Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-01
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY.
A Former Partner of Gen. Earley's
Tells of His Friendship to the Work
lngmen.

QlQate FEafley 5 paper Such letters
seem to be the order of the day and
having known Mr.. Farley perhaps as
long and as well as any one I'D the dis
trict / concluded / would write one
also.
Some OF you perhaps may say that
/ have some personal grievances to
state, and | frankly admit that | have,
as has many others who have known
the General during the last twenty
years, and been slightly mixed up in
business with him as Ihave. Somedo
not have the courage to assert wrongs.
but | have, especially at time like
this, when the affairs Of our country
are liable to be impaired by remaining
silent.
Who is this man Farley that we
hear so much about being a great phil
anthropist, friend to the poor, an
honest man, good citizen, etc. Ny
first knowledge of him dates back to
the time when he came to the West
Branch OF the Susquehana river at
Williamsport, Pa. | think about the
year 1865. | had heard of him, how
ever, about one year prior to this,
when he was engaged in the business OF
talking against the draft and diseour-
aging enlistments to the Yankee
Army" as he termed it in the south
ern tier counties of New York state.
So active part did he take In this
nefarious business that he wasdubbed
"Jubal" in honor of the great rebel
chieftain and from which he obtained
the title of General" he so fondlv
wears. To say that it makes him vain
or fatters him to call him General
does not half express it. Before this it
used to be "Old Hank" [ must con-
TESS, however, that think he was duly
entitled to and dearly earned it, be-
cause he was one of the rankest cop
perheads or rebels there was in all that
section of the country. The first time
| ever saw him he was pointed out to
me as the ''Rebel General Juhal
Farley" Now he has the brazen eff
frontery, as candidate for Congress,
to get up before an audience in Chip
pewa Falls and tell them if he was
elected he would vote to have the sur
plus divided among the old soldiers,
and that it would be the happiest mo-
ment of his life. Oh, such demagogery
| Wouldn't he be a sorry looking spec
tacle in the democratic party voting
money to the Union soldiers who dur
ing their term of service he was pleased
to call ''abolitionists" or "Lincoln
hirelings" Perhaps he meant to di-
vide it among the grey coat fellows. l
next knew him as a lumberman, anda
member OF the firm OF Brown, Farley
& Co., where he flew pretty high for a
while, but soon began to fall from his
lofty perch. A part Of his history some
of you are familiar with beginning with
the old Union Lumber Co., of Chippe-
wa Falls. The next we knew Of him in
Pennsylvania he was bankrupt, and it
was whispered about the street that it
was his brother, Dr. Chas. Farley, OF
Ridgeway, Pa, to whom he had trans
ferred his property. At any rate he
got pretty we'll out with the Browns
for a long time, and to the writer he
charged them with robbing him, say
ing that he had never even lived out
of the business and they had always
got the money.
His next venture was planning mill
doing a bankrupt business where he
was paying his men in store orders and
due bills until he was indebted to some
OF them for nearly years wages.
What the men did get the merchants
would charge double prices for, as they
were i'll doubt about the pay. As a
natural consequence came failure No
2, followed soon after by the burning
of the mill, in which suspicion pointed
so strong toward some one that the
Insurance companies contested the in
surance and the General" told me he
never got anything.
Next the democratic party were in
want OF some one to make the canvass
for Congress in that district. Who
ever he might be he would only becon
sldered tigurehead as there was no
hope Of electing him, but the man Ear
ley's vanity got the better of him and
he was made the figurehead Hence,
those pictures we so often see of the
General" that were paraded be-
fore the public a good many years ago,
and are doing good service for the
same purpose yet. The result that
time was about the Sorse beat man
on the ticket In a few years he hobs
up in Wisconsin again. Is instrument
tai in organizing the Lafayette Lum-
Der company which was very short
lived, and failure No. 3 drops down
upon him We sometimes saw the
third time is the charm, but | don't
believe this third time OK another that
| will mention has any charms for him
Bank account over1rawn, notes past
due, attachments laid upon logs and
lumber all along the river wherever
they could be found, for labor, stump
age and other bills that he had been
standing parties off for or could not
pay He bad to look to his friends
and relatives In these trying times and
invite them to the rescue. Some of
the latter responded and he has been
able to continue with even more sue
cess than [ think he ever anticipated.
But mark you he still had an ambi-
ton to 60 to congress and and has it
yet After he had virtually left the
state of Pennsylvania, the democracy
OF his old district were again unable to
find any one who was willing to take
the empty honor of running for con-
gress on their ticket. When, behold,
our same old General says, Though
l have not departed from. you, yet will
return and again beyour candidate.
Something we have never heard of be-
fore-a Wisconsin man running for