Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-17
Corrects a False Impression Con-
Cerning 1t.

Akron has changed considerably
since 1S39-the year in which Mr.. G.
G. Gollmar, then a young man of 20,
left Akron and went to the great
northwest to make his fortune.
Mr.. Gollmar located at BarabOo,
Wis, and prospered. Yesterday, at
the age of IS, he returned to Akron
with his venerable wife-his first
visit to his boyhood's home after a
lapse of more than half a century.
1.-The only landmarks l can recog
nize,' said he to the DEMOCRAT to-
day, ''are the old Stone mill and the
canal. In 1889 the two villages then
known as Upper and Lower Akron
were separated by a dense forest.
Where the forest then was is now the
business quarter of the city. You
have erected court house since 1
left, and l am told your people have
for many years considered it old
fashioned and want to get rid of it.
1t makes man feel pretty old when
he outlives public building, such as
this
There was time when Mr.. Coll
mar w orked on the Ohio canal as
| driver. He remembers James A.
Garfield well. The martyred Presi-
dent was driving at the same time as
Mr.. Gollmar. He was popularity
known as Jimmy Garfield.
Zone thing that amused me very
much during Garfield's campaign
for the presidency was the story his
enthusiastic Ohio friends circulated
about one of the chief incidents in
Garfield's life on the tOwpath. 1t
was to the effect that Garfield had
given severe thrashing to fellow
driver who had offered him some in
dignity. After lapse of so many
years the story was made to serve a
very useful and romantic purpose,
but it was not historically correct. /
\ know this because / came as near
being an eye witness to the affair as
anybody could be. I'll tell you the
story if you'll listen:
at was getting well along toward
evening when the driver for an up
bound boat, who had just passed Gar
field and fellow driver quarreling
somewhere between locks II and Is
over some trivial affair, hailed me
with the words: L guess Jimmy
and --w will have afight.' L can't
recall the name of Garfield's oppon-
ent. When L got down there the
boys were at it. Garfield had been
down and was Just getting up. He
had had enough, and in those days
when the under man yelled enough
it had to be respected by his antag-
onist or bystanders had right to
interfere. In after years when the
campaign orators wanted to give a
clever touch to the story in order to
emphasize one of Garfield's sterling
characteristics and he had them a
plenty, they used to tell how Jimmy
walked seven miles to whip that
driver, but they forgot to add
that the driver made him
holler enough" L never challenged
the story because L was something of
an admirer of Garfield myself, if L
am rock-ribbed Democrat
Mr.. and Mrs. Gollmar will remain
in Akron for several days visiting
relatives, among them Mr.. and Mrs.
VIM. F. Gayer and Mr.. and Mrs.
Jacob NJ. Gayer, after which they
will visit Medina friends and sister,
Mrs. Rebecca Gayer, before re-
turning to their Wisconsin home.
Mr.. Gollmar is in his nth year. He
is the sole survivor of the seven
charter members of the Masonic
lodge at Baraboo.
Y. 4. G. L. Elected Officers.
LYNN. Mass, July l1.-At the session
of the national convention of the
Young Peoples Christian union, Presl.
dent Henry N. Fowler of Cleveland
was reelected Other officers were
chosen as follows: General secretary, |
Rev A j. Cardel of South Boston;
general treasurer, Louis A. Ames of |
New York; executive board, j. q. Bond |
of Georgia, Anna f. Stevens of Lewis |
ton. Me-, George +. Sears of Chicago |
and Cora A. Wilder of Brooklyn, Pa. |
o. J. Buckley of Chicago presented Il