Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-03-04
s i = E l. i GIL IS

The late Senator Vest, whose death
a few months ago, caused a wave Of
regret. is remembered by his old
friends and acquaintance as a man
of splendid characteristics. He was
good lawyer, good law maker and a
good fellow. Those who knew him
best in the last named role have many
stories to illustrate his good nature,
one of which is told in the Kansas
City Star as follows:
The last few years before the civil
war Senator Vest lived at Boonville
Across the Missouri river, about four.
teen miles away from Boonville, is the
classic little city of Fayette, the home
of General John B. Clark. At the
time of which l speak, Vest was not
Senator Vest, nor was Clark General
Clark; but both were young lawyers
just beginning their careers. Living so
close together, both being lawyers,
both being hearty good fellows of con-
genial tastes in more ways than one,
it was but natural that a warm and
lasting friendship should spring up be.
tween them. Many are the times so
the old citizens say, that Vest and
Clark sat around the festal board Of
an evening with few chosen friends,
drinking sour wine, eating cheese
these great men were poor then
and telling stories till the small hours
of the morning" extemporaneous
symposiums," as General Clark was
wont to call them
The following is story General
Clark used to love to tell as to what
took place at one of these "symposi-
umS:"
I'VE we're having a good time as we
always had. Vest, a few intimate, mu.
tual friends and myself" the general
was always wont to say upon the be.
ginning of this story, "all seated
around an old table in a back room
Of Vests office in Boonville one even.
ing. OF course we were telling stories
for that was always a part of our pro.
gram, and for some reason, | cannot
now explain, we got to discussing the
merits Of pointer dogs. Vest would
tell a story about the prowess of some
dog he knew and then we would all
take drink, then | would tell a story
about some dog knew and we would
all take another drink.
"Now. everyone who knows Vest
and I, know that neither of us cared
much for dogs nor sylvan sports of any
kind l doubt If either of us ever
owned a pointer dog in our lives. But
in some mysterious way, l suppose
that it was on account Of good fellow
ship of the occasion, the rivalry al
story telling between us and the ex
hilarating effects of the freely flowing
wine, the dogs we were talking about
soon became our dogs-living, NOV
ing creatures of supernatural powers
west would tell one about his dos
and we would take drink; l would
tell one about my dog and we would
take another drink So we kept or
swapping yarns about our dogs ant
taking drinks until our rivalry devel
oped into disposition upon the par
of each of us to relate the most yn
reasonable stories possible. !,
Vest had just finished very ex
travagant one, when l happened tt
think of one that was sure would pu
him out of business.
"'I'll tell you, Vest I said, leaning
back in my chair and hooking m!
thumbs up in the armholes of my vest
it is all in the breeding and breeding
will show every time. Now, anyone
can tell that this dog of mine is wei
bred dog by watching him work in tn,
field just five minutes. Oh, tell 70,
he has the finest nose ever saw OF
a dog. And it makes no differenc.
where he is when he scents a bird ,anc
if there is bird about he is certain
to scent him; right there he will drol
and right there he will stay till dooms
day unless 1 go in and rout the bird.
Just to show you what he will d.
along these lines, will relate a lit
tie incident that took place the othel
day while we were hunting. We founc
a covey of birds right close to Low
hedgerow. had killed few of then
and my dog was working fine, making
no mistakes at all-he never does
Presently noticed him take running
start towards that hedgerow-and,
never saw a dog in my life that cal