Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-09
n have to do with it?" the secretary was

nave to do with it?" the secretary was
asked
HIM, well, you see, had three
quarter inch hickory stick there to
help my eyes out" he replied, chuck
ling, and it was not until he had had
his laugh out that he added:
| But the experience taught me to
use my eyes, no matter what I'm do
| ing or who I'm talking to. You can
win out better that way"
Begins Study OF Law.
After graduating from Mt Vernon
college, Shaw decided to study law
and took two-year course in the Iowa
! College of Law, In Des Moines, earning
his own way as he had at Mt. Vernon.
Armed witt. his sheepskin and shingle,
the young lawyer went to Denison
which he had visite>. on his fruit tree
rounds, and presented himself before
a young lawyer he had met whats
the matter with forming q partner
ship?" asked the novice:' would you
care to let me in with your" The law
yer ''acre6," and thereafter the sign
read Conner & Sh: W. To-day the se-
nior member of that firm Is In Wash
d,
and the junior memDer has been there
four years as secretary of the trea-
sury.
The law firm was successful and
was represented in the leading cases
In the county Sometimes / drove
ninety miles in one day to try case
declares shaw 81 would get up at 2
O'Clock, in the morning and would get
back late at night, changing teams on
the way.
Brings Capitalists To Iowa.
| But successful as they were, Shaw
found the returns coming in too slow
ly. He belived the time was ripe for
a coup. In the neighbcrhood were
scores of farmers striving to pay for
their homesteads. The country was
new, the interest rates high and
money scarce. Shaw had an inspira-
ton. Back in Vermont, among the
family friends, were couple Of CAPT
talists. Without saying word to
any person, Shaw purchased a rail
road tfcket-it was National G. A
R. excursion, and the rates were
cheap-and returned to Vermont. The
capitalists were skeptical.
I. aYou come with me and I'll con
vince you," declared the transplanted
fastener. One capitalist became i'm
pressed and accompanied Shaw nc
Iowa. The two drove from farm to
farm until the entire country had been
visited. One after another, the intel
ligent Industrious farmers were intro
duced to the fastener. "They all knew
Cho1 Nd 81 ,
says one commentator. They had
bought trees in their orchard from
him There were books in the parlol
he had sold them The wills in theil
safe he had drawn up for them. Theil
children were in his Sunday school
Even the Baptists and Congration
alists and those who considered him
too shrewd for comfort liked to talk
to him. He always had a story te
1 tell and better, he always laughed q,
their. jokes
Not One Loan Was Lost.
4 The result Of that trip was that sew
Il eral millions OF eastern dollars were
loaned to Iowa farmers through Con
4 her & Shaw, and SO successful was
Shaw in Judging men that not single
4 dollar was ever lost or mortgage fore
closed, even in the panic of 1893.
i inpresses Roosevelt With Speech,
j This was the country lawyer anf
banker who decided to reply to Mr.
Bryan and who won his spurs SO do
ing. The next year he became gov
! ernor of Iowa, although -fourths
,|of the delegates at the convention
Il which nominated him were info milo,
with him, save through his campaign
4 speeches. The year after he was elect
/ ed governor, he was campaigning In
the northwest. Approaching Yankton
S. D., in company with Theodore
| Roosevelt, then governor of New