Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-06-08
CLINTON BOWEN FISK,
The Boyhood of a Prospect
i've Presidential Cam
didate.
How the Son Of Blacksmith Rose
to the Enjoyment of Wealth
and Fame.
a Brave. Bright Las, Who Dc.r,
~ Loved Ills
Mother.

~ HAVtGN HIS
Mother.
That Gen. Clinton Bowen Fisk will be
the Prohibition candidate for President is
as much settled fact among prohibition
lists as the general expectation that Pres
ident will be nominated by his party. The
New York Herald, in its inimitable way,
has been gathering some facts about the
boyhood Of Gen Fisk. The Investigations
are not so thorough as the students who
believe III the philosophy Of environment
would wish, but such sketches are relief
from the formal, digniied, and usually
meaningless accounts of statesmen that find
their way into print. The following is the
story
The first sounds that broke upon his in
iantlle ears were the ringing blows of his
tather ON the village forge Of Gregssville,
aNlttle hamlet in Livingston County, New
York State. The father, Ben Fisk, was
not .olly the blacksmith but the military
oracle of the town, and as he drilled the
home guards he fairly won the title of
Captain. The Captain was poor. 1t was
hard work to set wagon-ti tires and make
horseshoes enough to pay the living ex-
penses of the by no means little family
living in the old-fashioned cottage near BY
the shop.
In spite Of an additional burden imposed
upon him on Dec. 8, 1928, the Captain was
unusually happy. He made the anvil ring
louder than ever. Mrs. Fisk was happy,
too, and proudly exhibited No. 5, as fine
and healthy-looking youngster as one
might wish to see. The new arrival was
called Clinton, after Gov. Dewitt Clinton,
and Bowen, after his mothers family.
49, hn 1,nx,
ever had. She came from "good old New
England stock" and the lad in after years,
when complimented on his success, re-
piled: "Whatever there is in me is due to
my mother"
Before the eyes Of Clinton Bowen Fisk
had got used to the light he was taken to
the widest part of Michigan to live in q
log house among $500 Pottawatomie In
dams. The place where the Fisks settled
was called Clinton, in honor of the bounc-
ing baby. The Captain bought out a
trader, whacked away at the anvil, and
managed to pound out quite little money,
which he put into wild land. The first
thing that ever made an impression on
on the anvil. He used to sit and watch
him by the day.
All were in truth happy in the Fisk fam
lily, for things went we'll until 1882, when
the Captain was called away by the Great
Commander. The loss Of her husband
was indeed o terrible blow to Mrs. Fisk.
She was left entirely alone in o half-civ-
ilized place with six boys. the Oldest Of
whom was not quite IA. To add to her
troubles, her advisers did better with her
husbands wild land about all the property
he left) than she did, and in q short time
she was absolutely in want.
The little family was broken up. The
boys we're bound out to learn trades, all
except baby, who had been born in Mich
| igan, and Clinton, who was then but 8
had to go. Arrangements were made with
Deacon Wright, q worthy old farmer,
to take the lad, and for his work to give
him, when p years old, horse, saddle,
bride, and 5000 in money. Besides
all this, the Deacon was to let the boy go
10 school for three months in each year
for at least four years. "Oh, my! such q
chancew exclaimed Clinton; sI'll go,
mother, Ill 60"
The next morning the lad was put with
his bundle behind the Deacon on his horse,
and as he rode away he looked back to the
log hut. His mother stood in the doorway
waving adieus. Now aud then the corner
of her apron sought her eye, and the boy
he had such chance to become wealthy
and famous at 81.
Hard work on the Deacon's farm occu-
pied the little fellows time pretty much
from morn till night. He was great read
er of books. and, remembering one day
that his mother had told him Of the bene-
fits of circulating library in her New
England home, the boy decided to estab-
ish similar institution for the neighbors'
boys.
The librarian was just 10 years old. and
the library was an old shoe box set up in
Deacon Wright's woodshed. But it had a
wealth Of reading matter. The first VOL
ume was torn copy Of Shakespeare, the
owned by farmer. who only used it to
tear out leaves on which to wipe his razor.
The lad hoed corn two days for that farm
or, and the prize was carried home in
triumph and put in the shoe-box library.
By saving the eggs he found young Fisk
got enough money to buy copies of Pill
grims Progress" paradise Lost, and
"Robinson Crusoe." These, with the dill
apidated Shakespeare, were all the books
the library afforded, and the circulation
never got very high.
At the end of three years the boy had
picked up just enough learning to make
MIN munger ZOE HOEe.
The desire of his life at the time was to
possess book from which he could learn
Latin. He had set his heart on getting a
copy of "Anthon's Latin Lessons" but
had no money to buy it, or friends to in
dulge his wish.
One day the lad caught a wild coon. By
dint of hard work and patience Mr.. Coon
was soon taught many wonderful tricks.
Soon alter the coon's education was COM
pleted young Fisk heard that Sands circus
was to show in jackson. twelve miles
away. He started to walk to that town,
not to see the circus, but to sell his pet for
money TO- buy the coveted volume. The
errand was successful. The lad, little
sorry for the loss of his coon, but happy
at being able to purchase the Latin les
sons, fairly ran the twelve miles hemeward
to the bookstore.
There was no one in the village to teach
him Latin, but that made no difference.
He studied alone by the log light in the
fireplace at night, and in the day took to
the fields slips Of paper on which he had
copied his next lesson. The slips served
twofold purpose: they could be easily
held on the pillow handle as the horses
logged along and they did not attract the
attention of the watchful farmer, who soon
would have put an end to that kind Of
schooling.