The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-02
WAS A SON OF NEW YORK.
Famous Missouri Governor In an
Unmarked Grave.
New York SUM-


(New York SUM-
New York's young generation does
not know that the Empire state gave
Missouri one of it's most famous COVER
nors. He died at ST. Joseph compare
I lively friendless, and there is nothing
about his grave to indicate the name
of the occupant or the station he had
in his lifetime. But the old sexton of
( the cemetery likes to show strangers
the place and tell them that it is the
grave of Governor r. NJ. Stewart. BY
the lettering and graybeards of st. Jo-
/ seph he is still called Bob" Stewart.
/ There is a story, tolerably well au-
! thenticated, that the Prince of Wales
said that Governor Stewart was the
most courtly man he had met in the
states. The remark was made after a
reception TO the prince in st. Louis.
/ Missourians have pride. and when the
/ heir apparent was in their state the
citizens rendered the reception TO him
/ in St. Louis, and Governor Stewart
went to that city to represent the state
and to keep the prince away from JEFF
ferson City. The most spirited political
/ campaign in the state of Missouri was
/ that which preceded the civil war.
J Stewart, young, handsome and proud,
was the nominee of the Democratic
party for governor. His opponent was
man upon when honors had fallen,
whose oratory always pleased the null
titude. Even in his prime James S.
Rollins was called the old Roman of
Missouri
Stewart and Rollins stumped the
state and debated the issues after the
manner of Lincoln and Douglas They
spoke in St Joseph from the steps of
the courthouse. The constituents stood
in the yard in front. A rope divided
the Stewart followers from the Rollins
men. The debate began at l o'clock
in the afternoon and closed at dark.
Somebody cut the rope and free fight
followed. Rollins went among his peO-
pie to quiet them. Stewart went
among his and told them to finish the
fight at the polls. AS he walked away
he was followed by his adherents, some
of whom took him upon their shoulders
and carried him in triumph to his hotel
He was the antithesis of Rollins in
every respect. He was tall, spare and
as white in the face as a sepuIchre. He
was master of invective, and few ever
saw his countenance lightened by a
smile. He carried his sorrow to the
grave, and only two people knew the
story.
Stewards election was a twofold tri-
ullpll. II MdS al party Victory, DuI II
was more to Stewart. He had van
quished the great leader of the opposi-
ton, who was still a hero of the Mex
lean war. No western state had as
much wealth and as good society at
that time as Missouri The social lead
ers came from Virginia. Kentucky.
Maryland, and some from New York
The representatives of this society
made the Inauguration of the young
Fo1lT
An incident on the following day
caused comment. and showed the in
dividuality of the new executive. A few
years before a citizen of St Joseph was
horsewhipped and hanged by three
men, who waylaid him and demanded
TO know where he kept his money. Two
of the perpetrators suffered the death
penalty. The third was sentenced to
life imprisonment His name was
Langston. The morning after the re-
ception of the young governor ne called
for blank pardon, filled it out. and
carried it himself to the warden's Of
flee. The pardon called for William
Langston. The governor said he wanted
the man brought in while he was there
When the reprieved prisoner entered
the room, he hung his head The gov
ernor stepped up to him. took his hand
and said: Billy. old man. let me greet
you as free man." and handed him
his pardon.
They walked out of the penitentiary
building together. The incident shocked
many, but the governor rebuked the
critics with the remark:
When l was sick and moneyless in
st. Joseph. and had no friends, Langs-
ton waited upon me and took care of
me when there was no hope of his ever
being recOmDensed. Why should / not
pardon him?"
Langston returned to st. Joseph. and
the governor secured labor for him,
and was his friend as long as Langston
lived. And when the old man died.
Stewart, governor no longer, was a
pallbearer.
1T was a strange sight to me-" said
an old man in recalling it. Stewart
was broken in health; his hair, nearly
as long and thin as a woman's, was
white and tangled. His face was wan:
mis- coat was old and nearly buttonless,
and his legs hardly held up his ema-
ciated figure. But he was faithful to
the last to the man who had given him
the cup of cold water
Before the close of Stewards admin
istration habit contracted in politics
fastened itself upon him. He was fire.
quen1y unable to see his constituents.
But he would never sign an act or
pardon when he was in his cups. When
he had imbibed to excess he was guilty
of acts not only unbecoming in one of
his station. but sometimes so violent
that his friends could find no way to
shield him. One day, while in a reck-
less mood, he rode his horse into the
reception room of the executive man.
sion, or what was then called the exc
cutive mansion. and ordered an attend
ant to open the piano and pour a peck
of oats on the keyboard, from which he
fed his horse. Then he rode out dis
mounted and returned, saying to those
whom he met that horse had as much
right to be served properly as tnan.
Another one of his acts while govern
or was the pardon of all the female con-
victs. Some of these he appointed to
places in the mansion. and the story is
that they stripped il of everything they
could carry. After the expiration of
his term Governor Stewart was elected
president of the Hannibal & st. Jo-
seph railroad, and, while he was of
some service to that corporation in the
enactment of legislation and the settle
mert of claims, every man and woman
who had known him who wanted pass
over the road received it. He resigned
to accept the colonelcy of a volunteer
regiment. He was appointed at the re-
quest of Fremont. But, aside from
wearing a coloneIs uniform, he took
little part in the war. The regiment
was under the command Of Major Jacob
L. Child, at one time an editor in this
city, and recently connected with the
consular service under two administra-
tons. Stewart often called upon the
major to give him lessons in tactics, but
the governors memory was treacher-
Gus. One day he passed the guard, who
saluted. The colonel and former gov
a11na. stnnnel hooked at the s.lIard n nd |