The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-26
Speaker. BenderScn'S
Greatest bobby.

must remain 1t was David himself
who pointed this out. Not all could
fight, he said; the industries of the
country mast go on despite the war,
and the duty of the loyal stay-at-home
was as noble as that of the soldier.
J This was clear enough and the night
was given over to a heated discuss en- as
to who should not enlist 1t was finally
agreed that three should stay and three
should go. the selection of soldiers and
stay-at-homes to be based upon consid-
erations of sound sense. Alexander,
next older than David (who was the
youngesD had always been closest to
him, and Alexander declared with flash
/ ing eyes that no matter who else re-
manned at home he should go if David
did. But the final decision was that
James and George. who were married
men. should stay at home, Thomas and
Villa ~ should follow David's example
and enlist, while Alexander should re-
main with his parents to help work
the old farm. He finally yielded, though
protesting bitterly.
| 1t was in the morning when the
family council was ready to disperse.
| Mother Henderson had sat weeping all
night because David, her baby" was
going TO the front, and she remained
weeping while Father Henderson knelt
and prayed aloud at the end of the de-
alterations. No member of the Hender-
son family ever forgot that prayer.
Father Henderson habitually spoke
with a broad Scottish burr, but in
prayer or exhortation he generally
dropped it for pulpit English" clear
and forcible in construction In the
gray dawn of that fall morning his
diction was clearer and stronger than
usual, and at the conclusion of his
prayer, when all arose from their knees,
the mental atmosphere was calm and
clarified.
Then, taking David by the arm,
Father Henderson led him from the
house and out behind the barn. There
the two had long talk, at the close of
which the elder of the two men said,
solemnly:
Now, David, ! am sure you don't
yet appreciate what you have done;
you don't realize what you have TO
face. But you are doing what is right,
and have only TO say this: Don't fall
ter. / don't want to see Your face again
unless you can come home with honor"
Then the father kissed the son and
they shook hands with grip that was
like a clasp of steel.
A Memory In Battle.
The memory of that paternal adrnoni-
ton remained with David B. Hender
son all through his soldering days. 1t
was weeks after his company-in which
he ranked as first lieutenant-had gone
south. before he was under fire. at Fort
Donelson. Colonel Henderson had often
confessed to his intimates that the cru
cial test of facing death, of advancing
against flying shot and shell and sing
ing bullets gave him strange. uncer-
tain feeling. But above the roar of the
guns, the screaming of the shells and
the song of the bullets he seemed to
hear the solemn, measured tones OF his
father:
Don't falter. 1 don't want to see
your face again unless you can come
home TO me in honor
Then there arose from the young lieu
tenants heart an inarticuiate prayer,
while. in wordless self-communion, he
reasoned out the situation, something
to this effect:
You are in the place you should be
in. You are doing your duty. Face it.
Don't falter.''
Then all fear rolled away, and when
he turned to encourage his men, some
of whom showed pale faces and quiv-
ering, ashen lips. he was cheerful, al !
most smiling, and il was given to him !
TO shout the order in ringing tones:
"Close up, men, Close upI" =
, Then, with dash, they made for the |
DItdSlNO mere anu lIClc d lildn ldii-
ing by the side of their young leader |
till eleven had been stricken. Just at |
the moment of triumph Henderson felt |
a singing pain in the lower part of the |
face. there was a plentiful gush of |
blood-he mad been shot the first time |
he was under fire. His jaw was broken |
and il was thought for time that he |
must surely die. However furlough |
spent at Hendersons Prairie, where he /
had the care of his mother. pure air to |
breathe and plenty of good country fare |
brought him round right speedily and |
he was soon at the front again. In |
the battle of Shiloh his brother Thomas,
the second son of the family, was killed
shot through the heart in the
thick of the fight at the locality which
has since been termed the Hornets
Nest.
Henderson and Allison.
No two men have ever worked to-
gether in closer harmony than Colonel
Henderson and Senator Allison. The
senator likes to tell how and when he
first saw Henderson. 1t was when the
latter took his famous band of student
recruits to Dubuque.
Someone said one morning that
wished TO see me-" say s the
senator, who was in charge of the
Dubuque recruiting station. Il asked
tndt ne De SnOWn H. anu d .ldll, CREAM
limbed. clear eyed youngster entered.
He had a lot of recruits with him, and
he said his name was Henderson. I
looked at the recruits; they were all
right. Henderson had not only brought
those boys in on his own responsibility,
but he had done 1T with almost no ex-
pense to anyone; his enthusiasm had
been so infectious that the farmers had
been glad TO feed and transport them
free"
That was the sort of chap Allison was
looking for and the friendship then be-
gun has never been broken. After the
war was over it was Allison who ad-
vised Henderson in politics and law;
Il was Allison who suggested to Hen