Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-15

younger brother called at the Henderson
home and asked to sec title deeds or some
other legal documents under which the land
on which the houses stood was held. But
Henderson had no title deed, no lease no
legal paper of any SORT whatsoever. He had
never thought to ask for anything Of the
sort-the earl had given permission fer the
occupation of the land, so what need was
there for papers? Then, said the young
laird, the Hendersons must get out inside
of two days. Henderson could not believe
his ears, but the laird meant exactly what
he said. When this was made clear to him
Henderson turned, seized the young gentle
man in his mighty grasp, carried him to the
door and kicked him into the street
In the mind of Henderson that closed the
incident but his clever wife knew better
She comprehended how serious matter 1t
was for an ordinary man to commit bcdily
assault on a member Of the nobility, and
know that something must be done or i'm
prisonment might result. So that night she
went to the laird without her husband S
knowledge, and en- her bended knees begged
for clemency, promising as speedy eTacua-
tion of the premises as possible without
legal contest of any sort If only there should
be no prosecution. 1t took a long time 10
move the angered laird, but he finally re-
Tented and gave them six weeks at the end
of which time the family embarked on
the old ship Brooksby for the United States,
where two Of Mrs. Henderson's sisters were
| living.
The trip lasted many weeks David
Brenner was only years old then. but he
! remembers the stormy voyage as II 1t all
happened last week.
! Busy Childhood.
| The Hendersons struggled slowly to Chi
! cago. When they reached that place Thomas
! Henderson had Just one English sovereign
| Qess than so left CT the money he had re-
! allied from the sale of his effects in Scotland
with which to begin life anew.
| George Kerr, nephew of Mrs. Hender-
son, met the party at Chicago to escort
| them farther on their way. The young
man had brought along two covered wagons.
| in them the newcomers finished their
| travels Wasting no time in idle repnings,
| Henderson bucked manfully TO his task. In
! less than four years he and his sturdy boys
| had established themselves so well that they
were able to buy big tract of government
| land in Fayettr county, in the northeastern
| most corner Of Iowa, and there they settled
| and spread out, after genuine American pio-
neer fashion. They named their new home
wouldn't have it so. They renamed it Hen
derson's Prairie, and so it is known to the
present day,
| II would be hard to conceive of a buster
boys life than that of David b. Henderson
| in the log home built by his father The
whole country abounded with wild game ana
! the streams were full of fish. but the
youngster had no time to hunt or play the
angler Daily in the summer time, unless
It rained, It was his duty to begin work be-
fore sunrise and continue until after sun
set. On rainy days, and in the winter time
he read and studied; in the years between
s and l6 mastering Shakespeare, Milton and
other English classics. On Sundays he went
TO church. His only amusenents We're ath-
letics, and he was champion wrestler OF the
entire region. Through this the course oi
his life was changed almost as completely
as the episode with the dead earl o.
Buchan's younger brother had changed the
circumstances of his father
starting for College.
II came about in this way: When th'
youngster was l6 or II, stranger who hat
heard of David's prowess as a wrestler Wis
lied Henderson's Prairie for the purpose o
irving conclusions with him. The strange
was taller aud heavier than his boyish op
moment but Henderson threw him repeatedly
the stranger finally admitting that the boz
WAS the better man. Finally the strange
said that II he could have what was calle,
the right hand under hold" he would tr
again. II was against all precedent TO Civ
an opponent such an advantage, the lef
hand going with the under and the righ