Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-14
new SPEAKER OF The House
COL. HENoERSoN'S EARLY LIFE IN
THE WEST.
How His Father Chastised n Liar and
Then Prayed for Him Great Thirst
Tor knowledge in Boyhood-CoI
aud Mrs. uenderson's Love
Story.


II 10 o,,o..., l., ,,.,,
ID. IS. Henderson will prove to no ono of
tho hardest working sponkors who
ever ocCupied the nresidirg crf,cn,., /.
chair in the lower House of Congress
Probably the expectation will no verified
but Col Henderson yould moi givo ~ Me
social life. If tho sronkcrshin dutioe wt,a
twice as cxactinr as thev are. lie win
continue to devote much limo and ntt,n-
ton to his friends and no viii continue
to be the life of every gathering Of which
he is a member. If * rather douhtfui
though, whether col Henderson will dance
this winter. as he has until very recently
throughout his life I'm Washirpton dosnitc
the fact that he wears a wooden loo
1t would be hard TO believe his Sero II
not Vouchcd bv nv scores Of heoutffut 10
mon and pretty girls who have boon nroud
to be his partner at Cnnit,I funrticne
within tho last sevontecn or cightoon
years. They say that he is 40 iigbt On bis
feet as if both of thon, vcro natur,l hut
since the last amrutation. which removed
all the lower part of his Iimb mo- has
probably not found If posible IN induIyo
in terpsichorean recreation. Tho vic Of
a well known congressman who vne orco
waltzing with him and suggested mar
they should reverse" the colonel cx-
planned that there verc ecasons Tor not
a"ceding to her request. adding; II have
not reversed madame, since the civil
war
His partner had not tho slightest idoo
that the colonel was MANNED and failed
to understand why he had not "rovcrscd"
since tho civil war until she had been en-
lightrned by one Of his old friends
David Brcuner Henderson lcarncd how
TO work when he WAS only n baby Of siy
That was in 1916. The Henderson family
then only short time from Scotland wa =
occupying the "Ccoter farm" near pock-
ford. Ill., His first task was set at harvoet
time in tho wheat field His father and
has older, stalWart brothers were toilirr
at the grading and binding of the golden
grain. These things were beyond the
strength of the little David. but he va.
quite stroUg enough to gather tho bundles
together. that the mon might build tbnp,
into shocks" David. as tho votIurest
was the special pet of the mother And
although this brave woman did all tbn
cooking. the washing. the mendine-m
short. all the woman's work for tho entire
bic family, she found time now and thon
of an afternoon to 90 out into the barvesf
field and relieve the family's rolv-polv
baby OF his task bidding him lie down in
the shade of a wheat shock meanwhile
and take nap. The new speakers mem
nj
ture than that Of his mother as she look
ed when she went TO the field TO give hin,
a chance for a brief afternoon slcen
quite as indclibly craven on the tablets
Of his memory are the circumstances Of
the family's removal from Illinois to the
northwestern part of Iowa where C;oo~re
the eldest sen, a strarpinc younrster of
nineteen. had found a desirable locality
for settling, which afterwards was known
as Hcnderson's Prairie The tourney was
made pastly over new Drairin roads aud
partly through wooded tertiary Five
wagons, one of them being drawn bv
horses and the other four by oxen. Of
which the Hendersons had eight yoke
were required to move the family nd tho
possessions. The outfit was almost ox
nsive enough to be termed II caravan.
4 herd of cattle and a flock of sheen were
driven alongside and one wago,, was load.
ed with cages containing the family poul-
Try. They stopped off nights whcr. good
water and grass were to be found and
slept in the wagons
The weather was rainy from the hrgin-
mig to the md Of the moving. and many
ct the streams had overfown their hanks
Al one point "A stranger was asked 10
SHOW the travellers a ford over which the
stream might be crossed He indicated an
alleged shallow place and the caravan at
tempted to pass But the man had lied
wagons were flooded away on the bosom
of tho stream. tho chickens cont,nad IN
their cages were all drowned. and several
of the Hendersons Themselves barely es-
capped being Obliged to swim for their
lives. Besides, a lot of preclous hooks
brough: from Scotland were lest in the
muddy stream. When all had reached
shore Henderson. the father. observed
that the stranger was holdinl, his sides
with laughter. He had thought il quite
a Joke to lie to travellers and then watch
them hounderinr about in the water Uut
his mi~th was of short duration. Walk
ing solemly up to the testing falsifier, the
brawny brold-shouldcred old Scot adj.
dressed him stornly:
did YOU find ANYTHING to laugh at in
that proceeding of yours? Is it A Joke "a
sec men. women and children come near
drown!ng?"
The Joker grinned and "allowed" that
the incident had II funny side in his owes
Then | shall have to teach Won a thinr
/ or two" ounth Henderson whereunon he
sGuaced off and hit the fellow a sound
clip directly between the ewes knoc<inp
him down as a butcher raIls an OK
When The man pa nm Henderson knocl
ed him down again. and This was rapeotod
Ill the practical iole,. could rise no more
Henderson was 100 much Of a man IA
strike vvhiIa his onror..t ,vos dow ~,
felt that n,inishr-,ent had be,n l,rcr,,od
and took great measure in admini.terinp
it. The old mans ,haroctor vas nrattv
well exeunlited that same evening /,
had ALWAYS been his custom To hold fam.
ilv PRAYERS twice a d1v and no ala mo-,
omit them even while iourpevinr arrnss
the vns. nm nrairins and tbro,,gb ,be