The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-03-13
MRS. IEAsE OF KANSAS.

Mrs. LEASE OF KANSAS.
q success OF a Remarkable wes-
tern Woman. 44
e story of Mrs.. Leases advent In
les Is Interesting. With her hus-
and her children she lived on q
III kingman county. One day
8 i'm Wichita and l~eisurely
into @ union labor convention.
rrequestedft to make q speech.
ad never before attempted to
In public,3 but the calls were so,
Ient and earnest that she resolved
:. For half anihonr she surprised
,lf, as we'll as her audience, maxi
fspeech that fairly started her on
,road Of fame and fortune. d
Soon after this the Lease family re-
owed to iWichita, where the, husband
modest salary he received in that
capacity supported his family, which
Consisted of histwife and four children.
Through the influence of his wife he
vas subsequently made manager OF q
leading Wichita drug store, but the
proprietors having disposed OF the
business, he was thrown out of employ
ment, since, which time he has been q
gentleman Of leisure. About q year
ago Mrs. Lease purchased a handsome
home in O fashionable residence part
of the city and turned it over to the
management of her husband. Two
elderly female servants are employed,
who are paid by Mrs. Lease, but MIR,
Lease has entire control of the estab-
lishment during his wife's absence,
which is maintained in the best pos
sible style. Since he lost his position
Mr., Lease has looked after the minor
details Of caring for his wife's property
and the children, while Mrs. Lease has
been travelling about the country
delivering lectures, making political
NaCches and acting as q member of
vhe State board Of charities.
About a year ago Mrs. Lease became
interested in the subject of hypnotism.
+, She. made q study of the science, her
ambition being to acquire hypnotic
& power. With this object in view she
engaged the services OF a professor who
has been giving exhibitions through the
State. He pronounced her q good sub
ject, and claims to have developed
Mrs. Lease dislikes to talk of her hyp-
motto powers, but admits hat she has
given the subject Of hypnotism much
study and thought.
People in Kansas have ceased to
wondera at anything Mrs. Lease says or
does. Her political career has been a
series of sensations. She is constantly
in search Of something to say or do
that will attract attention to her, She
came into prominence in the cam
paign OF 1880, wlren her speeches preg-
liant with bitter ~invective and sarcasm
caused many to compare her methods
with those OF Senate Ingalls,, whom
she took great satisfaction in abusing.
Her success as a speaker consisted
more in arousing the enthusiasm of her
pactisans than in making converts.
Up to and including the campaign of
1882 she was the idol of her party, and
was called By Peoples party papers
the modernJoan of Arc. Her influence
In arty1councils was greater than that
OF any other half dozen persons.
Few men leaders had the temerity
to cross her path, and her wishes
always commanded respect, at least
b, in her presence, for no n wished to
invite the sting of her sharp tongue
by opposing. A few tried it while She
was In the height of her popularity
with disastrous results. Her success
turned her head. and she began to use
her power in such a bold manner that
friends deserted her and enemies
crush her. Gov. Lewelling opened
the battle by attempting to remove
her from the State board of charities
to which he had appointed her. She
fought back, repealed to the Supreme
Court and came out of the fray victO-
rious. She Is still president of the
board, and will remain in that position
until April, when the places now held
bytwo Republicans will become vacant.
They will be filed by Populists OF the
Governors choosing whom he can rely
IrNNnf fNN pnnrpro yto~ fha HINaul H..
ducing Mrs. Lease to the ranks, and
deprive her of all influence in the
management of the charitable institu-
tions OF the State.
Mrs. Lease delights to talk of her.
sell and her achievements. She says
that if she were q man she could easily
be the acknowledged intellectual giant
of the Peoples party. In an interview,
in speaking Of her oratorical ability,
she said 81 believe [ owe whatever
power have in this line to parental
exile. He was banished from Ireland
and he fled to America, with q price
set upon his head, and his property
confiscated to the English crown. I
: was the first child born from my exiled
parents in America. My earliest re-
collections are filled with a struggle
against every form of injustice that
came in my little world. | was LIBERAL
ly educated and finished at ALLEGHENY
University, and when fifteen years old
/ left school. The poor wages paid
women aroused me and when | began
teaching, scarcely more than q child,
L rebelled against this and started a
movement in northern Pennsylvania
and southern New York for better
wages for women teachers. Hearing
that women were paid better in the
West, | anne to Neoso county, Kan,
when [ was seventeen years old, and
taught at Usage Mission, whore | mot
Mr.. Lease and afterwards married
him. A few years later Mr.. Lease
got an idea thai we could do better
on q farm, so we moved away out West
to Kingman county and took up q
claim. / lived in the very midst of
of the desert. 1t was solitary and
desolate, and there was no society but
our children and no companions but
our lonely thoughts. 1t was an awful
life, dreary, mo%notonous, hard, bleak,
and uninspiring. Afterthat we moved
to Wichita, whore | took up the study
of law with Ely & Mcmahon. | did
not go to the office much, but Mr.. Eby
came TO our house and heard me recite.
When | was admitted to the bar and
made my first address to the jury the
court room was crowded. My first
real public appearance was in Kansas
City, in 1888, where | delivered the
address of welcome at q labor confer
ence. and whiDDed MIR. POwder1v. who