Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-10-01

burn was promoted to the position of
reading clerk, even if he was not per-
mitted to draw the salary.
Admiration for Harlan.
Colonel Hepburn early formed lik-
ing for politics. AS young man he
had a wonderful admiration for Sena-
tor James Harlan. He studied him as
an ideal. An Senator Harlan liked
young Hepburn They first met in the
early days, soon after Iowa was ad
mitted to statehood. Senator Harlan
was pulling political wires in Johnson
county and was travelling across the
country with team and buggy. They
met at deep ford in the river and
Colonel Hepburn assisted the dis
tinguished senator in effecting cross
ing. For this service Senator Harlan
paid the lad literally, and from that
time on he was the steadfast friend
and political adherent Of the Mt Pleas
ant statesman. Colonel Hepburn unit
ed his fortunes with Harlan in his
| fight for the senatorship against Sen
ator Allison and went down in that
memorable defeat with his colors fly
ing. The writer has often heard Col.
Hepburn talk of Senator Harlan. Said
he once: II believe If Senator Harlan
could have remained in the senate as
long as he lived. with the opportuni-
ties there offered him Of study on po-
litical and economic questions, he
would have become one of the great
men not only of the United States, but
of the world. He would have ranked
with Gladstone" He concluded his
eulogy of Harlan by saying: "He was
the most learned man have ever
met"
Fought Under General Mcclellan.
Colonel Hepburn was mustered into
the service of the union army at Mar
shalltown, where he had moved with
his family from Iowa City shortly be.
fore the war. He first served under
General Mcclellan, and like all OF the
soldiers who fought under his COM
mand, he had great admiration for
his superior officer. All of the soldiers
who served in the Second Iowa cavalry
with Colonel Hepburn swear by him
until this day. If any Of the. old boys
have a pension claim they want looked
after. they always write to the colonel,
no matter whether they live in the
eighth district or in Texas. And the
colonel always takes great delight in
complying with all requests made by
the members Of his old regiment. A
friend once said of Colonel Hepburn,
do you know that the friends who
know you best like you the best?" 81
have always thought" ne replied, that
perhaps was an acquired taste" "
Doubtless his statement Is true, for
every man who served with him
through the war and knew him init
mately would cross the continent to
do Hepburn favor. Ben Brookfield,
missed republican convention of any
kind, always looked Hepburn up first
thing after he landed in Des Moines.
They had warm attachment for each
other. When returning to camp one
evening, Colonel Hepburn's horse
made lunge in crossing ditch and
landed him in the mud 1t was still
five miles to camp, and Brookfeld
came along and gave him his horse
and "hoofed" it into camp. "The first
! few weeks we were under Hepburn's
! command" Brookfield once said, 1.-THE
boys thought he was the severest dis
ciplinarian we ever saw. We hated
him at first, and l expect ii we had
been under fire the first few weeks
some of us would have accidently shot
him, but after month of service I'M
| der him and we came to know him bet
| ter our first impression was changed
| from dislike to love and admiration, and
| there wasn't a man in the entire regi
ment but what would have died for
him at the end of three months"
Locates at cIarlnda.
After the war was over Colonel Hep
burn returned to his parental home at
Marshalltown. He was anxious to get
located, and decided to move to new
er portion of the state. Fortunately he
selected for his future home one Of
the richest agricultural counties in the
entire state, that of Page. He came tc
Clarinda overland across the prairies
about 1868. That county was nearly
all open country at that time, and but
littfespf the land had been tickled with
the hoe. He arrived at Clarinda on
the old stage line late one evening,and
from the location Of his present home
took look across the valley of the
Nishnabotna He was 80 impressed
with the landscape presented that he
there and then concluded to make
Clarinda his future home. He soon ee.
tablished himself in lucrative law
practice, and commenced to grow up
with the country The Page county
bar contained many strong men,
among them being Captain Morseman,
now of Omaha, Colonel Hepburn's
brother-in-law and Talton Clark, lately
deceased. For time Colonel Hep
burn was partner of Herb Scott, who
is at present one Of the leading attor-
neys of the Clarinda bar. Colonel Hep.
burn soon built him fine residence on
a commanding site in Clarinda. He per.
sonally superintended the erection of
his home, and remained away from his
Office allowing his partner to look af.
ter the business. He said once that
his share of the firms business during
the time that the house was building
paid the entire cost of it. The law
| husineSS in those DAVIS was much more