The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-01-22


selves" Has Been the Young Ship
builders Life Motto - Interesting
incidents of His BOyhOOd Days
How He Won His 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 1t is 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 sherlH
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 it is possible that
this early familiarity with the legal
side of the derclicts Of the human fam
ily first turned his mind toward the
betterment of the race through the
suppression of tie vices that lead the
way to the jail or prison. In any case,
the little Leesburg youngster, with MS
reddish brown curls and keen, laugh
ing black eyes. spent his babyhood IN
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 Leesburg speaks tenderly OF her
and regrets that she should have died
before her idolized son had reached
success. An old friend. Virginia Ia
DIV. who has known Lewis Nixon since
he was in petticoats. says of him;
Lewis Nixon was never like any
other Leesburg boy. From the time
he could toddle he was parsonage.
/ recollect coming across him one
spring morning as l walked toward
the village. He couldn't have been
over three years old at the time. He
was lying full length in the road. race
downward, leaning on his elbows,
studying two 'spessermins,' as he cali
ed them. The 'spessermins' were
butterfly and an angleworm. The look
of deep study upon the baby's face
he was still in l;ilts-was so amusing
that stopped and said;
(which do you like best. Lewis!
Which would you rather be. butter
fly or an angleworm?
1.-THE small man did not smile but
raised his eyes to me and said, ia
rather fly than crawl
HE then gathered up his 'spesser'
Minis and departed to seek for more.
''From babyhood Lewis was an en-
thusiastic 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 ana
plant in the woods or mountains that
surround Leesburg. AS q mere baby,
or so it seems TO me now, Lewis USED
to go out on long solitary uramps.
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, 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 in 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 nc
such craft was ever launched sine,
time began as that same first boat oil
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. He Informed
his wondering family that he knew
water would run down hill. and If be
could pump water fast enough dowT
a gutter from the pump his ship would
float. And it did. Strange and un
canny as the queerly contrived thing
looked to everyday eyes. once the en-
gineer-his curls damp with perspira
ton. his face crimson with the effor
of pumping managed to get a flow Of
water down the hill, the boat wa:
Launched. and. sure enough, she sat thu