The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-02-22
CATRON AND ELKINS.
Schoolmates, Business Part
ners and Warm Friends.
BOTH WERE EDUCATED HERE.
The Lexington People Predicted Their
Future Greatnes.

From the Kansas City World.
Dan Stewards fistic carnival brought
many a man into public notice, but
about the only one of the number to
Thomas b. CatrOn, of New Mexico,
whose anti-prize fight bill 81 quickly
became a law.
He is a Missouri product, having been
born and raised in Lexington, Mo.
Everybody in that section Of the country
knew Tom" Catron.
The CatrOn's have lived there for the
last fifty years, and rank as n of
Lafayette county's first families. Tom
partner of Stephen B. Elkins. Elkins
grew to manhood in Westport, SO the
local interest is thus doubled. His
parents came to Westport from their
Ohio home when young Stephen was
only IL years old. lie was about 16
years old when he was sent to Lexington
e G. school : A Hene h and frs ste met T beeame
living illustrations OF Damon and
Pythias. They stood highest in their
classes, and were generally regarded as
the bright boys of the town.
Go to Lexington now, n any old
resident will assure you that he "alluS
said thai the country 'ud hear OF Steve
Elkins and Tom Catron."
This was along in the latter part of
the SOS. They attended the old Masonic
college. This was the building in which
Colonel Mulligan and his famous guards
were besieged by General Price in 1851.
After finishing school in Lexington,
Catron and Elkins went to Columbia,
Mo-, graduating from the university in
1860.
Along in 1858, Elkins went to New
Mexico, where he first acted as inter-
prefer in the courts, and later practiced
law. In 1886, Catron Joined him, and
a partnership was formed. Brainy and
ambitious, these two young men were
not long satisfied with the modest COM
petence accruing from their law prac-
tice, and so looking about them, they
saw an opportunity" and grasped It.
After the discovery of Mexico and the
adjacent territory by fernando Cortez,
it was a habit of the Spanish sovereigns
to reward loyalty of their courtiers by
giving them tracts of land in the new
country. Some sailed across the sea
took possession nj died without heirs.
Others never went near their grants.
And so as the years passed by, the titles
to these lands became more and more
involved. Enterprising men began to
buy these lands, with their cloudy titles
trusting to luck to defend their claims.
This was the opportunity seized by
Catron and Elkins.
Collecting every available cent, they
bought heavily in these grants. Then
came the defense of the titles. 1t soo
became clear to the astute Mr.. Elkins
q little favorable legislation would be a
great help. Following this train of
thought each suggested that the other
run for congress-. But two obstacles
presented themselves.
In the first place both men were
strong democrats, while that neck of
the woods was republican. Secondly,
each wished to immediate himself on the
altar of friendship by letting the other
go to congress.
With the cool resolution character
istic of the men,, they swept away these
barriers with ease and expedition. Both
became republicans, and the toss of a
quarter decided the question of which
was to make the ace Elkins o
He ran and vas elected territorial
delegate.
Laws were soon enacted which did
away with vexatious litigation and
made millionaires of Elkins and Catron.
Elkins was reelected and began to
assume the proportions of a political
Warwick. He engineered Blaine's cam
paign, and was largely instrumental in
placing Harrison in nomination. AT
the time of Blaine's nomination some
ways out in Santa Fe told old Mr..
Elkins that it was his son who had
received the presidential nomination.
The old gentleman was highly elated,
and to every friend he met related the
fact, finishing up with the assertion
that ''Steve was hi"
MI. Elkins never returned to Santa
te, although REFINING his interests
there. 1t was during his stay in Wash
ington that Elkins, then a widower,
daughter OF United States Senator III.
G. Davis, and married her. He then
went back to West Virginia and erected
a magnificent mansion up in the noun
tains, not a hundred miles away from his
birthplace across in Ohio. Halliehurst
is the name of his country seat, over
which Mrs. Elkins presides with such
grace and distinction. 1t is said to be
the finest country house in the entire
Mrs. Elkins is a woman of marked
intellectual attainment and in every
sense a helpmate to her brainy husband.
Her father, by the way, is an instance of
the self-made man, for early in lite,
Senator Davis was a conductor on the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
A clever deal, pushed through by Mr..
ElklnS, was Inc purchase OF huge tracts
Of mineral land up in the mountain
He secured them for a song,
for none thought a railroad would ever
up there. After buying. Mr.
quietly constructed q railroad to
his possessions. That stroke of business
ionhled his millions.
1t was in 1895 that Mr.. Elkins was
to the United States senate. A
coincidence may be men
Toned here. The first man after the
war to wrest q United States senator
ship from the republicans of West
was Henry G. Davis. And in
1896. after alapse of tw~enty-four years,
Stephen b. alkins, Mr.. Davis's sOn-in-
aw, was the first man to wrest a
United States s~enatorship from the
of the same state. From
hat time Mr.. Elkins career is too well
spown TO need mention.
Elkfns's partner, Mr.. Oatron, stayed
New Mexico and accumulated glory
md wealth. Successfully he has held
he positions of district attorney, mem
Der of the house, attorney general and
United States attorney. The latter
position he held for seven years. He is
low, and has been for many years, the
iice-president of the First National
lank Of Santa Fe,
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