Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-05

inhabitant of all the 10000 who attended
that meeting.
"The people over at Mount Pleasant weEe
laborins under the impression n that Henry
county was named after Henry Dodge l told
them that they were entirely mistaken and
that it was named after General James D. 4
Henry. one of the heroes Of the Blackhawk
war in illinois, and / also told them OF the
part played in having it SO named
at was shortly after l had removed to
Mount Pleasant and the people were divided
into two factions over the questions. One
group who came from Ohio wanted 1t called
Hyland county after their old home county,
and the others stood up for the name tfI
Henry. l joined the Henry party and did,
what l could tor it's success writing letters
to members of the legislature ON beha
OF the farmers in the vicinity, asking them
to call the county Henry county. So Az
waa called Henry county, although the Hysl
land people long clung to their favorit4|
name and it is to this very day often pop
ularly called Hyland county.
"Why did l go to the trouble of writin|
letters to members of the legislature to q
them to honor General Henry? 1t was bQ
cause l felt that l was under everlaetin
personal obligations to General Henry M
sell. / had to work for my living frof
almost early boyhood. Down in Kentuch
1 had frequently picked up odd jobs til
brought me as much as 121a cen a day.
was about IL years old when my fath
moved his family to Springfield, III. There
gradually increased my earnings until
times 1 was able to obtain rs cents for
days work. But my ambition was to eaI
so cents in one day and it was not until Gel
succeeded in reaching that goal.
"It was an election day and the though
struck me that the opportunity was at han
to pick up few cents. Henry was one o(
the candidates in very hot fight and thd
streets were full of people. 1 went to tt
bakers shop and offered to sell his ginger
cakes on a commission Persuaded by my
entreaties the baker filled neat basket
with ginger-cakes, covered them with q
paper and sent me out to dispose OF them
But was of altogether too bashful turn
and. fearing to ask anyone to buy, was, aftel
hours of proftless peddling, on the poinI
of giving up the job in despair. I was abb
to turn around and carry the basket BAG
to the bakers followed by crowd Of bo!
who had been attracted by the display, whe}
UP came General Henry and a number OF thy
men.
What have you got there?' he asked
DO you want to sell them?'
II explained that l was selling on com
mission and told him the price.
Well, I'll take them,' came the rep3E
Let all the boys help themselves and teI
the baker to charge them to me-.
"The boys needed no second invitation AR1
in moment all the ginger cakes had dis&DI
peared.
"But l had received no money for til
cakes and half fearful that had failed Il
drive a good bargain ran as fast as coull
to the bakers shop to ask him If 1t was al
right You can imagine how relieved feI
when l was told that Henry's word was a,
good as gold. General Henry paid for thl
cakes and / secured my commission. For th,
first time in my life I had earned so cent
in single day. Is 1t any wonder that wa
anxious to have county named after Gen.
eral Henry?
''Just as strange things happen in TIL
change Of state names l often put the stor!
as riddle by asking how man could hav
four children, three Of them born in thre
different territories and one in a state AMI
all four born in the same house. Yet that 4
an actual case. The children were in mi
brothers family and they were all borl
When we first moved there, in 1896, 1t wa
the territory Of Michigan. Michigan was ad
mitted as state July II, 1886, when the ter
ritory Of Wisconsin was recognized. In 183
Iowa territory was organized and became
state in 1S46 So one Of these children wa
born in Michigan territory, one while
was Wisconsin, one while it was Iowa ter
ritory and one after Iowa became a state
"But there is no state with better pros
poets than Nebraska. I was down in Texa
last October looking after some property TO
which lave the agency. Texas has the ad
) vantage of cheap land-land that attracts TIL
settlers who have only a small capital t.
; invest. The people who go to Texas do no
come to Nebraska, chiefly because they d.
. not have the money to buy our expensiv
r farm lands. Nebraska lands are the mos
fertile in the United States, and with norma
climatic conditions restored will again max
Nebraska farmers the most prosperous II
I the country. My faith in the future of Ne
braska has never been shaken since CAM
D here as territOrial poyernor In 1884 ond a. 4