The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-04
AS TOLD BY LAfE PENCE
STORY OF BRIEFLEss DAYS OF HIM
SELF AND "NEwT- HARDING.
How n Couple of Young Indiana Law
yers, Who Put Up Their Shingles
i'm Kansas, Lost a Client.
taft Correspondence Of the Journal.

Staff Correspondence Of the Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-Lafe Pence,
who formerly represented a Colorado dis
trict in the national Congress-. and who
spent his boyhood days at Columbus. Ind,
and was educated at Hanover College. is in
Washington at the Riggs. While he calls
Colorado home" his real residence is in
Wyoming. Pence is a good story teller
and is full of "reminiscences of Indiana
life. He is a stanch friend of w. n. Hard
ing. of Indianapolis. whom he always re-
fers to as Newt" Pence tells a story Of
how he and Harding started out to practice
law together in the seventies. They were
in school at Hanover at the same time.
and there agreed to become lawyers and
TO try their fortunes in the West. After
leaving college Harding took up the study
of law in Indianapolis and Pence with a
law firm at Columbus. In 1879 they located
at Winfield, Kan, and maintained a law
Office there just one month. In that time
they had just one caller-a man who might
have become a client but for one unfor-
tunate circumstance. The building in which
they located was an ideal boom" town
structure, a frame affair with a stairway
running up the outside of the building.
For Kansas in those days ii was an ideal
office building. The young Indiana law
yers waited long and patiently for clients,
but none came. They put In the time
reading law and playing "seven-up." Those
were the courtship lays of Newt" Hard
ing, and two or three times a week he
would get a bulky letter, addressed in a
feminine hand from Indiana. This prevent
ed time hanging heavily on his hands. One
DAY the young men were engaged in a
game of "seven-up' when they heard a
step on the stair. They waited. trembling
dashed the cards into the drawer. The
steps drew nearer and a man finally stood.
in. AS he crossed the threshold Harding
picked up a law book and became studious.
The man had come for legal advice. He
there was trouble over a h0 SADDLE teade W anf
he wanted to know was whether he could
retain the saddle.
Certainly you cam" declared Lawyer
Pence. BY all means hold on to it. You
are entitled to it,"
At this point Newt" Harding inter
rupted. Hold on about that" he said.
it," and the young man looked wise and
became very deliberate. The partners then
got into an argument as to the merits of
the case, the client listening atten-
lively.
You are one of the partners?'' he finally
asked, turning to Harding. And you are
a member or the frm? turning to Pence.
Both admitted they were. The client
seemed to be thinking deeply, but gave no
intimation that he had changed his mind
about securing legal advice, for he sud-
denly walked out of the door and the firm
of Harding & Pence, counselors and at
torneys at law" never saw him again.
That was the only time the firm came near
being employed.
Some time later Mr.. Harding returned to
Indiana, leaving Pence TO wind up the
business affairs of Harding d Pence"
A day or two after his departure a letter,
in the handwriting that had became famil-
lar to Pence. arrived at Winfield Pence
and one of Harding's friends in the town
decided to have some fun with Newt"
Procuring a large piece of brown paper
they drew a picture of an angular young
man carrying a valise and making for
the depot. The picture was supposed to
represent Newt Harding. Underneath
the picture they wrote the sentence very
familiar in the West those days, 'Gone
back TO his wife's people" The letter was
then wrapped carefully with the cartoon
and sordarded to the young woman who
had written the letter. 1t arrived in her
hands before Mr.. Harding paid her a
visit. and as she had a younger brother.
who was of a mischievious turn of mind,
young Harding was made rather uncom-
Portable. He forgave Pence in later years,
however, and they are the best of friends.
G. A. G.