The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-09-18

| ton III LincOln's administration, ap-
| peared for the slandered girl.
"The trial of the case aroused in
me a desire to be a lawyer-a desire
| that would have welcomed nakedneSs
and hunger as a means to an end. My
employer agreed to pay me 800 a
year for five years, and then to make
me an equal partner with him, loan
ing me all the money l required at 6
per cent. interest. But the law called.
[ had $500. l went to Terra Haute
and into Ushers office.
Later l spent six months in the
| law school at Cincinnati. That was
the most valuable experience Of my
life. l never had been in 4 city, and
never had seen a theater and did not
know enough to take off my hat when
| spoke to a woman.
Moved to Illinois to Practice
after l was admitted to the bar
! | went into Illinois to practice. | was
poor. In a short time l moved to Tus-
cola, the chief town of the second
county west of Indiana | couldn't
have gone further if l had wanted to
because l was out of money. l didn't
earn enough the first year to pay my
board. l walked from hamlet to ham
! let, over the prairies, trying small ca
ses in the courts of the justice of the
peace. | would work a day or two
and get an order for IS on some cOun-
try store, which | would give to my
landlady or trade for pair of pants.
The second year l was more success
full and paid my board in full and all
my debts. When I was twenty-five
years old | was elected states attor-
ney. My salary was $500 and got
fees amounting to $1,000 the first
year. In the meantime | kept along
with my own practice.
"a young woman had come to Tus-
cola to visit and before she returned
to her home in Mahoning county, O.,
she had agreed to be my wife. / built
fourroom cottage, and one Friday
started for Ohio. We hurried back to
TuscOla, stopping in Chicago to buy
some furniture with part Of the $500
l had in my pocket. We went 20 Pot
ter Palmers department store and
Marshall Field was the clerk who
waited upon us.
81 continued to prosper, and saved
my money. l recOllect l went away 10
try lawsuits and was gone a month
When / returned my short-sighted
brother met me at the depot. He
couldn't get along we'll because of the
prejudice which l have spoken. and
l had given him a place i'll my office
and a share in my local business. 4
know you will cuSs me-, he said, but
while you were away went into
something and have taken you ami
another man with me- He showed
me a building that had been hurried
ly put up and an immense, but mighty
| cor, iron safe. 4 have started a
! bank he said. You nave $4,000, I
have that much. and so mas our part
ner.' We got a charter from the gov
eminent before long and then moved
the bank to Danville. I have been in
this bank as & shareholder and officer
ever since. My Eear-sighted brother
became a famous man of business. l
was his partner until he died several
years ago. He looked after my inter
ests and We owned almost everything
We had in common.
81 have been in congress thirty
years, have drawn $15O,OOO from the
government and have spent 100000.
l boarded in Washington until after
was elected speaker when / took
house of my own. nevtr kept
horses. l have lived plainly, and with
in my income. So much for the ma
terial side of the case. 1t is good
that a man of seventy, with his ex-
perience and. opinions, can't go back
to youth-he would be a social mOn-
strosity. But if l could return
should get three or four more years
of schooling"