Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18

10 the long drawn out biographies of small
eF men written by themselves.
My first questions were as to the SEN
ator's boyhood. He replied:
My bOyhOod was like that of most boys
of the west. My father was farmer, who
had been engaged in stock farming in Ken
lucky. He came to Missouri before 1 was
born and took up a large tract of land away
out there on the frontier. We had no rail-
road within hundreds of miles of US. and
our education was gotten in the common
schools of the neighborhood. The school
terms were short. / remember l moved
about from uncle to uncle to keep near the
schools which We're held at different sea-
sons in different parts of the country. At
ter l had passed through these schools |
went to Chapel Hill College near by and re-
manned there until / graduated
Western College Life in 1850.
What kind of college was it, sena-
tor?'
1t was good country college as col
leges went then. The boys lived in dormi-
tories They came to school to get an edu-
cation and they worked pretty hard. Our
training was chiefly in the fundamentals.
We studied Latin, Greek, mathematics.
botany. rhetoric, physics, etc. After l grad
uated ! remained one year as professor of
languages. | taught Latin and Greek, and
also French TRANSACTIONS. The experience
was an excellent one. When | came to
teach / found out how little | really knew,
and | had to study some things all over
again One has TO know a thing in order to
teach it,"
How about athletics in those days SEN
ator? Were the college boys of then as
strenuous as those OF n0w?"
Il don't know" replied the senator a
smile creeping over his face as his soul slid
back TO the Fairgrounds of his boyhood
We had some strenuous games and most
strenuously we played them. We did not
have foot ball or base ball, but We had
games somewhat similar. One was town
ball, and another was bull pen. In bull
pen one of the clubs stood inside ring,
and its opponents on the corners outside.
The man on the outside. who had the ball,
threw ii with all his might at the crowd
within. trying to hit one of them. The men
within tried to get the ball, and if one of
them could throw it back and hit one of
the men on the outside it was a stand-off
The game had its regular points and it was
closely fought, although there were seldom
physical injuries, such as are accompanied
with the foot ball of today. l think games
a good thing for boys. l believe in athletics.
They help to make good men"
What did you do after you left college,
4 studied law. l began to practice before
came of age, and really before l got my
license, which was only granted at twenty
one. l continued at the law until the war
broke out. Then l entered the army, and
remained in it until the close"
Cockrell the Soldier.
colonel, did you not?"
Bless you, no. said the senator. Il en-
listed as a private in the old Missouri State
Guard in 1861. and my company elected me
captain The next January l entered the
confederate army, and was elected captain
by my company there. / was promoted
later on to be lieutenant colonel then colo
mel, and then brigadier general. which rank
] held during the latter part of the war.
"A curious thing occurred to my pro-
motion as colonel continued Senator Cock
ren This was that / was made such over
my own colonel. and that my colonel served
under me as lieutenant colonel without
friction. Indeed, my colonel brought the
telegram, appointing me, to my tent. l told
him il must be a mistake, and that If was
promoted wanted him TO know l had had
nothing to do with II. He replied that he
knew that, and then congratulated me on
my appointment. He said:
" You have served we'll under me- and
have done what you could to make my
work successful. l want you to know that
fully and loyalty. He did So and we were
friends and comrades still, although | be-
came his superior officer"
A Fighting Career.
you were often under fire, general?'
Yes we were fighting all the time. We
had number OF engagements in Missouri
while l was acting in the state guard, and
after that 1 was in almost constant action
until the close of the war. The Missouri
troops fought well, and my brigade was
commended again and again Here, by the
way, is my military record. which Gen.
Ainsworth has sent me- copied from the
archives of the War Department. You will
notice that we fought all through the war,
and L was captured by the Union forces at
Blakely in April, 1865
Were you ever wounded?"
Yes. several times The first wound that