St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-19
ON THE FIRST LADDER RUNG.
His Marriage, Early Political Life
aud Final Split With Douglas.

His Marriage, Early Political Life
aud Final Split With Douglas.
Now, from this point on the history OF
Senator Pamer's life is the stormy
political and military history of the
country during the years which pre-
teded and included the war Of the re-
bellien. There is but one other purely
personal matter to record and that is
The event which brought into the Sena-
tors life, one of whom the old man
cannot speak even now, without qua
yer in his voice. although 1T is nearly
seven years since she was laid away III
her last sleep, ard he. by whose side
she walked for nearly half
century, is married. and happily
married, for the second time. 1t
was one morning sitting III
his new law Office in Carlinsvllle that
the yellow-haired young lawyer caught
the first glimpse Of her. She had such
wonderfully rosy cheeks, her eyes were
30 very black and lustrous, and the
curls which shaded each side of the
laughing face we're so amazingly soft
and glossy, that Blackstone and
Coke and dreams Of forensic
strife went kiting out of John
Nj. Palmer's head, and be had but one
pyermastering object in life from that
moment, and that object was to make
pretty Melinda Ann Nicely his wife.
Her father was very poor. but that did
rot make any difference: and she was
only fourteen years old, but that aid not
make any difference. John Palmer
went straighttu Melinda and won her
loyal little heart, and then went
straight to her father and asked if he
might have her for wife. Il EsS
1t was at early candle-light on the
evening of Dec. 20, 1912, that the we'd
ding took place.
He rented house right away and paid
t3 Il month for 1t. Then he borrowed
horse of Sam Keller aad put dry goods
box on runners and drove to Alton
for household goods. He paid
$3.50 for fifty pounds of sugar.
S250 for twenty-five and a half
pounds of coffee. and lie bought tea
kettle. a coffee pot, 4 skillet and a fry
Ing-pau. The BRIDES black eyes danced
Jolly iigs as one after another all these
treasures were pulled out of the dry
goods box sleigh, but they fairly blaZcd,
and the breath came in quick. short
gasps. when John revealed the real treas
ure Of the Oatlit-a beautiful tea-set, all
of real China, and all around the edges
were gilt bands and tiny sprigs OF blue
flowers 1t is a historical fact that John
Palmer was then and there openly
kissed No, Senator Palmer probably
nevvr Las been quite so happy as he
was in those days. away back on the
dim shore of the past, now with the sea
OF time breaking over reef or graves
between.
But John had som ething else todo be-
sides sitting around and thinking what
a lucky dog he was. The day after he
furnished his house he drove fourteen
miles and tried law suit. 1t was about
q hog, and he got So for it-that is he got
g. worth of cornmeal, reckoned at %
cents bushel. Things prospered with
him right along. The same winter he
took in no less than $50 bushels of corn
in fees and sailed down thousand
pounds Of pork. Soon after he bought
o house Of his own, and paid for it. Il
eome of debt-paying family"
he remarked once. So he does,
and he has always kept up the
family reputation in that respect
Among the early acquisitions he had
made in the furniture way was cradle.
Soon after he got into the new house
the cradle began to get in It's Work.
Josiah Ryan made this cradle, and it is
in the Palmer family now, and is doing
brisk business Ill the grandchildren
line.
But long before this John Palmer had
taken an active part in politics. The
campaign of 1910 was hot one. Wings,
with coons and log cabins, were BOOM
ing things for Harrison. Stumping and
speechmaking were going on every
where. Stephen A. Douglas was in the
field and John Palmer was with him
shoulder to shoulder, making things
warm for the Wings wherever they
crossed swords with them.
In 1S42 Palmer developed that spirit
of independence which has marked his
entire political career. He fatty re-
fused to support certain Democratic
candidates because he did not think
they were fit men to put into Office. He
was called all sorts Of names-turn-
coat, traitor and mugWump, maybe
hut he stuck to his guns.
lie made his first crop of politi-
cal enemies, but he had friends behind
him who were All army with banners.
The very next year, 1913, they elected
him probate Judge of Macoupin county
by over 400 majority.
In the meantime his law practice grew
handsomely. When Palmer was up at
Springfield to pass that remarkable
law examination he strayed into a
public hall one night. There