Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-03
rhurman's Boyhood.

ing the "reminiscences of the Judges
early characteristics.
i II guess Iknew Al Thurman about as
soon as any one after he reached this
town" !" said one. "Why, man alive, /
kicked him all around the school-yard
one day, about sixty-five or seventy
wears ago. That amt all, either, he
kicked me all around the same yard the
very next day. Twas just because we
were such fast friends that we took such
playful liberties with each other.
"Al wasn't born here; his folks moved
out here from Virginia when he was
about six years old. Fine folks, those
Thurmans-m to principle. They
believed the declaration of independ-
ence meant what it said, so Thurman's
folks made themselves poor by setting
their slaves free in Virginia, so AIS
father didn't bring much but q good
name to Ohio with him. He was so
poor that he had to go to school-teach-
ing for a living, and Al was one of his
first pupils. You'd think from his
looks that as boy he must have been
a bouncer, but he wasn't; he was quite
delicate, thin and pale, and always
rather undersized until near manhood.
| IlCNCl puO Oi oilot oiA1
but he showed his Virginia blood from
the first by always being high-toned
and honorable about everything. He
didn't make any fuss about 1t. He
simply did whatever he should for the
simple reason that it was the thing
that ought to be done. Most boys
have streaks of meanness where you
least expect it. Bad blood will show
in early life in boys, as we'll as colts, if
any of it is in them, but Al. Thurman
hadn't any, so how could he show it?
Why, sir, he not only had Virginia
father-I know what that means, for
Tam Virginian myself-but his moth
er was one of the North Carolina Aliens,
q family that no body can say word
against, except that they weren't Vir-
ginians.'
Pm told that the elder Thurman
was licensed TO PREACH" said the cor
respondent, $50 supposed the Senator
was very religious when boy"
HE SLEPT IN CHURCHES.
"You do, eh? Then you never heard
the old Joke about preachers sons. OF
course, AL always went to church, and
pll bet my bay mare to q dollar bill
| UllaG 10 GnlS udy hc SOU illuAO Va S'S
essence of religion in him than you
could get out of a hundred sermons OF
average size; but the best use he could
find for his corner of the family pew In
church was to 60 to sleep In 1t. All that
the sermon contained he had heard
from boyhood around the family fire.
place at night and at family prayers, so
| he Just side-trapped himself into
dreamland as soon as the singing and
praying were over and the long talk
began" ,.,,
"Was he good-natured? How did he
treat his little brothers?"
"He hadn't any brothers-all his
brothers were sisters, of whom he had
two. One of them died early of con-
sumption, and Al would have gone the
same way if some men who saw he was
good enough to save hadn't done
everything in their power to get him
away from books and into the open air
Some of them took him on long hunt
ing trips; others coaxed him to logging
camps, where he would be showed ur
and have to sleep in the open air for {
week, and wake up every morning will
an appetite like an alligator. Why, W
to the time that he was II years old
his head was nearly as broad as hi
shoulders. That's no way for states
man to grow, you know"
"Was he fond of the girls?"
"He-Al? Nonsense! The idea"
"Better tell about that little aftail
with the French girl, Ben," said one o
the party.
"She came here with her father,
continued the narrator, "who had beer
! a Catholic priest, fallen in love, left tn
church, married and lost his wife al
within a single year. He reached
America and went West to grow NJ
with the country, but a big tract of LAM
he bought without first looking at
proved to be about the worst kind O
undrained bog. To make ends meet b
offered to start a French class here il
.. Chillicothe, but his only pupil I beliv
was Allen. AS the class, such as it was
met at the teachers house, and Al me
the little girl-let's see, | think he
. name was Victoire-he couldn's hel
: seeing great deal of her, and as sh
, was entirely different from him i
r every respect they became very war;
friends. She was cunning, sprightl
little thing I've been told-entirely un
:, like our native girls who had bee
: brought up on malaria. fat pork an
: prayer-meetings-and when at last he
father pulled up stakes and went
8 New Orleans, where he could find som
i. of his fellow w-countrymen, and the littl
: girl went with him, Al was quite NOPE
0 for months"
Q "But he at least learned to spea
a French"
\ "I'm not so sure about that. AS nes
: as can learn the old Frenchman didn
= teach AL much, except to take snuff.
. the boy learned any French guess h
q has forgotten it, but the snufftakin
a habit has stuck to him like tar to
= darkey's WOOL"
THAT RED BANDANNA.
u "Did he always carry the red bant
anna handkerchief when he was
o boy?
!. "I've no doubt that he did. He like
j the best of everything. He followe
the scriptual injunction to prove q
things, hold fast to that which is good
Well, red bandanna handkerchiets we
n the best that were made in those day
J, they're the best yet, for what man
3 any character would be found browne
$ with little square white rag in h
o handkerchief pocket, such as evel
r corner loafer now carries to flip at IL
4 girls who pass by?"
:. "I'll bet If you were to open schO
"a in YOUR neighborhOOd TODAY and 90