Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-02-02
JUDGE MARTIN.
Brief sketch of the New Kansas Senator
aid His Antecedents.

Judge John Martin comes from long
and illustrious line of ancestors-law-
yers, statesmen, public officials, soldiers
The revolutionary war, the Mexican
| war, the war of the rebellion, carried
in their ranks heroic men who bore his
name.
One evening during the siege of Au-
gusta and Cambridge in the revolution
airy war intelligence came to Grace and
Rachel Martin, the wives of John Mar
! tins great uncles, that courier, with
important messages, was to pass that
night, guarded by two British officers
At the risk of their lives they waylaid
| the party in a dark part of the Forest
through which the road passed, and so
| suddenly attacked them as to give them
no time for thought or action. The
whole party were taken prisoners
paroled and allowed to go, after giving
up their dispatches, which were sent by
a trusty messenger to Gen. Green.
John Martins grandfather took an
active part in the revolutionary war.
| His father was native of Sou tn Caro-
lima While yet young man he moved
to Tennessee, where John Martin was
born. November IL, 1888, being native
| of Wilson county. The boy received
|
schools near home, working atintervals
on the farm. But all his aims and de-
sires were for political life, and he was
soon found divorced from mercantile
pursuits, having been appointed chief
clerk in the post Office at Lebanon,
Tenn He had already commenced the
study of law under Judge Caruthers,
| professor of law in the university.
| In the winter of 1854, in company
with Maj B. j. Newson, who had ma
! terially assisted him in his law studies,
| the young man concluded to go to
| Texas, but learning from Hon. Rush
Gilmore, who had just boon appointed
one of the United States district judges
| for the new territory, that he (Judge
! ElInore) intended to reside permanently
! in Kansas, the two concluded to make
! that their home. In March, 1855, they
/ came on from Nashville with Judge Ell
more. On the evening of March 81,
they arrived at Kansas City and the
next day went to the old Methodist
| Shawnee mission, taking up their quar-
| tiers with Rev. Thomas Johnson. then in
charge OF the Indian school. Here they
met Gov Reeder, Judge Saunders, w.
! Johnston, Marcus j. Parrot, NJ F.
! Conway, Daniel Woodson. then secre-
! tary OF the territory, and other proTni-
nent gentlemen.
! On April Judge Gilmore and Mr..
! Martin went to Tecumseh, where the
| latter determined to locate. Mr. Mar
| tin was elected assistant clerk of the
! territorial legislature which convened
! at Pawnee July A. 1855; commissioned
, county clerk and register of deeds OF
| Shawnee county in October, 1855; ad-
mitted to the bar at Tecumseh Dccem-
! Der 3. 1856; appointed by the board OF
| county commissioners county clerk and
! ex-officio register of deeds for Shawnee
! county, which office he held until Jan
! uary, 1853; also United S tatcs district
! attorney during these years; March 6,
! 1850, reporter of the supreme court of
! the territory.
| In September, 1876, he was unani.
mously nominated for governor by the
democratic state convention, and. al
! though defeated, the campaign was
triumph for his party. In January of
the same year he had received the full
party vote for United States senator.
During the campaign of 1882 Mr.. Martin
was nominated by his party as govern
or of the state, but declined to run upon
! the platform adopted
In January. 1888, Judge Martin was
| appointed judge OF the district court by
! Gov. Click to fill an unexpired term.
J He was elected TO the same Office in
! 1854, defeating Judge Webb. He served
! two years. In 1886 Judge Martin ran
! for congress and in 1888 was the demo
cratic candidate for congress. in both
! Of which campaigns he was d strong
| candidate. though defeated
| During the Price raid he served as
! orderly sergeant of company A, Second
/ regiment, Kansas militia. Mr. Martin
! is an Odd Fellow, friend of education
and an able lawyer. He was married
November IL, 1860, to Miss Caroline
! Clements
Judge Martin owes his election to
! the stand he took in the democratic
! state convention and his work during
! the campaign.
! Judge Martin lives with his wife and
! two Of his children in q one-story cot
! tage at the southwest corner of Eighth
and Harrison streets, Topeka. The
| cottage is small and sets we'll back
from the street in the center of a
| beautiful lawn on one acre For years
| the senator-elect has been regarded as
! one of the prominent citizens who
! must always make a speech on gala
| occasion and occupy one of the fore
! most carriages when a guest of honor
was being shown the sights He is
| both scholarly and urbane, and is re-
! markably popular with men of all
parties. He will not rank as one of the
! rich senators, for his possessions all told
! will not represent S25, 900
! bought .:y the Armour.
ST. Louis. Jan. 27.-On the 1st of the
month the firm of Francis Whitaker s
| Sons will turn over their mammoth
! pork packing esta blishment, located at
! the National stock yards, St Clair
/ county, Ill, to Armour &c Co., of Chica-
| go, who purchased the same last De-
cember. Immediately upon obtaining
! possession OF the plant Armour & Co.
will make important alterations and
; convert 1t into a dressed beef and can
! ming establishment, which will make
/ two of the kind at the National, the
! other one being that of Nelson Morris.
A Republican Protest
| TOPEK Kan Ian cy-Tba r