The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-15
STORIES OF FAIRBANKS
Glimpses of the Republican
Nominee For Vice President.
BoYHooD DAYS ON AN OHIO FARM

BOYHO0D DAYS ON AN OHIO FARM
Adventure With a Runaway Team.
Crack Shot with "a Rifle and His
Favorite Recreation Was Squirrel
Huntine-His Dislike For Milking.
Incidents OF Ills College Life.
BY the time he was six years old
Charles Warren Fairbanks. Republic
an nominee for vice president OF the
United States and senior senator from
Indiana. could drop corn and pumpkin
seeds, could drive the cows to pasture,
feed the chickens, hunt Rhe eggs. chop
'kindlings'' and do all the light chores
that are usually put off IN the younger
members OF a farmers family. says
the Kansas City Star.
When he was ten years Of age a
tremendous event occurred in his life.
He was taken from the district school
and sent for the winter to a higher in
stitution in Woodstock, a nearby town.
world and was an important expert
ence in his life. He felt grateful to his
father for having shown SO much con-
sideration as to give him unusual edu-
cational advantages for a boy Of his
age, and he went back home deter
mined to exhibit his gratitude by in
creased usefulness on the farm.
About this time his father promoted
him from light chore work and gave
1Sro o1nur W ~ %rryo cnivs%od ro,1~u
horses. Charles was an intense lover
of animals, especially horses, and he
was proud to be intrusted with the
management Of a good team.
One day there came a test of his ca
pabilities as a driver. With a younger
brother he had been sent to a neighbour
ing town to deliver a large load of
farm produce. For a considerable dis
lance the road he had to travel ran
parallel with a railroad track. On
their return home a train overlook the
boys in the big farm wagon. The young
horses became frightened at the noise
behind them, reared, plunged and at
tempted to run away. Young Fair
banks handled the reins so skillfully
that the frightened animals We're kept
on the road, although going at a ter
rifle pace.
To make things worse, a chain in the
rear of the wagon became loose and it's
clatter further terrorized the horses.
Other vehicles on the road were hastily
pulled out of the way and their occu-
pants gazed in horror, expecting to see
Farmer Fairbanks team and his two
young sons, perched up on a high seat,
hurled to destruction. But Charles,
with a courage and skill worthy of a
Hank Monk, guided his steeds along
the rough country road until they were
exhausted and Gained down. The cool
ness exhibited by the future senator
when a baby had this time saved his
own life and that of his brother.
The event in his boyhood which is
most firmly fixed in the senator's mind,
and he recalls with the greatest pleas
ure, was when his uncle presented him
with a fine muzzle loading rifle, which
is still retained and sometimes used by
the distinguished statesman. Young
Fairbanks was not yet twelve years
old when this much coveted firearm
was given him. 1t is a heavy rifle and
was considerable of a load for a lad
of his age. His muscles, however, were
well developed by farm work and he
o o acquired the knack Of handling
the gun with ease. He practiced con-
stantly and became one of the best
shots in the neighborhood.
When a boy Mr.. Fairbanks developed
nm {r<orc0 fopAr0co Po~ o,,% 80 Hoor
sports, but none Of them was more at
tractive than hunting with his rifle.
He was q sure shot within the range of
his gun, and his favorite recreation
was hunting squirrels. He became so
expert that he could .'bark" a squir-
rel--that is, send a bullet so near the
squirrels head that the little animal
would be stunned by the shock and
killed by the fall to the ground with
out the skin being broken.
Shortly after he came in possession
of the rifle he met with an accident.
While driving his fathers cows home
from pasture a stampede occurred, and
he was thrown against a partly opened
gate and his arm broken. Even while
carrying h;s arm in a sling he would
not part company with his rifle, but
managed with his sound arm and an
occasional rest to bring down squirrels
and rabbits. Nowadays, when the SEN
.ator visits his old home in Ohio, where
his aged mother lives, he will occasion
ally show the farmer boys in the neigh
borhood some fancy shooting with his
old muzzle loading Kentucky rifle.
One of the Ohio delegates to the re-
cent Republican national convention at
Chicago says that Senator Fairbanks,
who was born on a farm in Union coun
ty, O., always hated to milk the cows,
states the New York Tribune.
tCharlie Fairbanks lever lodged
anything in the line Of work but milk