Of the high Rabbit Ear
neak. and Dur hased a deserted log palace
on the bank Of a roaring mountain stream,
furnished and stocked it, and settled down
with his wife and two boys to enjoy life
nationally. and wash out gold in the inter
walls when he WAS not deep in the forest with
his blankets and rife Altogether, he lived
on the plains and in the Rocky mountains
fourteen wears. Eastern by birth and nur-
ture. he is western in every fiber OF his bodv.
In 1874. to get near to his father, whom he
tsnderIv loves and who lives in New ork
CITY, he built house in Bridge Hampton, at
the east end Of Long Island. There ne now
resides. But he yet owns the gold placer and
the log palace in the Medicine Bow noun
tains, and elk and deer and beaver come into
his sleep, and nightly he hears the voices oil
the forest calling to him to come home.
Mr. Wilkeson is a man Of tremendous phys
ical force as well as strong and fine mentality
He has large physique, handsome head
set on a neck like a massive column OF brown
stone. big clear eyes full of kindness, and q
voice rich and deep and full Of sweet tones
snch a voice as no man not honest and kindly
couId be gifted with He could be what is calleC
great if ne chose to figure where the world
prizes are offered He has the force anc
canacity to achieve extraordinary things
He has, however, chosen to live out of th'
contest as much as possible With hi
family, his dogs, guns and love of natur'
and natures wildnesses b. finds deeper JOY
than the strife of life affords.
, He writes only when the mood seiZes him
: and never To order, many unlucky soul
are compelled to do He makes recreation
rather than a profession of it For tina
reason what he does write has force AM
freshness that make themselves felt
He is pleasing talker, with fund OF rlci
, experiences of a kind not common: but II
conversation he is modest and deferrntlal-
never egOtisticaL With the exception o
Prentice milford, | know no writer VIII
loves the wilderness 50 well, or who has ha'
50 much experience in wild life, in the noun
famous mining districts Yet both tues
men have more warm sympathy with theI
fellow men than one often finds IN those VIII
call themselves phianthroplsts. Botr ar
thinkers on the problems that affect thu wei
fare of humanity. and are always OF tn
humanitarian side Both, too, were aOr1
and brought up in the east, and both ar
: western by nature in every particular.
: Mr. Wiikeson's chirography is As neat an
p perfect as pen can make it His man usCrip
Is JOY 10 editors, and his private letters ar
models Of courtesy and kindness. He ex
pects to go to the Rocky mountains on
Tong trip during the coming summer, an'
will treat the public to some more charming
+ pictures Of wild western life.
GERTRUDE GARRISON.