The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-04-23
TOM KEMPER.

The character OF James Steerforth.
school-fellow and friend of David Copper
field, was in a measure duplicated IN
Tom Kemper. He had Steerforth's per
sonal attractions and easy and engag-
ing manners, as those traits have been
described by Dickens.
Ny first recollection Of Tom Kemper is
that OF a slender figure with fiery red
hair. And he was the first young man
/ ever knew TO wear a high hat he was
! q member OF the most aristocratic fam
I lly in the town. His father was a patri-
/ arch in his church His mother was a
type Of that womanhood which makes
men better
Tom Kemper was my senior. His desk
! at school was near mine. I saw him in
I his studies and moods. He was the only
/ scholar who had the distinction of be-
! ing addressed by the principal as Mister.
/ Between the two there was a formality
which puzzled the school. Sometimes
/ when awaiting recjtatiOns in one Of those
! hours when every scholar was intent at
! his books, and even the drone was at
4 work, I saw the principal gaze at Tom
kemper as man viii look a. something
/ which he cannot fathom-
/ In those days a person with red hair
usually had the same sort of considera-
( ton that one bestows upon powder mill.
IN Tom Kemper's case there was this
/ sideration-perhaps fear is a better
word-and yet no one at school ever suf-
/ fered from Tom Kemper's supposed
store-house Of passion.
One morning after the principal had
called the roll and repeated the Lords
Prayer he said he wanted the attention
of the school before the first recitation.
The night before. he said, he had occa-
sion TO be downtown later than usual.
and on his return he stopped in the
schoolroom Of the academy. II was dark;
Z hp url1n nN m
and the two had struggle. The un-
known man wore a visor. In the bout
this was torn aside. AS the unknown
man jumped from a window the principal
saw his face in the light cast from a
street lamp.
It has been many years since the in
cident, but L recall some of the words Of
the principal:
Il do not care to mention his name
he said. I wish I had not followed
him as he went to the window. After
he was gone I lighted my lamp and found
that my desk had been rifed. Nothing
was gone, but all was confusion. The
man who did this, the one whom I met
last night IN this room, is here this
morning at his desk. 1 shall not men
ton his name. But he must know that
his further presence here viii be obnox-
ious. The first class IN Latin exercises
The last sentence followed the others
As the class went TO recitation Tom
Kemper. with his books IN a strap, pass
ed out holding his high hat gracefully
before him as he walked down the aisle.
None OF US knew at the time what It
meant. None knew why the incident was
hushed so quickly. But Tom Kemper
did not suffer in the estimation of the
community.
Has it ever occurred TO you that war
is not the hell which a Union General
said it was? That but for a war now
and then, and especially a civil war,
there would be more crime?
Our civil was afforded thousands an
opportunity to end feuds which would
in way that would have shattered So
ciety and wrecked confidence. For such
as have feuds war is not hell.
Tom Kemper was a soldier in the civil
war. He wore the gray. Possibly he
would have gone anyway. But ne did
not enlist until brother of the princi-
pal of the school had enlisted in the
Union army. Probably each fought for
his cause, but the war was used BY both
as cover to end a personal feud.
Neither, of course, had any control over
the movement of his regiment but both
met in several engagements; once, face
to face 1t was at Shiloh. After the
Neither died. They met again in the
closing days of the war, in what is
known as the March to the Sea- Dur
ing the second hand to hand fight Tom
Kemper was captured. The next day
his antagonist called upon him at the
guard house. The hatred of each was un-
relenting. It was agreed that the Union
soldier, then captain, was to secure
the release of Tom Kemper, and that
they were to settle the old feud by the
code-a fight to the death. This arrange
ment, however, was frustrated at the
last moment.
In 1870 Tom Kemper, as a stranger, ar
rived in a town which Is within two
days travel from Chicago. On inquiring
for the residence Of the Rev. -. rector
of the Episcopal church, he was informed
that the rector was dangerously i'll In
spite of this, Tom Kemper called. The !
end of the call was different from that !
which Tom Kemper had in view when
he arrived in the town. IN the room
where the man of God lay passing away
in that peace which is beyond human /
understanding there was reconciliation /
which even the civil war could not bring |
about.
7 have said that Tom Kernper had some /
of the traits of James Steerforth. There I
was even a similarity in the death of 4
the two. Not long after the reconciliation /
the body Of a man come ashore from /
one Of the great lakes. 1t was the body 1
of Tom Kemper
The rector of the church was Toms 4
antagonist IA life He was the brother /
of the principal Of the school with whom 1
Tom grappled in the schoolroom by night I
Some years ago I saw the old princi- /
for his roll call-and he told /
me that his brother and Tom Kemper I
were rivals for the love Of 2 girl whom
/ knew in the school days mentioned. The /
principals brother was the successful /
man, In winning the girl the brother 1
came in possession of Tom Kemper's
love letters, anG had placed them in the
desk Of the principal Tom Kempers
mission in the schoolroom OF the acad-
emy was to get these letters. The broth
er Of the principal knew this, but not
in time to save Tom Kemper from eE-
pulsion.
From that time until the reconciliation
Tom Kempers quarrel was with the
brother Of the principal
On a recent visit 70 my old home 7
went 70 pay my respects TO the old mas
ter. He stEl regretted in q piHful way
that he had not known Tom kemper.s
mission IN the schoOlrOom that night AS
I was leaving-almost the last one Of his
old pupils the old master ever saw-he
SAID: II you ever meet any OF the
boys Of thai session please explain 10
them why Tom Kemper vas in the room
that night. and say 10 them that the
one regret OF their old master Is that
he cannot take each ore by the hand
as 7 now take yours and say The same
to him Prank II Brooks, IN Chicago
Tribune.
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