The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-21

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begged for clemency. promising as
speedy evacuation Of the premises as
possible without legal contest of any
kind, Il only there should be no prose-
cutlon. II took a long time TO move the
angered laird, but he finally relented.
and. the family embarked on the old
ship Brooklyn, for the United States.
where two of Mrs. Henderson's sisters
were living
The trip lasted many weeks. David
Bremen was only slx.years old then.
but he remembers the stormy voyage
as e It all happened last week. The
Henderuons struggled slowly to chica-
go. When they reached that place
Thomas Henderson had just one Brit
ish sovereign uess than So left Of the
money he had realized from the; sale Of
his effects in Scotland with which to
begin life anew. George Kerr, ne
phew Of Mrs. Henderson, met the party
ut Chicago to escort tnen farther on
their way. The young man had brought
along two covered wagons. In them the
newcomers finished their travels. Hen
derson buclled manfully to his task. In
less than four years he and his boys
had established themselves so well that
they we're able to buy a big tract Of
government land in Fayette county, In
the northeasternmos corner Of Iowa,
and there they settled and spread out
after American pioneer fashion. They
named their new place Pleasant Prairie,
but their neIghbors wouldn't have It 80.
They renamed 1t Henderson's Prairie,
and so it Is known to the present day.
It would be hard to conceive of
buster boys life than that Of David B.
Henderson in the log home built by his
father. The whole country abounded
with wild game and the streams were
fun Of fish, but the youngster had no
time to hunt or angle. Daily in, the
summer time, unless 1t rained, 1t was
his duty to begin work before sunrise
and continue until after sunset On
rainy days, and in the winter time. he
read and studied; in the years between
Raight and sixteen he read Shakespeare
Milton and other English classics. On
Sundays he went to church. His only
amusements were athletics, and he was
champion wrestler OF the region,
Through this the course of his life was
changed almost as completely as the
episode with the Earl of Buchan's
younger brother had changed the cir
cumstances of his father.
IT came about in this way: When he
was sixteen or seventeen, stranger
who had heard of his prowess as
wrestler. visited Henderson's Prairie
for the purpose of trying conclusions
with him. The stranger was taller and
heavier than his boylsh opponent, but
Henderson threw him repeatedly; the
stranger finally admitted that the boy
was the better man. Finally the stran-
ger said that IL he could have what was
called the right hand under hold. he
would try again. 1t was against all
precedent to give an opponent such an
advantage, the left hand going with the
under and the right with the upper
hold, but Henderson consented, and, af-
ter long struggle. the stranger got the
trip-Iock. the boy was thrown, his
right wrist being dlslocated and one of
the bones of the forearm broken. The
doctor called to look after the injury
failed to discover the fracture. The
fracture healed slowly, and young Hen
4 derson was sent to Rockford, ILL.,, where
another surgeon could be consulted.
David was able to do no manual labor
for o long time. and 1t was while he
was thus lncapacltated that serious
thought was taken Of a college course.
Before he went to college, however, he
taught term of school in his home
district. Colonel Henderson looks back
upon that summer as one OF the most
enjoyable in his whole career. Never
before had he been able to devote his
entire time to intellectual pursuits. and
he read and studied with an enthusiasm
that helped him to make wonderful
progress.
That fall D. B. Henderson entered
the Upper Iowa university as freshman
There he studied for three years, work.
ing on the farm In summers. He and
a chum rented quarters and kept house
for themselves, cooking their own food,
sweeping their own floors and making
their own beds. Young Henderson got
special standing among his fellow stu
dents through an Incident which had a
feature suggestive OF the incident In
which his father and the earl of Buchan
were principals. His skill as debater
was as great as his superiority as a
wrestler. He had begun when he was
only years old, his Oldest brother
George being his opponent generally
and his father the Judge His reputation
In this line had preceded him at Fayette
and he had not been in the college n
week before he was chosen to lead a
discussion before one OF the debating
societies. On his first appearance he
was interrupted by senior, who asked
a flippant question. Henderson stopped
and looked at the fellow, but soon re-
sumed. Three or four minutes later
came another interruption, much more
ilIppRpt In tone-insulting. even. Hen.
derson turned again and looked at the
fellow. This time the young man from
Henderson's Prairie spoke up:
"Mr. Chairman" quoth he. "lf you
cannot preserve order in this room
will"
Then he upset the senior and piled him
up in the wood box. There were no more
Interruptions at Upper Iowa university
when Henderson was making remarks.
Though he enjoyed student life at
FayGtte immensely he did not finish
the course Of study there. It was inter-