The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-21

AS Boy and HIS Lac 81 dubuque.
His College Days. IA
nubuque. Iowa, correspondence of the
Vow YORK Sun: Between Congress-
,onal sessions Colonel David ,Brenner
henderson. now virtually speaker-elect
n the house Of representatives., lives at
npbuque. His reputation among his
naIrhbors Is very like his reputation in
the house OF Representatives. He Is
s,;o.en Of as weli-nlgh tireless work.
cr sympathetic and cordial, friend to
n friend, and foe to foe.
colonel Henderson has two work
rooms in DUBUQUE, while what he calls
b,s den is in the hotel where he makes
his home. He generally spends the day
from 0 a. m. to p. m. at the ofiee. I'M
lass a social engagement prevents. he
snends the evening IL. the den. AT the
mice he has his congressional secretary
10 help him; when working in the den
Mrs Henderson, who has made almost
os close a study OF public AFFAIRS as he,
osststs him. : There he does most Of his
newspaper reading, which must neces-
sarlly be extensive. Mrs. Henderson SCI
lects and clips all sorts ofiarticles which
sbe fancles win interest him. It is in
the den that he generally writes such
of his campaign speeches as are sent
out in advance, though few Of his ad-
dresses, and, In his Judgment, none Of
his most effective speeches, have ever
been written at all. AS rule, his pre-
paratlon for experimenting is confined
10 close reading and hard thought He
does the reading first, and when he
has acquired the. information he desires
he goes to his office, locks the door, and
secs no one until the speech has been
completely thought out{ sHavins fixed
its points in his mind, he relies almost
wholly upon the impulse Of the moment
for its form, his written reference be-
ing memoranda. so brief)that they may
be jotted down upon bit Of paper little
larger than mans hanal
Colonel Henderson is ALMOST an ideal
campalgner. In his stump, speeches the
most noticeable characteristics are
heartiness, obvious belief in what he
says, and enthusiasm. His habit of
Evening up the proceedings occasional
" by asking the audience to join him
in singing "The Star spaRsied Banner"
Marching Through GeOfs1d," or some
other patriotic song, has long been ia
NOUS. ON such occasloDS9he leads the
singing himself in a strong and really
musical voice. JON
Personally Colonel Henderson is de-
.scrIbed by his friends al" q jolly good
fellow. He is taller and heavier than
the average. His shoulders are broad,
his chest is deep and helm be an i'm
presslve figure at the speakers desk.
He walks with the aid Of afcane with a
limp. due to the loss of the left leg at
the knee. He was shot at the battle OF
-coYinth. His hand is a big one. and
his grasp on greeting q friend is a real
grip. His conversational voice Is
pleasant and his talk shows wide and
varied information. He is a capital
story teller and he holds pronounced
views on most topics. He doesn't Ike
to talk about himself. None could be
with him half an hour without percelv-
Ing that he is Of positive character
Yet chance has played a most import
ant part in his life. Hadinot Thomas
Henderson, his father. been more trust
full half a century ago thai most men
David Bremen Henderson, might never
have been an American citizen at all
The course of his whole b;Gpreer was
changed by one act of confidence on the
elder Henderson's part. va
For generations the Hendersons dwell
in Old Deer, a village attached to the
Earl of Buchan's estate ii Aberdeen
shire, Scotland. AS the colonel is now
SO was his father before him, fond o.
singing, and possessed of a voice which
made him general fayorite. The ole
Earl OF Buchan, bachelor, who re-
ceived much company and lived high
was one Of those who took pleasure II
Henderson's voice, and often had hin
at the castle for the diversion Of his
guests. Henderson had the additlona
gift OF improvlslng rhymes readily, ant
frequently composed new songs on thu
spur OF the moment, adapted them Il
old airs and sang them to the immense
entertainment Of the Earl's visitors. Or
one occasion. when Llenderson's efforts
had been particularly pleasing, the
Earl told him he might occupy Eoot
sized strip Of land at the head Of Ole
Deer's main street, promising that the
land should remain rent free to three
generations of his descendants. Ac
cordlngly Henderson built row Of SIS
small stone houses, investing virtually
all his savings in their erection, and be
came a landlord and a man of sub
stance among his Deighbors. Davlt
Bremen Henderson. the youngest o.
the children, was born in one Of thest
houses OH March "a, 1870.
After heavy dinner the old Ear
dropped dead one night. A few days Ia
ter the dead Earls younger brother
called at the Henderson home and ask
ed to See title deeds or some other lega
documents under which the land OF
shich the houses stood was held. Blu
Ifn,Jor,a,, t,nA 80 49,. a., = 80