The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-01-23
TAMMANY HALLS CHIEF
Remarkable Rise of Lewis Nixon,
the New Leader.
HIS CAREER BASED ON ENERGY

How lie Won Ills wife.
The motto OF Lewis Nixon. the young
shipbuilder and the new leader Of
Tammany Hall, is God helps those
that help themselves"
The story OF Mr.. Nixon's success in
life and success in love shows how true
the motto has been IN his case. says
the New York World. II Is a pretty
story OF love deferred and struggle
and love rewarded. Lewis Nixon was
born In 1860 in the little town OF Lees
burg. Va. His father occupied an Of
fetal position similar to that Of sheriff
and was IN charge OF the jail
Lewis Nixon, the youngest SON
there were two others and one sister
was born in the residence connected
with the Jail. and IL is possible that
this early familiarity with ths legal
side OF the derelcts OF the human fam
fly first turned his mind toward the
betterment OF the race through the
suppression Of the vices that lead the
way TO the jail or prison. In any case,
the little Leesburg youngster. with his
reddish brown curls and keen. laugh
ing black eyes. spent his babyhood in
an environment which doubtless has
had a marked effect upon his life.
Lewis Nixon's father was a man OF
extreme probity and OF humble social
position. His mother was lovely wo-
man, gentle and amiable and possessed
OF every domestic virtue as well as a
firm and noble character Everybody
loved Mrs. Nixon. Every one today
in Loesburg speaks tenderly OF her
and regrets that she should have died
before her idollzed son had reached
success. An old friend. n Virginia la
dy. who has known Lewis Nixon since
he was in petticouts, says OF him:
Lewis Nixon was never like ans
other Leesburg boy. From the time
he could toddlc he was n parsonage
/ recollect coming across him one
spring morning as | walked toward
the village. He CT ut have been
over three years old at ~ time. lie
was lying full length in the road, face
downward. leaning on his elbows,
studying two spessermlns,' as he call
ed them. The 'spessermins were n
butterfly and an angleworm. The look
OF deep study upon the baby's face
he was still I'm l.ilts-was SO amusing
that | stopped and said;
(Which do you like best, Lewisi
Which would you rather be. n butter
fly or an anglewormY
THE small man did not smile. but
roign1 hfa la guf1 fIf1
rather fly than crawl
"IIe then gathered up his 'spesser
Minis and departed to seek for more.
'From babyhood Lewis was an en-.
thusiastlc naturalist, and his mother
would tell OF most extraordinary col
lections Of bugs. beetles, lizards and
flowers and how Lewis knew the
names Of every insect. animal and
plant In the woods or mountains that
surround Leesburg. AS mere baby,
or SO II seems TO me now. Lewis used
TO go out on long solitary uamps
Sometimes he would start Off early in
the morning and be gone the entire
day. always eager. interested, busy,
acquiring through nature. the greatest
OF all schools, n fund OF knowledge
that no book made by hands can i'm.
part.
when Lewis was about six years
old, he began TO take an extraordinary
interest I'm boats. Now, Leesburg is an
inland town, and boats require water.
The baby in kits. with his curls flying
In the air. built his first boat after
plans OF his own. | will wager no
such craft was ever launched since
time began as that same first boat OF
Lewis Nixon's.
when the time came TO launch the
craft, the fact that there was no water
did not In the least curb the ardor OF
the youth shipbuilder lie Informed
his wondering family that he knew
water would run down a hill. aud II he
could pump water fast enough down
gutter from the pump his ship would
float. And It did. Strange and un.
canny as the queerly contrlved thing
looked to everyday eyes. once the en-
gineer-his curls damp with persplra.
tlon. his face crimson with the effort
or pumping-managed 20 get n flow OF
water down the hill, the boat was
launched. and. sure enough. she sat the
water all right and floated safely down
to the pool below, while the exhausted
pumper grayely nodded his head and
said:
81 knew 1t would float. 1t had to
made 1t 10 float
"Once when the craft was broken by
running into handmade bridge over
an Imaginary stream Lewis little
friends were in great dlsmay.
"'oh, Lewis they cried. what shall
we do now the boat is brokeny
ITO which the young philosopher re-
piled: What OF it? II made il. ! ex.
pect l can mend IT,
"As boy Lewis Nixon was master
full. He dominated his playmates. | |
raco.llncf M il,rnl.rl,