Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-10-13
BLACKED HIS BOOTS.
A True Story of Judge Nash's
Young Manhood.
EARLY STRUGGLES AS A TEACHER

EhrneH OnhrAoter OF tne NeNt Gov
srnor of ohio In His Younger Days
Experience AS Teacher.
Columbus, Sept. SO.-Thls little Incl
dent happened many, many years ago.
1t happened before the war of the re-
belllon and b. true story:
A youth, with gray eyes and brown
hair, and whose face a razor had never
touched, was standing one bright
morning backing his boots on the
back steps of farmhouse. The youth
was the district school teacher He
was going to campaign meeting and
he was trying to brush up his appear
ance so that he might not be frowned
upon by the fair maidens, who, almost
of his age, were yet his pupils in the
nearby schoolhouse. AS the youth rub
bed away at his shoes the farmer with
whom he lived appeared in the door
way. He watched the boy - for boy
the teacher was-with interest. He saw
the yellow, well worn and mud-be-
specked boots of the schoolteacher turn
black, a dull black, and then as the
strong muscle worked the brush faster
and faster, he saw the surfaces turn
shiny. Soon the boots, into which the
schoolteacher's well worn and homely
made trousers were tucked, were a mir
rored black The farmer glanced down
at his own boots. They were yellow
with long wear and no blacking He
| glanced again at the schoolteacher's
boots and just as the latter was put
ting the finishing touches to the job
he asked curiously:
"How did you git sech a good shine
on your boots, anyhow"
The schoolteacher glanced up. Then
he looked down at the yellow boots or
the farmer.
Put your boots up here and I'll
show you" he replied, and suiting ac-
tion to the word he moved the blacking
box and brushes near the elder man,
and after carefully cleaning the mud
from the heels and from around the
soles, he applied the backing Then
he rubbed the brushes vigorously over
the blackened surface, and the farmers
boots soon shone like the youths.
The farmer watched the youth curl
ously during the operation. When the
boots were blackened he looked at
them critically. Then he asked How
much do 1 owe ye, anyhow, for all
thet?"
"Oh, that's all right" was the happy
reply when I'm nominated for gov
ernor of Ohio vote for me, and I'll call
1t square"
The youth who made that reply was
George K. Nash, who is now the Re-
publican candidate for governor of Ohio.
The man to whom he spoke was Ste
phen Kinnear, now long since dead,
but who at one time was one of the
staunch Republicans and one of the
well-to-do and thrifty farmers Of Pick
away county. 1t was Judge Nashs
first long absence from home. The
money he earned was the first he ever
made by his own efforts. He tells the
story with keen relish. If there are
any Kinnears alive down in Pickaway
county they will vote for Judge Nash.
They eve their votes to him, for Ste
phen Kinnear never fulfilled his part
Of the contract. He died before the op-
portunity came.
Judge Nash told me that story the
other evening when l was chatting
with him regarding his life. He told
1t then and laughed heartily, and the
laugh had no sooner frightened his
features than it departed leaving the
judge with a reminiscent expression on
his face. The days when he was a
schooltcacher, when all his life and
brilliant career were in front of / IN,
were flooding over his mind in pleas
ant succession. For perhaps a full
minute the judge sat thus silent, when
a smile stole over his features. The !
smile frightened into laugh, and the |
next moment the laugh was shaking |
his sides. Another pleasant recollec- |
tion had come to him.
Il don't know whether this ought |
ever to be published or not" he began. |
George Allen might not like it, But |
say" and again the judge laughed |
heartily, do you know that that boy |
was the meanest, most rantankerous |
boy had in my school. He was almost |
as old as | was and he had the reputa-
tion OF having whipped almost every |
teacher that taught that school. Why |
when took the school one of the trus-
tees warned me. He said I'd better |
watch a little out or the boys would
throw me out, was young | admit it,
and the trustee was warning me on |
that account. l told him | guessed I'd |
take a chance, and, do you know, al |
most from the first day | began teach |
ing the school l had trouble with |
George Allen. Who is he? Oh, he lives |
up at Bellefontaine, and he's quite a
prominent politician up there. Yes,
he's held Office there. Been county aud
itor. | think. Well, one day, when he
was a little more annoying than ever,
l decided the time had come to bring
him to time, and say, | did lick him
Well, sir, and the thought OF it again
brought a laugh from the judge, "do
you know, from that time on he was
the best boy had in the school, His
father and mother always used to stick
up for him in his troubles, but when l |
licked him l heard afterward he went
to his sistar and begged her not to tell
his father, From that time on l could
always rely upon him as an ally
Franklin Hall in Cleveland Plain /,