Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-06-06
. cARRER' OF, JUDGE. GRESHAM.
His FaSher Was Sheriff of an Indians
County.

His rashcr Was Sheriff of an Indiana
County.
Walter Quinton Gresham was born
March II, 1882, near Lanesville, Harrison
County, Ind. The Greshams are of Eng
lish ancestry. His father, William Gresh-
am, was sheriff of the county, and was
killed In the discharge of his duties when
Walter was but two years old. In his boy
hood young Gresham did the usual work
of n farmers son and studied his books at
might. His education was gained by the
hardest kind of work and self-denial. lie
went to the district school, and when he
was 16 years old he had an opportunity
ito aattend the Oorydon Seminary. He
got clerkship in the county auditors
Office, and this helped him to pay his board
and school expenses. After two years at
the academy he spent one year at the
Bloomington University. On his return
to Corydon he secured place in the coun-
ty clerks Office. There he studied law un.
der the direction of Judge William A
Porter. He was admitted to the bar when
E21 years old and began practice at once
Two years later he was stumping his dis
trict for John G. Fremont, the first presi-
Dental candidate of the Republican party,
with which organization Mr.. Gresham
had always allied himself until 1892, when
he declared himself a believer in the Dem
ocratic party. In 1856 he married Miss
Matilda McGrain, a pretty Kentuckian,
whose parents moved to Corydon when
she was quite young.
On the eve of forming law partner
ship at Indianapolis, destined to lead to
fortune as well as fame, he read Lincoln's
call to arms and paused in his negotia-
tons. The Union was in danger. Repub-
lican institutions were on trial. If such
as he placed self before country what
would become of the country? Young
Gresham grew more and more serious,
and never having served in the militia
passed all his leisure in studying military
tactics. His young wife, not yet %, with
a girl baby two months old and a boy of
tugging at her skirts, knew what was in
the mind of her young husband, and
watched him with fear in her heart. Sum-
ter was fred on in April. The following
September Gresham felt that his hour
had come. Personally brave, he was bit
of a coward when his wife was concerned,
for he knew what sacrifice she would
make in giving him up to probable death.
Gresham commanded a division march
ing through Georgia and was terribly
wounded at Atlanta. He Was carried off
the field and conveyed to Nashville by a
roundabout way to avoid falling into the
hands of the enemy. Thirty miles of the
journey were made in an ambulance. I'M
agne the agony TO the man who had had
an inch and n half of bone shot AWAY. So
fearful were the roads that the stone had
to be cleared away before the ambulance
could proceed. and then it was at the risk
of the generals life. Mrs. Gresham met
her husband at Nashville, Strangely
enough, as she arrived at the dear of the
st. Cloud hotel Gen. Gresham was car
red on stretcher through the back door.
1t was a fight for life. Their next move
came to sudden halt in New Albany.
The wounded man could go no further,
and thus the Greshams became residents
of Louisvile's Indiana suburb. For ten
months Gresham did not leave has bed.
After he got out of bed he was FIVE years
on crutches. He went into the war a
stalwart of 2S; he came out wreck. Six
years later. at the age of "a, he found