The Dickinson press., 1901-12-28
STORIES, or M'KIALEY.
Memories u the Presidents
Boyhood Days
INCIDENTS TOLD By HIS HOTTER

Some Of the most interesting remi-
niscences Of his earlier days vert re-
lated, says the Boston Globe, by his
beloved mother q few years before her
death, and from those 1t would appear
that the future president was q lively
and anectionate youngstersof the mid
ding good" description.
Mother" Mckinley said that Will
Liam was q great hand for marbles.
and he was very fond Of his bow and
arrow. He got 50 that he was q very
good shot with an arrow. The thing he
loved best of all wac a kite. ut seems
to me-" said Mrs. Mckinley, IT never
went into the kitchen without seeing a
paste pot or a ball Of string waiting to
be made into a kite. He never cared
much for pets. I don't believe he ever
had one. We didn't own a horse, so he
never rode or drove. He was always
teasing to 60 barefooted the minute
the snow was OF the ground. When
summer came. he always had a stone
bruise or a studied toe, and he was as
proud as a king to show all the other
boys how he stubbed or bruised his
foot. Although William had no taste
for fishing and rarely IL ever attempted
the sport. he was very fond Of SWIM
ming"
In pursuance, of her plan of making
her boys useful, Mrs. Mckinley re-
quired them to divide the labors Of the
house. They burned wood and lots Of
It. and it had to be sawed and split. 1t
came In lengths four feet long. and
William and Abner, being Of about the
same age, had to prepare it for use.
Mrs. Mckinley remembers that Will
liam was a steady chopper. muscular
and willing, but Abner usually had the
bigger pile to his credit. However,
Abner got other boys to help him, while
he directed their work. William, on
the contrary, always sawed his own
wood. The boys had the garden to hoe,
chickens to feed and errands to rum.
Mr.. McKinley's conversion in the
Methodist church at Poland, O., is
thus related by his old pastor. Rev.
Dr.. Silas @. Swallow:
young McKinley's admission to the
church made such a vivid impression
on my mind that I will never forget 1t.
He had been a frequent attendant at
the Sunday services and was an ear
nest listener. On the evening Mckinley
got up l had been exhorting all my
hearers to repent deeply Of their sins
and seek salvation Of their souls.
"After the preaching we had q
prayer meeting, and young Mckinley
arose in his seat. He was about four
teen years old at the time, and a more
dramatic figure Of an earnest boy I
never saw. Standing erect, with bowed
head, but looking every N full in the
face. he said: I nm determined to
be a Christian. I believe that God 10
the. greatest and best being Of the uni
verse, and l am determined to love and
serve him. l believe religion is the
best thing in all the world, and I am
going to seek It with all my heart until
I find It.
"There was nothing affected in the
boys manner, but his quiet, earnest
way attracted the attention Of every
body in the church. The boy at that
time was a student at the Poland in
stitute, and the stand he took for re-
ligion had a great amount Of influence
with the younger people,"
James p. Gardner of Ellerslie, Allie
ghany county, Nd, claims that he was
instrumental in securing for President
Mckinley his first law case. A poor
woman Of Canton had fallen in q
sewer. carelessly left open by city OH
cials, and sustained severe, injuries.
She was disabled for work and prob
ably too ignorant or too poor to bring
suit.
Mr.. Gardner, then a resident Of Can
ton. interested himself in the poor wo-
mans behalf and carried the case to
Major Mckinley. who had just hung
out his single. The latter worked It
up and brought suit against the city.
He won, and as q consequence the swo-
man was able to provide herself with
q comfortable home and a "rainy day.
fund. The only reward Major McKin-
ley got for his services, says Mi. Gard
ner, was the pleasure which a good
man derives from the performance of
q good deed. alt
Young Mckinley was once defending
q medical client sued for alleged NAL
practice in setting q broken leg. 1t
was suspected, without means of proof
being provided, that the claim was
what in the legal slang of corporation
damage suits is called "a fake snap"
The plaintiffs counsel had ocularly
exposed the malpracticed leg to the
jury and oracularly showed the nodes
which were the alleged palpable evil
dences of the want Of medical skill
when Mckinley exclaimed as the plain
til was restoring the clothing Of the
limb, 'Now let rs see your other Leg
which, after very excusable objections
as to policy from his attorney, was ,ex-
hibited. Z sfrf
The new exhibit, which proved to
have been duly marked with india ink,
showed the same nodes that were upon
the other leg and proved that, as Nc
Kinley wittily remarked, 1t was Dame
Nature who had been guilty Of NAL
practice.
Mr.. Mckinley before his election t.
the presidency used to receive scorss Of
requests to make speeches, and many
OF these were accompanied with offers
Of money. One day he received q let
ter from Boston stating that the writer
would give him $500 Il he would delv-
or q speech there
II do not Know why It H." said the
then governor Of Ohio, "but there 10 q
sort Of repugnance in my mind against
giving my views on public questions
for pay. I may be all wrong about It.
but I know it would take all the enthu-
siasm out Of me II I knew that I was
going to be paid at the end Of a meet.
ing for the remarks ! made during It.
Ishave had money offered me very Of
ten, but I have never takenrit.
II remember 4 speech which I made
not long ago In debate at one Of the
big eastern universities on the tariff
question. IEtook the protection side, Of
course, and a very prominent free trad.
q had the other side. Shortly after !
n EEHa raEa ~ 49, -. GtA0 ~ - E[ 40