The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-23
THURMAN AND HIS UNCLE.
GOSSIP AND STORY ABOUT SOME OF
THE OLD STATESMEN OF OHIO.
Allen q. Thurman's Quarrel with Bill
Allen-Thurman's Boyhood-His Char
scter and Blaine's Euicgy Of Him-How
He Lives at Columbus.
Especial Correspondence.l


He Lives at Columbus
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June 21.-l met Allen q.
,Thurmans son here at Washington the
other day. He Is tall. broad shouldered'
Sue looking fellow Of IS. who has nothing
of the political bent Of his father. He
told me that Judge Thurman was very
well. that he Is now living in his new
house at Columbus and that his health Is
better than 1t has been for years. met
Senator Thurman at the convention of
1884. which nominated Cleveland. and in.
teryiewed him as to his condition at that
time Chicago was filed with politicians,
and not few Of them went about with
red bandanna handkerchiefs tied about
their hats In honor of the Ohio senator.
Mr.. Thurman was receiving calls by the
hundreds, and he had stood the siege YER,
well. He told me that he weighed 24O
pounds and he had the stomach OF an os-
trich. lie was undoubtedly much disap
pointed In not getting the nomination,
though this years convention has In some
measure made up for the past, and his
life during he past ten years has not been
one of roses.
He was brought up in Chillicothe, o.,
and was nephew Of Senator VIII
liam Allen. Allen did great deal tor
him. but foud arose between them, and II
was. il is said. the lack of Aliens SEAPORT
that prevented Thurman from getting the
presidential nomination at the time Iilden
was nominated. | met relative OF Bill
Allen at Chillicothe some time ago and had
long tall; with him about the Allen
Thurman feud. He told me " began ID
1873 and 1t came from Thurman's desire
for the presidency. This was the year
that Allen was elected governor OF
Ohio The Democratic party was in bad
way and Thurman wanted n re selection to
the senate. Allen had gone into retire
ment at his Fruit Hill farm, and when he
was asked il he would accept the nomina-
ton. he said that he did not care for the
governorship of Ohio. 1t was nothing
bat place for the signing OF
justice of the peace commissions, and
it was only blank petit larceny office,
anyway 1t was not until just before the
convention met that Allen consented to
take the nomination, and he finally &C
cepted it only because of a telegram which
Thurman sent him asking him to take the
place for his sake and for the sake OF the
party The story of the campaign is well
known. 1t put Allen to the front i'll Ohio
politics and Thurman fell to the rear
Talk at once sprang up Of the advisability
of nominating Allen for the presidency IN
1876. but Thurman in the meantime had
grown jealous and gave him no active
lsupport in this second campaign for the
governorship.
, The result was that when Thurman was
: q candidate for the presidency at ST Louis
Allen did not offer him his support and
the other elements of the Ohio Democracy
went against him The Payne and Jewett
factions had their own candidates In the
field and Tilden got the nomination.
The above story | give for what 1t Is
worth The man who told it had the pos
session of all of Aliens papers, and there is
no doubt in his mind but Thurman would
have been presidential candidate long
ago had he courted rather than sighted
his uncle ~
Senator Thurman Is, however, q greater
man than was the noted Fog Horn"
Allen lie is broader minded. better edu
Gated and more highly cultured. Allen
was a sort of rough diamond, whose
polishing was all done In the school OF
active politics He had one of the strong.
est voices that was ever heard In the
United States senate, and he was known
here as Fog Horn Allen or the Ohio Gong
Senator Edmunds says Thurman is the
greatest lawyer In the United States Ii
was at Chillcothe that he first studied
law. and there are citizens at Chillieothe
who remember him as boy. | met one
Of these during recent visit there, and !
asked him what kind Of child young
Thurman was He replied:
ALLEN g. Thurman's father was named
Pleasant Thurman. He was travelling
Methodist preacher. and when he came
here he settled down and took up the
business Of wool carding and spinning
He brought his boy Allen and his wife
with him. and young Allen Thurman was
rather fine looking boy, with big head
and fairly good face. His head was a
little too big for his body and he was not
what you call beauty. The Thurman fam
ily were poor, as were most preachers
families in those days. and Allen mother
taught school to help fill the family pocket
book She was bright woman, and 1t
was from her that young Allen got his
first instruction He afterwards went to
the Chillicothe academy, which was then a
VERY good school He then got position
in the postofIice here as a clerk. and while
dealing out letters learned surveying.
He then studied law and practiced till he
went into politics. He spent all his boy
hood here and he had made something OF
% reputation when lie went to Columbus
to live" e..
VIVA, kind Of man was Senator
Allen asked.
1--WE call him Bill Allen down here,
was the reply "and we all liked him. He
lived most Of the time at his farm near
here and his grave is over there in the
cemetery His wife lies. there too and
Allen thought everything of her. She
,died at Washington while he was in con
igress. 1t was before the days Of railroads
and he carried her body home over the
mountains. riding on horseback beside the
wagon in which they put tho coffin. He
sat up every night with the corpse and he
had his Little daughter along with him.
This daughter is now married and she
lives here The senator and his wife liz
side by side over there in the graveyard. y
DR.. Scott. who was Bill Aliens son-in