The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-21
7. ". FERRY, OF MICHIGAN
Once a Prominent Man in Pub
lie Life.
NOW ALMOST A RECLUSE.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF THE
EX-SENATOR.
After His Political Downfall in 1883,
He Left His Brother, Z. P. Ferry,
of Utah, to Bring Order Out of
Chaos-A Wrecked Estate.

old-fashioned white house near the
railroad in Grand Haven, one of the
deadest and quietest towns in all
/ Michigan, is a man whose name was
once a household word from the
/ Atlantic to the Pacific: whose fame
was more than national; whose every
action was watched with interest by
the entire world. Once popular,
powerful and famous, he has fallen in
to a seclusion and retirement almost
that of a hermit, and the path to the
portals of the house in which his
father lived before him, which was
once worn deep with the feet Of those
who came from afar TO see him, is
now scarcely distinguishable from the
surrounding ground, says the Wash
! ington Star. This man is ex-senator
Thomas w. Ferry. Broken in health
and spirits, sick at heart for hopes de-
/ ferred, and ambitions unsatisfied, and
with scant fortunes to live on, he is
| a wreck OF his former self. 1t is rare
! ly that he is seen in public, and it has
been long since anybody stopped over
night in the rundown and worn-out
: old town to see him. In conventions
4 his face and figure and voice would
lonce arouse the widest applause and
! enthusiasm, while now he would not
! be recognized by one in ten in any
assembly of the party which he for
merly led, and all this has been the
work Of a dozen brief years.
HIS EARLY HISTORY.
Mr.. Ferry was born in Michigan
! His father was a Presbyterian mis-
sionary, and in early days before
Michigan had become state he went
! to Mackinac Island TO labor among the
Indians. He built the Mission House,
which every visitor to the fairy is
land must have seen, and which still
stands substantially as he left it. In
/ this house Thomas W. Ferry was born
in June, 1927, long before the island
had become famous as a summer re-
sort. The northern climate disagreed
with the missionary's health, and
early in the SOS he moved UP the lake
j TO Grand Haven, at the mouth of
Grand river, then a promising lake
port. There he resumed his pastoral
duties, and on the side became inter
ested in mercantile enterprises and
numbering. The dominic was a ShreWd
old fellow, and laid the foundations for
! the Ferry fortunes, which popular
rumor fifteen years ago placed among
the millions. The ex-senator was
educated in the public schools and
early acquired a. fondness for public
life. He was elected supervisor and
then to the state Legislature. He serv
ed in the House six years, and in the
state senate one term He was Michi-
gan's candidate for vice-president in
the national convention in 1860. He
was four times elected to Congress
from this district and twice elected
United States senator AS a super
visor he made study OF parliament
airy law, and in the legislature, state
senate and in Congress he perfected
himself in the practice and became p
master of the science.
In the Senate he was ever ready on
any question, and upon the death of
Nice-Presid Wilson, a president pro
TEN, of the Senate, he presided over
the deliberations of that body He
was the presiding officer during the
exciting time of the Tilden-Hayes con
test and ascribes the present wrecked
condition of his nerves to the sleepless
nights and intense strain which fell to
his share at that time. He thinks he
saved the country from a renewal of
hostilities, and still preserves, framed
and kept sacred, the pen which he
used in signing the document which
gave the presidency to Hayes.
HIS DOWNFALL.
Mr.. Ferry's downfall came in 1883.
He was a candidate for reelection for
a third term. Jay A. Hubbell, some
of whose upper peninsular schemes
Ferry had antagonized in the Senate,
was bitterly opposed to his reelection
and led the fight against him. Other
influential Republicans in the state
were also opposed to him, and the OPP
position united to kill him off The
Republicans had eighty-one members
on joint ballot, and it required sixty
seven to elect. Senator c. B. Stock
bridge, then a private citizen, was the
leader of the Ferry forces, and 50 con-
f1dent was he of victory that he offer
ed to bet 81 900 TO SO that Ferry would
be elected. Rice a. Beal, a great pow
er in those days, was Stockbridge's
chief lieutenant, and Ed P. Ferry, the
senator's brother, was also on hand
The Republicans called a caucus and
forty-siX of the eighty-one members
signed the call, and six more agreed
to sign it, while nineteen issued a man
ifesto that they would not go into
any caucus or be bound by caucus
rules unless it should be agreed that
SiXty-seven votes would be required to
elect The nineteen resolute boilers
loting began, Ferry was able to COM
mand Sixty-twO votes, but neither
threats nor brides We're sufficient to
swell his tally sheet The balloting
began ON January is, and continued
until March IA. In all eighty-one bal
lois were taken. Inc ellQ OF C1e night
came on the evening of March /, when
on the fifth ballot the Ferry forces be-
gam to weaken and scatter, and before
morning Thomas w. Palmer had been
elected amid scenes Of the widest con-
fusion and excitement.
FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT
In the early part of the contest ru-
mors were set afioat affecting Mr. Fer
rvs financial affairs. He was reputed
to be immensely wealthy and the re-
ports were that he was bankrupt. AS
the contest became hotter the rurnors
became thicker and more authentic.
and before the last ballot had been ia
ken the sheriff was in possession of
the Ferry mills at Grand Haven and
Montague. Senator Ferry returned ITO
Washington, but soon left that CITY
for Canada and thence sailed for Eu-
rope, leaving his brother, Ed p. Ferry.
at home TO face the music The entire
estate was found to be in the widest
confusion and assets far below the liza
bilities. For several years the courts
We're full of the Ferry litigation and
some branches of it are still pending
Among the creditors were several men
prominent in Washington life Bank
ing on his high position and his replit-
drafts upon his friends, and creditors
in Europe four or FIVE years, and when
ihe returned he was a changed man
with nearly all the old-time yigor in
his voice and manner gone. He figured
in the first Harrison campaign as a
c-tr ,1rers l. IL