The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-20
BRICE Paying CORPSE.
GOOD STORIHS OF THE NEW OHIO
SENATOR's BOYHOOD DAYS.

Els Habitual U9 of Chewing Tobacco
and How it Broke Up a Solemn Ger
emony and tn. Participators in It
Millions Now, hut With Few Small
Coin Then-His gondness for Books
and the Way n, Captured South
erner During the War.
(Copyiglted.)
New YORK, Jan. lS.-As millionaire.
railroad magnate, and chairman of the
national democratic Committee, the career
of Calvin S. Brice Ohio's new United
States senator from New York, is pretty
well known. OF his arlier career and per
sonal characteristics ne general public has
heard less, probably. than about those of
any man whose name has become promi-
nent. Even here n New York, where
he has been such familiar
figure, comparatively few persons
are aware that he was reared at
Lima and educated at Miami university in
the state which has just bestowed distin-
0uished honor uponhim by choosing him as
is representative inthe halls of the national
legislature. Yet NJ. Brice's individuality
as a lad was striking and there are many
interesting anecdot@ of his schooldays. No
one tells better storis of the new Ohio SEN
ator than Mr.. w. II Hollingsworth, now
editor of the SigourBey (Iowa) Reuie1o. but
well known to manyNew Workers. He has
been acquainted witt Brice since boyhood.
They we're at school ind in Miami univers-
ity together from 1S5 to 1862.
Brice was about Ii years old when he
entered Miami university, but looked no
more than TO- EditG Hollingsworth de-
scribes him as small, red-headed terribly
freckled boy with erormous ears, but to
offset these unpreposessing features there
was a genial twinkb in his eyes which
seemed TO say, you'll like me better when
we're better acquainted" His freckles had
formed a trust all onone side of his mouth,
but in the other chek he wore large
chew of tobacco to phserve, as he explained
it TO the boys, a proDer equilibrium with
the bunch Of freclles. He was called
"Bricey" by his schotl fellows.
Singularly enough, i'm view of the wealth
he has since acquired "Bricey's" exchequer
in those days was wonderfully slim. Some
times he hadn't any 1t was the exception
when he had as many nickels for pocket
money as he has millions now. He
was the son of a Presbyterian minister
at Lima, who did not believe in
making spenGhrifts of college boys
The money for young Brice's education
was, Therefore, intrusted to Prof.
Bishop, better known among the students
as "Old Bobby The professor paid Brice's
tuition and boird bills after rigid exami-
nation of the accounts, but he honored no
sight drafts, and Brice's check for a
quarter ON "Od Bobby" would have gone
to protest unlss accompanied by vouchers
that the moIey had been spent for some
thing more nedful than chewing tobacco
No boy, sats Editor Hollingsworth, ever
went through college on less money; no boy
ever had bdter time, and no boys hnan-
cial credit ever was better with both stu
dents and faulty. He was not sponge or
beat, hardpressed as he often was for
funds. He never borrowed 25 cents that he
didn't pay back. Knowing it was easier to
get so cents with saw and buck in some
bOdy's woodward than by striking "Old
Bobby,n Irice has been known to take that
laborious exercise. He used to say it devel-
oped the muscles of the chest, and that his
lungs weren't very strong, anyway.
Indeed, Editor Hollingsworth says Mr..
Brice rather enjoyed his poverty as boy.
Being something of a philosopher he used
TO amuse the other boys by grave disserta-
tons OF the evils of great wealth, when he
Still young Brice had a shrewd eye for
turning a penny now and then. He was
always buying, selling or trading some
thing. He would trade anything ne had
and was generally lucky. He would bet,
too, on anything except a game of cards,
and he was considered the best card player
in the college, especially in games where
memory and calculation were required.
"What Providence was thinking about
when it bestowed wealth on Mr.. Brice in
recent years / can't understand" says
with the faculty of getting along without
money, and then to heap millions upon him,
against the eternal fitness Of things,
as viewed from an Iowa country editors
Perhaps somebody told Brice
he couldn't get rich, and he did it just
to show that he could. I am sure
of one thing, that had any fellow thirty
years ago offered to bet paper of tobacco
that Brlce couldn't accumulate $4,000, 900
in twenty years, Brice would have tried to
win that tobacco, and come mighty near
doing it, too. Ii any influence beneath the
surface helped him to get the Ohio senator
ship, the chances are that it was not Doodle,
but paper of tobacco bet on the result
Speaking of Mr. Brice's fondness for to-
bacco led to the narration of this amusing
anecdote: Brice, Hollingsworth, John n.
Irwin, now of Keokuk, Ia, and Max Wood
hull, of Washington, d. c., were members
of the same Greek letter fraternity at
Miami university. Brice was the only one
who would take the part Of the corpse in a
coffin used at limitations. The coffin had
been made by Hollingsworth in barn near
the university, and, as lumber was scarce it
was a very short coffin. On the
night in question Woodruff was pre-
siding with ponderous tome on
his knees, from which he was to
read the service of initiation. Around his
head futtered winged skull with Jets of
flame issuing from the eyes. Lights were
pallor on the other members standing in a
circle around the coffin, with cowls over
their heads. Brice his face smeared with
flour and ochre, had squeezed himself into
the coffin and adjusted the white grave
cloth under his chin. When he had settled
down, as grim a corpse as professional
tuneral-goer would wish to see, he remarked
TO Woodruff:
Remember how my poor toes are being
pinched, Max, and bite the reading off
short"
Then the neophyte was ushered in and
his eyes unbandaged as he was made to
kneel upon the coffin. 1t was the part of
the corpse to extend hand, which had been
held on piece of ice under the coffin lid,
and grasp the hand of the neophyte
when the command was given: LET
the dead welcome the nvingp But
tnat night Brice varied the programme
In way that "broke up" the ceremonies
ana all hands. The initiation was proceed