Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-04-15

creeks and pines, a stocky. gray-eyed little fell
low, who could outrun any of his companions
When he was six years old the village of Wathall
was established in the woods nearby and the
Gore family went there to live Young Tom at
tended a small school set among the trees out
side of the village.
At the age of eight years the boys left eve
was blinded by accidental blow from a stick
Three years later he employed as a page in
the Mississippi senate and boarded at the house
OF Senator j. q. George in Jackson One day.
while playing with a crossbow, an arrow entered
MS right eye and destroyed his sight.
In spite of his affection young Gore managed
to stand at the head of his class in school and at
the age Of IT years entered a normal school
which was opened Here he gradually became
totally blind. yet he mastered the high school
course.
While Gore was attending the high school his
closest companion a classmate Charles H
Pittman This youth used to read to him. One
day they found an old volume of the Congress
sional Record. Going out to the stable, the blind
student would stand for hours while Pittman read
to him the speeches of the lawmakers at Wash
ngton.
During that winter Gore and his sister taught
school for few months. All the while his moth
err bedridden invalid read to him history, biog-
raphy and other subjects connected with his po-
ltical plans. and he would sit by the bed,
strange smile on his blind countenance, dreaming
and broodng and waiting for the day when he
might take part in the great battle of politics like
other
His great chance came in the spring of 1891.
The Populist movement spreading rapidly
and he joined it. In the state campaign for
legislature to elect United States senator he
took up the cause of Barksdale against George,
although boy he had lived in Georges house
The blind orator shrank from no conflict. He
even debated with Senator Money, whose tongue
all Mississippi dreaded and who smiled males
tcally when told that his opponent was "a poor
blind schoolboy" Senator Money declared that
but for his antagonists blindness, he would hold
him personally responsible for his words-a
deadly thing to say in Mississippi. Gore prompt
ly replied, Let him then blindfold himself and
will meet him.
In September of that year he went to the law
school at Cumberland university, Tennessee and
studied law for ten months. He was one of the
leading six students in class of AZ This expe-
rience cost him 1891 and he returned to his Mis-
sissippi village with only 25 cents in his pocket
in suit of clothes he had for Ia months.
He had almost been compelled to leave the law
school months before for the lack of suitable
clothing
Yet his unquenchable ambition to reach the
United States senate grew more intense as the
difficulties of his situation increased.
Cores father had taken up the practice Of
law in Walthall and. returning from the law
school in 1892 the youth welcomed as an
assistant in the office. That year, too, he
presidential eector the Popust ticket, at
tackled Grover Cleveland on the stump and carried
| his county.
The practice Of law was not an inspiring occu
| patton in Wathall. There actually As law
| yers in that SMALL poor village. The blind advo
| cate tried few cases.
After two years effort to a living as
lawyer in the place of his birth Gore decided
! to go to Texas.
Having saved $40, he started in April. 1894.
| for Texarkana, arriving there an absolute stran
| ger with only $21 in his pocket He secured a
/ boarding house and promptly offered himself to
| the Popust leaders for service in the approach
| ing state and county elections. His political
! speeches brought in money enough to pay his ex
! penses hut he found no chance to practice law.
In the winter he went back to Waltha and for
year made another desperate effort to win success
| as lawyer. He was nominated for congress by
the Popuiists, but was defeated. Yet his speeches
in the campaign attracted much attention
On the last day of the year 1895 the sghtess
and unsuccessful lawyer decided to abandon the