The Plymouth tribune., 1902-03-20
ALTGELD'S STORMY CAREER

He Was Picturesque Figure in Ameri.
can Politics.
John T. Altgeld who died WedneS-
day was "a character at once unique,
forceful and picturesque, and, not
withstanding his vagaries, he number
ej his friends and followers by the
thousand. In spite of the fact that
he spent his early life on farm and
lived out of doors. he had not been ro-
bust for the last twenty years. He
was not an old man by any means
born in Germany during the revolu-
tionary days of 1S4S-but the last ten
years of his life were years of suffer-
ing.
Shortly after his Inauguration as
governor of Illinois in 1898, he, was
compelled to leave the state capitol
and 90 to the Hot Springs ofArkansas
his nervous system having been en-
tirely shattered by the great strain of
the gubernatorial campaign. Some
time after that he was attacked with
locomotor ataxia, and since then he
was never entirely free from it. An
operation few years ago by DR..
Nicholas Sem had the effect of afford
ing relief to the patient. but improve
ment of a permanent nature was not
looked for.
The election of such man as Mr..
Altgeld to the governship of such a
state as Illinois naturally attracted
the attention of the country His
pardon of the anarchists and his con-
troyersy with President Cleveland,
when the latter sent United States
troops here during the great strike of
1894 are matters Of history.
Mr. Altgeld always maintained that
he won a victory over the President
in the matter, for after the protest
the federal troops were withdrawn
and state troops substituted.
In the course Of an interview, few
years ago. he told the story Of his
early life as follows:
II worked on farm in Ohio until
| was sixteen years old. Then | sol
diered some. | carried a musket
along the James river when was Six
teen Years old. Indeed. | was a great
deal more of man than / am now.
After the war | worked at different
things, mainly teaching school. How
did l like it? Oh. | liked it very
much. Then, / think / got $50 a
month and before l stopped had been
raised to $50.
"Then ! studied law IN Missouri
and finally migrated TO Chicago. /
was lawyer for while in Savannah
and got along very rapidly. was city
attorney first, then states attorney
and had about as good a practice as a
body could get there, and then my
head swelled. / wanted broader fields,
SO ! went to Chicago. That's all.
You know the rest
Although strong advocate of the
l6 to / doctrine all the leases 10 rooms
and suits in the Unity building, Chi
cago, which structure was owned by
him. were payable in gold.
At one time, also, Mr.. Altgeld was
practically millionaire, but the hard
times of 1898 struck him very hard
and crippled him greatly.
Real estate, or big buildings, seemed
a passion with him, and although
lawyer of superb attainments and
iudge-he was on the circuit bench
for several years-whose opinions and
decisions always commanded respect,
he preferred real estate to law. Be-
ing childless he called his big build
ings his children. The magnificent
Unity building, representing more
than 81 900, 900, he called his boy.
Yet rich or poor he was the same
man. When rich he lived in plain
and transformations manner in a COM
Portable brick house in Frederick
street, near Lincoln Park; superb
within tine city limits. He never
kept carriage, cared little or moth
ing for society, never went to clubs,
and he and his wife lived alone, hap
py in each others companionship.
While bitter and sarcastic in debate
or public speeches, he was the mild
est of men ordinarily, pleasing con-
versationist and a genial host.
Must Appropriate Money.
By decision Of the supreme court
rr-t....~1o,- = 4s,o aoe, ,f Dorrx- 7 Tn,