The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-09
PENNlLESS ANDRAGGED
JOHN P. ALTarLD,s rfRsT AP-
 PEARANCE IN MISSOURI.
Worked on Farm-Borrowed Law Books; Elected an Attorney--Was tilted in Love-Struegled Bravely Against Hard
 Circumstances

Tn the spring of 1875 a young German wa was working working on Missouri raci'ie gras Having drifted thither from his home. near Mansfield. O., where his parents had lived since they came to this country, many years before. he set out to earn his problem of. human existence. Fate had concealed something Of worth for the years to come. and his eyes were on the stars while his feet trod the common earth of a railroad grade. One day as he la bored he was smitten with climatic fever and quit work. He was taken to the rudely constr.i.ted temporary hospitai. where he lay for weeks enduring the anguish and extreme physical distresx When he arose from his sickbed he found that he was unable to accomplish what was expected of him and was, moreNver; .,; penniess. Pale. weak and emaciatea though he was. he set his face to the blast
 Farmer Employed Him.
 "He stopped at a farmhouse three miles east of Topeka and offered to do some light work that would afford him means of rest and lodging for short time. The kindly farmer gave him employment for a fortnight. during. which he recuperated with wonderful rapidity. Up to this time weakened him in brainsas well as in body, and the advisability of sending the pa- tient into the city where he could receive treatment at some public hospital. was
 
 neighbors. The young German hotly re scented ths advice of his newly made ac-' quaintances on this point and one morn-' ing when the farmer arose his guest had departed.
 "One morning there appeared on the streets. of St. Joe this man, verftable tramp, with rags tied about his feet to do service for shoes, seeking situation that would give him start to better things. HIS name was Altgeld, John F. AltgAld, who became Governor of llunofs seventeen years 1ater.R From place to place. from one man to another. he went about telling his hard-iuck story and re- ceiving little encouragement to hope for anything here. In fact, to his entire disl appointment, he found nothing to do Worked for Lodging.
 He failed to impress any to whom he appealed and with weary sigh set out I''In Andrew County he found Work son the farm of Henry Mueller, who gave him lodging for his labor. He. chopped wood down to rest and told of his troubles and travels Mueller became immediately in
 terested. and was shrewd enough to dis cover that there was worth in the young fellows makeup. Just what particular quality of individuality attracted him to Altgsld the Andrew County farmer was
 unable to decide, but his sympathy was
 aroused and he made him a member of
 his family circle. For slo a month he | worked for two years. during which his strength returned and his recovery was complete.
 He bent his energies constantly toward the accumulation of means to study law. He tried for certificate to teach a dis trict school but found that he had not | knowledge to pass the required examina- | ton. Farmer Mueller and David Rea, ar l terwards a member of Congress. fixed it l so Altgeld got the certificate. and he also | got a school that paid s25 per month. Judge Req loaned young Altgeld law nd oft ha a would | sit down at night to store his mind with | the knowledge that was to arm him for battle with the world.
 Tn few months he became SO tre-
 mendously in earnest that Req took him
 into his office where Altgeld read law | for some time From that time the de- 1 termined German student worked with l the star of success glimmering as faint possibility in the distance. He went into | politics and soon had his name up for l prosecuting attorn ey on the Democratic
 A hard fight was before him, but he won l through sheer persistence and the adfni-
 ration which he excited in the, minds of
 the farmers. who to this day refer to him as Pete" Altgeld. He surmounted all oh-
 stables. even his poverty, and came in l with flying colors.
 i About this time there csme into h.s story of life. the love element which I sometimes brightens sometimes saddens. and always influences the lives of the majority of great men of history, In the case of Altgeld it was better. though the
 love was hopeless, and he never welded the sweetheart of his early fancy.
 tilted in Love.
 "One day in Savannah, Mo-, he met Miss Anna Rohrcr. daughter of George Rohre-. who was then president of the State Bank of Savannah, and one Of the wealthy
 men of the town. To the young lawyer the girl was the incarnation of his ideals.
 With characteristic decision he set to
 work to win her. His suit did not pros
 per- however, and the girls father at last
 gave him to understand that his visits to their home must cease. This was a
 hard blow, not only t0 the affections, but
 to the pride of Altgeld. and for the first
 time in his life he found himself face to
 face with an obstacle he could never sur
 mount.
 Never did he lost sight of his intent. and later, when the situation became less
 strained. he visited ner agaln. He maoe
 refused by the young woman in obedi. ence to the wishes of her father. Crushed
 with disappointment he left the house. and from that night devoted himself to
 the prose of existence. knowing that the
 poetry and romance must be sealed vol
 tune to him In future.
 "He at once made an effort to get away
 from Savannah. although he had served 1, but six months of his two years term
 as prosecuting attorney of Andrew Coun, ty He made arrangeIpents to that end
 and soon sold his law library for $l0O to Charles F. Booher, the present prosecut- ing attorr " of Andrew County, who, af- fer the departure of Altgeld, served the Fourth Missouri District in Congress. MT Booher has recently come into prominent ss by reason of his prosecution of the Rlch-
 ardson murder case. Settled in Chicago.
 "Altgeld left for Chicago. where he prac- ticed law with marked success. He mar l rjed a wealthy woman, was busy In pol itics became Governor of the State. and tho remainder of the story is known to
 all o ,, .Lc
 hriohtest girls in Andrew County. and who was also very beautiful. in the meantime ! ,oarried inc man of her fathers choice He was the cashier of Rohrer's bank, and nroved to be as worthless as Altgeld was
 xworthy. After the fathers death he spen' , all of Rohrer's money. lived reckiessiy and finally died, leaving his wife power. ty-stricken and with five children. A
 few years ago she appealed to Aitgeld tc | send her and the children to some friends in Syracuse, N. Y., and he responded. s'That was the last he ever saw Of hi! sweetheart of by-gone days. She Is dead now. and he later made financial con ! tribution for the support of her children He cherished the memory Of the timt when their mothers bright personality
 gave him the fieeting glimpse of what
 Iifes meaning might have been had love
 and fortune favored"
 MIKE, THE FEATHERED MASCOT