The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-08-22
Froln$tho American Spectator.
"reminiscences Of Professor R. T,
Humist0n.

- BY A. r. MILLER.
THE BATTLE WITH THE KEa.
One conspicuous episode Of the early
lays of the colony will show the strong |;
viii and determined courage Of Prot.
HumistOn. On the fourth Of July, 1879
,he first national holiday celebrated 1nI
he colony; the anti-temperance eIe-
nent imported several kegs Of beer.
One OF these was placed on the street !
.nd the public invited to partake. The
Professor promptly organized q squad
Of "tappers and miners" aud, with an
axe on his shoulder marched up to the I
offending keg, knocked its head III
and shed the beer in the gutter. 1t was
a bold act aud came near provoking
mob violence. But from that time on
10 one doubted tlie courage of Profess
sor Ruu,i. ton nor lis determination to
maintain the temperance feature at all
hazards. some days sftsr this episode.
aru Before the eAritt nent had fully
uuieted down, the PrctrssOr was called
IL st. Paul. Tho train left soon after
j sni,lni0,,t. and ti.o ..beys" f4snhed 10
take him on Ills 1ayto the tfel.Ot and
give him 4 degree or tNo in rongh hand.
ling. Ex- Governor Miller, the noted
war governor of Minnesota, wAa then
mellIu-r OF the community. discovered
their plans and warned the Professor.
'rheu u council of war WAS held. Inc
office clerk and the writer OF til1s sketcn
volunteered to act as Dooy-g""'u'
and at midnight ARMED with ieVoiVeIs;
they took the middle OF The street ana
marched the Professor IN triumph to
the depot. where he b"arded the tram.
THIS is the only time in Professor
Humiston's s life that he ever carried q
weapon of any kind. At one time.
while he WAS travelling in the Holy
Land, when he had rode on ahead OF
his Larty and had take" shelter during
q storm in a cave between Jerusalem
and Jericho and found himself sudden.
ly surrounded and imp"rtuped by
twelve rough-looking Bedouins, from
whom he escaped by tact aid strategy,
l have often heard him say that IT.
heartily wished for weapons. but IA III
ESCAPED unhaImed he WAS thankful,
ever after, that he had none.
THE FATHER PROVIDES FOR HIS con-
MUNTrY.
One incident will illustrate the ia
therly character aud generosity Vt eae
man.
The fall of 1872, the first in the his.
tory of the colony, sampled the Mime
sofa climate ut It's best. From mid
September to mid November there was
rarely a cloudy day, one long, unbroken
Indian summer, when the hum Ot tht
thresher could be heard for miles, and
the crystalline, frosty nights gave " ia
zor's edge to the appetite. On some OF
the rarsr mornings. the looming mirage
raised leagues of country into view,
and cast an indescribable glamor and
witchery over radius Of fifty miles OF
prajrie. Just the Autumn to Jul the
Inexperienced settler into dcZr! Pro-
fessur Humiston saw that the cOlonista
were unprepafed for winter, aud that
there was not u supply OF fuel on hand
even for the village. IF winter should
shut down, as it sometimes does in the
! northwest with a mighty swoop and al
! over wholming blizzard. there would w
much snfferinR. lie at once sent an
| order for several hundred tons Of coal
The order WAS promptly filed, and the
coal was banked up in y huge heap IN
the hotel yard. Scarcely had the last
load been placed upon the pile, when
on the night OF November 18th, ar
ink-bIack sky shut down over tie
country, like a lid, and before morning
the blizzard WAS on; eighteen degrees
below zero. the v ind blowing and tht
air filed will, snow-tlust as fine as
flour. is correct description. TIT
storm ragged for three days, aid all th'
world WAS under snow. Soon wolt
came that trains had been abandoned
for the winter, and then Professor
Uumiston blessed the Providence tina
prompted him to order he coal: ant
MANY n colonist. before the winter wa
over, blessed both Providence and NJ
agent. TIE major part OF that mass o
fuel was given away. Some could no
pay. and others would not. Men cam
from adjoining counties and asked 10
coal with tears in their eyes. The
were strangers. and had no claims npo
the colony manager: but ne l"ade
their wagons and sent them home r.
joicing. Few, If anv. ever returned I
give thanks even; but the black smok
from that :oal must have gone np Int
heaven and turned into beautiful whit
tents and bowers for the good man
recline in!
. nKAy1Na A BLIZZARD TO sUCCOR
SETTLER.
One more incident IN illustration (
his courage aud generosity.
During the second winter, when or
/ of the worst blizznrds of that seaso
WAS on. word came that u family liviI
! a mile or two out ON the 'open SEA
: WAS destitute, and would suffer hefo
! the storm WIS over. The Profess
t suggested that an effort be made to r
. lieye them, ard agreed to accOnpai
5 him and ntlp to "carry them 4 rope
h After filing u market basket with pr
t visions. we set out, and were soon sws
y lowed up in Il great deep of snow -dul
u For \ mile out the wind was on o
t ''larboard" side, and our path lay alol
r a well-beateu road which we kept, b
!, ing warned back and forth by the we
:. stalks on the sides of the road. Att
= end of the first mile. it WAS ..necesss
70 to turn aud go due north, along
g blind prairie road, which brought
very nearly facing the wind. Then
g real struggle began. The footman "
n faces d blizzard must frequently tn
n his back to the wind to catch his breR
-. He must pause often and wipe the sn
% from his eyes to keep them from fre'
ing shut. He must pick the snow fr
g. his mustache and nostrils to keep fr
n, suffocating. He must founder 4
r struggle through. drifts. and he M
:. walk by judgment and chance. and !
" by sight The wind is sure to be a &.
y. going at u forty-two-f1fty mile g.
to ard bringing the mercury down to
H. below zero. Under such '.strPss
weather. we beat our way to the &
ef tiers ''shanty" and found all safe, y
er. enough -four for another baking: !.
he man never showed any appreciation
or the >'.sacrifice" made to save his fam
y, notwithstanding the fact that the le
'"' er OF the colony took the risk Of be
an lost in q blizzard, and subjected him
he to no little physical discomfort
we suffering, to relieve the family of pl
- ably the least worthy man in the G
81 munity. ..=@7 @ - :.
rd- CHOLERA IN MICHIGAN.