The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-11-04

father, having a large and increasing
family, abandoned law for agriculture
and bought a farm at Looking Glass
Prairie," near Belleville, ILL.,, not far
from st. Louis. Young Merritt attended
the school of the Christion Brothers, a
Catholic institution, at Belleville. The
Merritts We're not of hat fauth, but
they sent the boy thither because it was
a good school. Later he worked on the
farm for three years., helping his
brothers raise corn and pork, for which
hat section ras always been famous,
MERRITT A FARMER.
Young Merritt often drove the farm
team seventeen miles to town, getting
only Is cents a bushel for his corn.
Everything that a farmer produced in
those days was as cheap as dirt, n
there being little money in circulation
pasteboard checks circulated between
merchants n farmers in some lOcali-
ties. and their merchandise seemed
high because it took so much corn
and pork to pay for it.
Being a lawyer and a man of a lit
erary urn of mind, the boys father
aspired to do something besides raise
corn. He started a local evening paper
at Relleville, called the Advocate, n
later a weekly of the some name at
Lebanon. Both were Douglas demo-
cratic organs. and, like most of the
democratic journals of that day, were
for territorial extension, the annexation
of Texas and the settlement of the
vexed and formidable Oregon ques-
ton by taking possession of the coun-
try clear to the Pacific ocean.
Young Merritt helped his father n
brothers publish this kind of a demo-
cratic He mastered the
business Of running a country news
paper, taking his turn in looking after
petty details. besides tearing to set
type and becoming an expert printer
while but a boy.
At the age of 16 he went to read law
in the office OF Judge Haynie in Salem.
Ee was making rapid progress when
Governor Bissell, then a member OF
congress-. secured him a. cadetship for
West Point
Said General Merritt: Cup to that
time l had no idea of ever becoming a
soldier. My ambition. was to be a
good lawyer and politician, and enter
public life. I believed that my forte
Law in the direction of discussion and
public speaking. However, when my
father pointed out the great advantages
of a West Point education, a careful
consideration Of the subject in the light
of his experience and argument con-
WINGED me of his wisdom. I accepted
his NitNS LIN oAA
hat particular time the course of study
at the military academy was five years:
! got along very we'll. I did not stand
high in my class except in English; was
rather slow in mathematics. I iii l
was in the only full five year class ever
graduated from that institution.
General Merritt has no family. His
favorite nephew, Eaton Merritt, ne is
educating at a Connecticut school, with
ls~~ <0 West DnJrf
General Merritt was married in 1871, IN
Europe, to Miss Caroline Warren of
Cincinnati. She died in 1898, at st. Paul,
and was buried at West Point, where
the general was superintendent for five
years.
Of General Merritt's military history
much has been written. He had many
narrow escapes from death-a notable
one at the battle of Beverly Ford IN
1853, when he was attacked by a con-
federate officer and a desperate hand
to hand encounter followed. He was
sabred over the head, and would have
been killed but for the soft felt hat
which he wore, containing a big army
pocket handkerchiefs. In this engage
ment he was surrounded and his troops
nearly captured. He fought with a cour-
age and desperation that won a great
victory. The newspapers Of the day
were filled with his exploits in that
particular engagement, and on the
earnest recommendation Of General
Buford he was made brigadier general.
THE RIDE OF HIS LIFE.
Perhaps the greatest ride Of his life
was his famous dash through the Rocky
mountains, when he rode night and day
to the rescue Of Major Thornburgh's
command, harmed in by the Ute In
dams at the time Of the White river
massacre. The soldiers were surrounded
and being slowly shot and starved to
death. A single man managed to crawl
out one night and escape, and after
incredible suffering reached Rawlings
station o. the Union Pacific railroad.
nearly 200 miles to the north. A hurry"
telegram was sent to General Merritt,
then colonel OF the Fifth cavalry at